Fashion and Style

Blogging Journey And Tips

Looking to get started on your own blogging journey? See my tips and thoughts on my blogging journey this far…

I have been blogging since 2016, well kinda.  I started blogging mid 2016, but honestly wasn’t doing it consistently.  By the end of the year we started the home shopping process so I basic became pretty sporadic because the home buying process got pretty hectic.  Then when things finally settled down and I could possibly think about blogging I got pregnant. My pregnancy was tough, and at that time made the decision to put the blog on the back burner until we go past it. All in all I would say I have been blogging solidly for about a year and a half.

Everything happens for a reason.  I am glad that I walked away from blogging because when I came back after having Cyrus I knew exactly what I wanted my platform form to be. Before my blogging break I solely was sharing fashion looks, and I didn’t feel like that was a true representation of my life.  And why blog if it is not true to your life!? I am not always in dresses, and fashion is not alway in the forefront of my life. With that, I became clear on my vision for my blog. I didn’t want it to always be scripted fashion photos.

I wanted real life, if I am a hot mess I want to show it.  I wanted home, still fashion, and MY KIDS! When I came back this year I had clarity.  It’s important for me to create a community of women that feel comfortable to show when we aren’t perfect. I love being a being a support system that gives tips, inspiration, and advice.

When I came back, I also grew this hobby to also monetize it, which is an added bonus. It honestly just jumped off and me an my husband are still like whoa trying to catch up.  I am fortunate to be in this situation. And I want to be transparent and tell you some tips on how I got here.

MY TOP BLOGGING JOURNEY TIPS

I often get asked how tips regarding how to be a blogger.  I wish I could say it is as easy as just snapping a picture and unfortunately it’s not. I want to share tips that I have personally benefited from, and after I followed these tips I experienced such an improvement in my blog metrics

BE CONSISTENT

This is by far the top tip I can give any influencer that is wondering why their blog isn’t growing or how to expand their following.

Back in 2016 before the blogging break, I was posting so inconsistently. It had no cadence and really so sporadic. The problem with this is if you are looking to grow your brand on social media no posting consistently will make this difficult.  We are in a time now where there are so many influencers out there. So if you don’t establish a posting frequency then it makes it difficult to stay on your community’s radar.

Also with that you don’t want to post because you think you have to.  Find the posting frequency that works for you and stays authentic with who you are.  Lastly, if there’s a day or two you can’t post. THAT’S OK. Don’t feel a prisoner to the gram. If you don’t have content to post then don’t post.  If you are building a strong community they will be understanding if you can’t post sometimes.

Find a cadence that works for your voice.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

You guys….this tip applies so much to me.  When I look back on my early blogging stages I was like what were we doing? Blurry pictures, over editing, it was just a mess. I mean you have to start somewhere, but geez.  There were times that I posted content that I didn’t really believe was my best. So what I will say is, quality always over quantity. Don’t put blurry pictures out there consistently.  

My husband shoots 85% of my images so we had to work together to get the image quality where is needed to be.  Let’s be clear I am still working on it and getting better with every shoot. For us shooting our home has been a new thing as of the past few months.  Learning how to shoot indoors is a different beast. It takes time, give yourself time to practice.

I would always recommend if you are shooting content for a brand, don’t wait until the last minute.  Doing it early will give you time to if you learning how to take photos to shoot and reshoot. We had to do that a lot as we were learning.

Once we have tried to do all that we could do, we finally had to upgrade our camera. We felt it was time this year to upgrade to a better camera to help us get that image quality we knew would give us the look we are after.

If you are not paying for a photographer, but not happy with your images I would recommend take some photography classes (my hubby did), if that still don’t work, also look at saving to make that camera upgrade.

Oh and I cannot forget, shoot at your ideal lighting time.  In the past I would shoot as the sun is going down or when it is too bright.  Lighting plays a big part on how your images turn out.

To this quality conversation, if you are still not happy with how your images are turning out.  Consider hiring a photographer occasionally if it fits in your budget.

Lastly, if you are looking at an image and don’t think the quality is where it should be, don’t post it. Your images are a representation of your brand. So if you don’t 100% stand behind something you plan to put out, simply just don’t do it.

