What I Learned My First Year Blogging!
Despite taking that first step to publish my blog, I’ve still been hesitant about really putting myself out there. My intention with my blog is to create a space where I keep it all the way real, hence the name, OK, I’ll Give You My Opinion! But, blogging can almost feel like a diary sometimes so it requires vulnerability. I have so many personal unpublished blogs I go back and forth with myself about posting. Why?! Because I don’t want your asses judging lol! Are brands not going to want to work with me because of something I posted on my blog? But what I’ve also been learning and practicing this year is to give less fucks (with the help of this book) about what other people think. It’s definitely a survival tactic in this social media world. At the same time the beauty of social media is that it’s a place where anyone can create whatever they want in their little section of the internet. That’s the whole point right?! And not everyone is going to like you or what you have to say, but there’s billions of people on this earth, and there’s a lane for everyone.
I’ve always been a plethora of knowledge to my friends and family. Don’t ask me how I know all this information, it just happened. I often find myself lost in research on an array of subjects. I’m all about the details, and I don’t accept the first answer I see. I HAVE to research the contrary to these subjects and questions I have before I can come to my own conclusions or opinions. This has definitely helped me navigate through this social media underworld. And if you’re in social media you know what I’m talking about!
Last year I feel like I was taking a crash course in social media marketing. I built up my knowledge while creating my foundation for this blog and my other businesses, in order to take them to the next level. So how do I plan on taking things to the next level?! Consistency! What I’ve learned from bloggers I love to follow is consistency! Being in this industry there are no days off. I feel like there is always something I can be doing. Whether it’s replying to comments, creating content, taking photos, editing photos, replying to emails, engaging with others, doing research, reaching out to brands, going to events, networking, pinning, tweeting, writing blogs and instagram captions, I mean the list goes on! I’ve had so many friends ask me how I do what I do, and once I start telling them what’s actually involved, they’re no longer as interested lol. Blogging and social media marketing is hard work! It definitely looks glamorous because we make it look that way lol!
What I learned my first year blogging
A LOT goes into posting a single blog post if you care to have anyone see it. Sure it sounds easy, write a few paragraphs about a topic or experience then press the publish button, right?! Not exactly...you have to write the blog post, then edit the blog post. Add your pictures. You have to make sure they’re sized correctly, make sure you name your files with SEO optimized with keywords. Create a pinnable graphic for the blog for Pinterest. Make sure to include relevant tags and categories everything. Then once you’re done with all of that, and finally published your blog! Whew...you’re not done. Next you need to make sure to share share share to everywhere! You like how that rhymed huh LOL. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, Mix, everywhere! Which leads us into the what I learned next.
Engage. You can’t expect others to like, comment, and engage with your posts if you’re not engaging with others. Yes it can be time consuming, but it’s just part of the game. There’s some great Facebook groups you can join where everyone supports each other by engaging with your posts. Plus through the process you meet and discover a lot of new people, and hey, you might even make some new friends!
Pinterest is your neglected best friend. I don’t know about you, but while I was building up my other social media channels like IG, Facebook, and Twitter, I said to myself “I don’t have time for Pinterest too”. But you need to make time for Pinterest. Pinterest is my number one source for driving FREE traffic to my sites! I made a conscious decision to learn the ways of Pinterest. I followed some simple strategies, and was able to increase my monthly views by 4000% in two weeks! I will write a follow up blog post on exactly how I did this. I’ll give you one tip now, create images like the ones I’ve created below for your blog. They’re nothing fancy, but they majorly increase the chances of your pins being noticed and saved!
I’m going to get a little more personal. We’re living in a social media world, and whether you want to admit it or not, we’re up in everyone’s business. Whether it’s on display out in the open, or you’re doing some research (you know who are lol)! What I’ve observed in the most successful mom influencer/bloggers are the ones who are sharing their journeys intimately with their audiences. Omg this is so hard for me, but I’m going to push through the hesitation! Plus that’s what I want to do! I want jump on my camera and share a funny story or a review of something I’ve tried. But I’m too worried about the theatrics. Most of the time I’m posted up in the house looking like Post Malone, and not camera ready to say the least LOL. There might be some peanut butter smeared on the couch behind me that I don’t notice, and people are going to be like WTF is that...I don’t know there’s so many factors! But whatever, that’s my real life, and that’s what I want to share.
Consistently! I do have to note, these are the things I’ve LEARNED not necessarily what I have done or am doing...yet lol. I say this because I really need to work on my consistency on my blog. If you want to build up an audience on any platform, you need to produce content on a regular basis. I’ve been able to do this with my Instagram, so my goal this year is to write write write. And I have so much to say guys LOL.
So basically, you’re going to be seeing a lot more from me in this next year! I can’t wait to share more of what I’ve learned this past year in some upcoming blog posts. If you’re thinking about starting your blog or marketing on your Instagram, what kind of questions do you have? Leave them in the comments below. Thanks for hanging with me this far, and if you’re new, make sure to subscribe to keep updated on all the new happenings on the blog!