We've organized many "Blogger Mancations" over the past five years and bloggers as well as brands continue to ask for more. Unfortunately, by nature the "Blogger Mancation" events are expensive for hosts to sponsor as well as work with us to organize. That often leads to them become limited to only the top tier of our network of male bloggers and influencers. That leaves many guys with smaller or more niche audiences out in the cold despite their talent and enthusiasm waiting to be shared. By introducing WAR ROOM events like this one in San Pedro (Los Angeles), California, we'll be able to engage more men at a variety of audience sizes and stages of influencer development.
This day-long event featured some of our favorite influencers from Southern California who came ready to have fun and learn new skills. On the fun side, we explored the Battleship USS IOWA, dined at the San Pedro Fish Market Grille, ate snacks provided by KickAss Jerky, the rode around with comfort and style in vehicles provided by Chevrolet.
Work Hard, Play Hard With #MenWhoBlog
In addition to simply being a fun guys getaway, these regional events are focused on making sure that there's a chance to learn new skills, explore new ideas, and share our collective talent. In this case, our WAR ROOM blogger roundtable sessions were held in a conference room on the Battleship IOWA where admirals planned some of the key naval battles that ultimately resulted in the Allied Victory over Japan. While we aren't commanding an armada of ships and sailors, each of us is responsible for managing a business and catering to an audience of thousands of readers while working with brands that want to reach them. That made this setting particularly inspiring for the group.
Topics of discussion during these sessions included:
"Does Pinterest Matter Anymore" - While most in attendance initially dismissed Pinterest, Greg Baugher of SuburbanMen.com led us to reconsider its value in terms of traffic driving value with real examples from his site.
"How To Pivot When Things Aren't Working" - Inevitably when you've been blogging for many years there are things that don't work anymore and you need to find new ideas, direction, and inspiration. All of the guys experienced this to an extent. The influencer marketing world was particular disruptive in 2018 and shows no signs of settling down for 2019. Collectively though the group emerged from the WAR ROOM with new ideas to try and better understanding that while we are competitors we are collaborators first.
"Differences Between Men and Women Influencer Engagement" - This third topic is a challenge since men and women engage vastly differently on social media. In particular, the group looked at how across many different niches male influencers had far fewer comments - despite consistently high numbers of likes and views. This difference between male and female influencers is seen by some brand representatives as men having lower value because of this. However, we believe collectively we to communicate our value as male influencers better. This includes increasing our efforts to explore and promote the strengths male influencers offer and the role male consumers play as purchase influencers and buyers of goods outside of traditionally categories marketed to men such as lawn & garden, automotive, beer, and grooming products.
To top off a fantastic day of male bonding and learning, it was time to enjoy a fantastic meal.
Sponsored by the San Pedro Fish Market Grille, the group dined on their World Famous Shrimp Tray, Whole Fried Fish, Lobster Grilled Cheese, and Swordfish Fish & Chips while enjoying craft beer and micheladas.
What The Guys Liked Most About Our San Pedro #MenWhoBlog WAR ROOM:
James from ManTripping.com: "For me, creativity requires a blend of inspiring activity and talented individuals willing to challenge my preconceptions and help me tear down obstacles. That's what this event helped me do and prepared me for a fantastic 2019!"
Kevin from PubClub.com: A super day, historic location, private tour and I learned things I can apply to enhancing exposure for PubClub.com.
