I thought I would be telling you about my blog name change, today. But, I have been receiving so many emails with blog business questions, it felt like this post should come first. Next week I will tell you all about my name change.
Let me start by saying, if you blog for the sole purpose of"fun"....click away, now...this will be so boring for you.
The best place to start is with YOU. Why do you blog? Be honest with yourself. Are you using your blog to grow a business...Etsy store, Design service, Retail location, Photography, etc...? Are you building your blog because you want the blog to be a place of business...sell advertising, Consult, Sponsored Posts, etc...? Are you not sure where you are headed with this, but it is not "just for fun" you would like it to grow into something?
The sooner you have a clear vision on where you are headed, the faster you will get there. The reasons why I blog and my goals are based on my own personal situation, and yours should be based solely on your situation.
I see blogs as Industry Trade Papers. As a reader, I visit certain blogs expecting certain things. Some of the groups I have defined in my own head are "Mommy Blogs, Fashion Blogs, Home & Garden Blogs, Food Blogs, and Lifestyle Blogs. Obviously there are so many more categories, but this gives you an idea of what I am referring to. I would suggest that you define your subject matter and stick to it 80% of the time. It is really fun to read and share some personal things every now and then and we should all have some flexibility with our posts. If you are the type of person who wants to blog about "whatever moves me in the moment"....good for you. You can stay true to yourself. You may also have a much harder time finding a loyal readership.
Now that you have a focus for why you blog.....take a close hard look at YOURSELF. Look at your blog. Does your blog reflect what you are trying to accomplish? Have you branded your business in a professional manner? Is your background an appealing color? Is your font easy to read? Can the reader get a feel for what you are about at the first click over to your site? This is almost impossible to do on your own....family and friends who don't understand or read blogs are useless. Ask other bloggers. I consult with several bloggers behind the scenes. I listen to what they are saying even if it isn't what I want to hear. I pick people whom I trust and I know have my best interest in mind. This is not a competition...we all win, when we all win.
When bloggers unite, we are a corporation. The more we site and credit each other for photos, ideas, and work... the stronger we become. If we protect each other from having our ideas copied, large corporations will seek us out to join our forces and not work against us. If we stab each other in the back, we are giving them permission to do so. Don't steal a good idea....create your own.
Giveaway's are a perfect example of how companies can work with bloggers. I see no negative side to giveaways, and you shouldn't either. If you don't like the giveaway.....click away! There is no reason to put fellow bloggers down for having one. If you do want to win it, play by the rules and be a good sport.
I was recently asked about advertisers. I should tell you that I spent a fair amount of time in sales and selling advertising was part of that. It's this simple.....first you build it, then they come. It might be hard to find an advertiser, but it is impossible to bring one back if they had poor results.
