A Look Back At Elevate | Ginger Parish
How exciting is it that Megan is back to share a recap on another one of our Elevate speakers?! It's almost like you were there with us! Let's make sure that next year you actually are there!
Ginger Parrish is not only beautiful on the outside, but darn it, if she isn't just as beautiful on the inside. Armed with her camera and love for color, she lives her life out loud in the pictures she features on her blog and Instagram account. With a very distinct and honest voice about motherhood, she documents the "sweets" and the "sours" of life on her blog. Ginger will change the way you look at social media and how to use it as a platform for your passion and your voice. Using Instagram, Ginger has built a very successful following while living out loud with unparalleled passion.
This year at Elevate, Ginger presented ten ways to achieve success whether it be via your blog or shop. She says these have helped her with her own success and continue to be a standard at which she holds her blog and herself today.
1. Identify your passion:Find what you love and do that. Has there been one dream that you can't walk away from? Is there one thing you have always wanted to do, but you just keep putting it off? That's the thing you should be doing. Start that crafting/cooking/photography blog. Write that book. Contact that company for sponsorship. Ginger says not to get side tracked by other ideas, simply focus on what you want. Focus on that one thing you can't let go.
2. Become an expert:Ginger says we can define our own level of expertise. Are you waiting to accomplish one of your goals because you feel like you don't know enough about it? Maybe you want to launch a recipe blog but you feel like you aren't a good enough cook. Maybe you want to open a shop, but feel you are just your average crafter. Have you every considered that you are just as much an expert as the other shop owner or blogger? Ginger says that to admit your expertise frees you to accomplish that goal or dream. Declare yourself an expert in your "field". Did you identify your passion? Now is the time to declare your expertise.
3. Target value not money:According to Ginger, we lose focus when we focus on money. Instead focus on your passion and use it to target the audience of your choice. Launching a blog solely to make money will not only leave you somewhat heartbroken, but it will also squash your original passion. If you believe in what you are selling, and you sell that passion without the constraints of money, people will "buy" into it. People will always buy your passion.
4. Love the Haters:Negativity will follow you everywhere if you are passionate and successful. Ginger's advice is to embrace the hate. Negative comments or negativity in general are usually not about you personally. People will always be braver behind a computer screen, and typically are just lashing out at you. Take time to embrace the negativity for what it is, noise, and walk away. No one will remember the comment, but they will remember the way you reacted to it.
5. Establish your village:Surround yourself with those that love what you do. Whether online or in real life, have meaningful relationships. Ginger reminds us that success doesn't always solidify relationships. Keep those that support you close. In the business of blogging and in social media, having a village is very important. Invite mentors into your village, other experts that can help you along the way. Be a mentor in someone else's village. A village will keep you safe, but it will also keep you grounded.
6. Collaborations:Ginger offered some fantastic insight on collaborations, for example, sometimes they flop. And flops are okay, but when entering a collaboration do your homework. When presenting to a collaborator or a company, tell then what is in it for them. Tell the collaborator what you bring to the table. Just because your blog doesn't have a million page hits a day, your presence on Twitter or Instagram may be just the audience they are looking for. Ginger also encourages us to set "unrealistic" goals, and seek out those mega brands that you really want as sponsors. You may have more to offer them than you think. What is they worst they will say? No? Well, they may surprise you and say yes. When researching and presenting to companies or collaborators, think of creative ways to bring them traffic. Ginger says if you know their network, then you can find ways to think outside of their network. That could make all the difference in a successful collaboration.
7. Learn to say no:Saying no can be scary, but Ginger says saying no can also be a growing experience. It's okay to say no to collaborations with companies that don't fit in with your blog or shop. It's okay to say no to review for products you don't feel comfortable putting your name on. Saying no will help you stay focused on your passion and your voice. Don't ever be afraid to say no. Conversely, don't be afraid to say "yes" for a price. Know your value, and put a price on it. Learning to say yes, for a price, is just as important as saying no.
8. Overcoming Obstacles:What is the biggest obstacle when it comes to staying focused on your passion? Finding the time for promotion and sponsors? Social media? Just finding the time to sit down and do it? Ginger says that finding your happy place online or with your passion is very important to achieving success. Think about the time that it takes on social media each day. Think about the time commitments for blogging and giveaways. Define what feels right to you, map out that time, schedule it, and have it fit into your life. Don't have your life fit into it. Once you establish and find your happy place, you won't feel like you are on your phone/laptop/blog all the time.
9. Make money:Ginger says there is no written rule on how to make money. Charge what you want, sell what you want. Define your value, put a price tag on your time or your product. Sell a product, sell advertising, sell an e-book. Whatever you choose, set your own rules. But remember, target value, not the dollar signs at the end of the day.
10. Be happy.Ginger has made the conscious choice to be happy. Life will never be perfect, but Ginger has decided to be happy anyway. Her advice, create a mission statement, and repeat it. Make the effort to be happy everyday. Not only will it allow you to better focus on your passion, it will free you from inviting negativity into your life. Ginger's advice, choose to be happy, then make it happen.
It's evident that Ginger's passion for motherhood is the driving force in her success on her blog and on Instagram. But it's also a testament to the kind of life Ginger Parrish has chosen. She is happy, successful, driven, and above all grounded in the love she has for her family. Her top ten ways to success could teach us to make the right choices when we set to work on identifying our passion, overcoming those obstacles, and ultimately making our own dreams come true.