KNOW WHEN TO TURN OFF

Being an influencer you can always feel the pressure to constantly be online engaging with your community, planning posts, and more.  This is not a traditional office hours. How\\ever, you have to create your hours. You have to know when to unplug. Giving yourself time to unplug will help you be refreshed, and remain present.

 

ESTABLISH YOUR BRAND

As I said when I first started blogging I was predominantly sharing style.  However, I didn’t feel like it was truly representing who I was. After my blog/maternity break I came back with clarity of how I wanted my brand to look. Motherhood, Style, and Home.  Those are the major anchors of my influencer brand. Those 3 facets steer what brands I work with, my audience I target, and the aesthetic I create on social media.

If you haven’t already I highly recommend establishing your brand and your voice.  It will give your so much direction on how to run your brand.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Once you have created a vision of your brand.  Ask yourself who are you trying to connect with?  At first I didn’t care who I got to like my pictures as long as they did.  It is so much more than likes on a picture. It’s engagement that is priority for me.  If I post a picture and let’s say a bunch of men like the picture, are they really going to be part of my community?  Yea maybe some, but not the majority. For me, I try to connect most with that woman that maybe graduated college, newly married or having kids. Someone that can relate to the content I put out.

I strive to build a community of women that can be transparent about life’s struggles, share tips that helped them, and tries to be stylish while doing so.  I focus more on engagement, than like. How am I connecting with my audience? How is the content I put out helping my audience? These are the major questions I ask myself and encourage you to do the same.

USE YOUR RESOURCES

Blogging can get tricky.  Whether from working on Blogger to how work with brands.  It can leave you unsure with how to navigate in this blogging world.  

I encourage you to connect with other influencers that you can reach out to for advice when needed.  I even have other influencers that I can ask “hey is my content not up to par right now”. I love when people give it to me straight, don’t fluff me.  I love having a sounding board to come to. True story…I had a PR agency reach out to me via DM on behalf of their client they didn’t disclose the name of.  I get DMs all the time so when they said they wanted to hop on a call with me and not disclose what. I figured it wasn’t legit. I took it to my blogger friends and asked them if I should go through with the call even though it seem off.  They all encouraged me to have the call. Long story short, I am glad I had them pushing me to. That was my biggest brand deal to date!

In addition, because there are so many things to learn regarding influencing.  Don’t be afraid to listen to Podcasts. I faithfully listen to Julie Solomon’s podcast and it is so helpful.

Etsy is your BFF

Etsy has legit save me many times with my influencing business.  First, I got my original website template from Etsy that was like $17! I have been using that template until the change now. I’ve gotten logos, Instagram Story Highlights, website maintenance services, plus more.  For me, I can’t always spend the money for custom things to be made. Etsy is still a go to when I am looking for business aspect to help refine the aesthetic of my brand without breaking the bank.

Growing a influencer brand is tough work.  Nowadays everyone wants to be an influencer.  I can’t stress to you enough, be true to YOU! Comparison is the worst thing you can do and robs you of going on your own personalized journey.  You have a purpose, and that purpose will not look like the other blogger you see. So support their successes, and don’t let it hinder your progression.

I constantly am assessing areas to improve with my blog and more ways to connect with women to help them.  It’s so exciting to be in the spot to make the investment of my new site. It has been such a journey. I remember saying well if I would do this when I felt it was necessary. And for me it was time.  If I wanted to continue to grow this, I know that requires investing in myself and brand. Having my previous blog on Blogger was great and pretty user friendly and would highly recommend it for anyone that is just starting out. The downside was I don’t feel like I could have a custom feel like I wanted, so my web designer built a new site on WordPress.

Don’t just be in your business but work on your business. I am regularly strategically planning on ways to improve or the direction I want my content to go. What I will say is there is no better feeling than actively working on your goals meeting milestones. My new website is just a milestone along the path.   I can’t wait to hit my next milestone!

So please check back here for regular content.  Daily something will be shared on my site whether it is a blog, mom find, sale alert, or if you just want to chat!