When you first start blogging you are amazed that even one person managed to find your blog. Your biggest readers all have the same surname as you or happen to be in your circle of friends. After the excitement of one or two regular readers wears off, you start to wonder how people will find you. Here are a few ways I increased and continue to increase my readers:
Be a big reader and commenter on other blogs. I always try to leave a comment on any blog I visit. I think it is polite and...
The blogger will see your name, your insightful or hysterically witty comments and be interested enough to visit you; and
Their readers will also see your comment. Once again, if your comment is good, they might want to seek you out too.
Guest post for bigger bloggers. Ideally, look for blogs with a similar audience to yours. When I started blogging I approached many bigger bloggers and asked if they accept guest posts. Write a post and send it to them for consideration. Make sure it's original material and hasn't been used anywhere else. Also include a bio, a good photo and all your links.
Post regularly. It doesn't have to be everyday but visitors like to see fresh material. If I visit a blog that hasn't been active for a few months, I don't return.
Create Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts under your blog name and make sure you share new posts on them.
Share other peoples posts. When people know you are a sharer, they are more likely to want to share your posts too.
Participate in linky parties. This is a great way to find new blogs to read, and get people to notice yours.
Join blogger networking sites.
If you can, attend a blogging conference. This is a great way to learn a lot, meet great people and get your name out there.
What have you found to be successful in building up your readers?
1. Your friends are...
a) Childhood buddies;
b) Mums from the school your children go to;
c) All on-line.
2. Your perfect night out is...
a) Dinner at a nice restaurant with good friends;
b) a funny movie with a bunch of girlfriends; or
c) Joining in a twitter party with a # and a bottle of wine.
3. When you see a pretty sunset do you...
a) Snuggle with your partner and admire it;
b) think it's about time to get dinner started; or
c) Take a photo, filter it and share it on Instagram.
4. It's time for bed. Do you...
a) Put on you and your partners favourite TV show;
b) Open your latest book on Kindle; or
c) Check Twitter, Instagram and facebook once more.
5. When buying a new product do you...
a) Check out the Choice reviews;
b) ask your mum or sister; or
c) check if any bloggers have reviewed it or ask on twitter.
6. You just watched a movie and loved it. Do you...
a) Tell your friends they have to see it;
b) buy another ticket and watch it again; or
c) Write a review for your blog.
7. You are about to go to a party, wearing a new dress with great hair and makeup. Do you...
a) Spitz on perfume and put on your latest piece of jewellery from your partner;
b) Check for lipstick on your teeth, skirt tucked into your undies or handprints on your top; or
c) Take photos for your OOTD (Outfit of the day) post.
8. Your mood improves when....
a) Your partner sends you flowers;
b) People compliment you on your well behaved children; or
c) People 'liked' your facebook status, your stats increased and your tweet was re-tweeted.
Did you get mostly Cs? If so, you are a blogger or close to being one.
You might notice a few bloggers create the occasional vlog. I love watching these because it makes me feel like I know them a little better after hearing them and seeing them in motion. Earlier this year, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go. I knew NOTHING and I was terrified. I have now made a few and have gotten over the stage fright but I am far from a skilled professional.
Why YOU should vlog
1. It gives your readers a chance to get to know you a little better;
2. It improves your google ranking;
3. It can save time when you are time poor;
4. You can reach a new audience using a new medium; and
5. Sometimes it's easier to say something than it is to write it.
Tools you need to get started
1. I started with just my iPad but many people just use their iPhone; and
2. I would strongly recommend an external microphone, like this Belkin one. It improves the sound dramatically.
Plus
1. A quiet area that you won't get disturbed;
2. A neat background or backdrop. A messy room or grotty toilet might distract from your awesome message;
3. Check the lighting; and
4. An idea of what you are going to say. I prefer not to practice or be scripted but maybe have points or products ready. You will seem too stiff if it's over rehearsed.
Tips
1. Speak clearly and not too fast;
2. Pretend you are talking to your sister or a friend;
3. Keep it short. People are more likely to watch a shorter video;
4. Say hello and goodbye; and
5. I always brush my teeth beforehand. I am not sure why, but it works.
You made your video, now what?
1. Create a YouTube channel. For consistency I would recommend using the same name as your blog. Here's mine: Redcliffe Style;
2. Load your video. I usually load it onto my computer first then onto YouTube;
3. Name your vlog and complete necessary details; and
4. Share it.
I haven't gotten into the editing of videos, this isn't always necessary and is a longer tutorial.
Blogger makes it very easy to load your video from your Youtube channel directly into your post. I am sure Wordpress would have a similar way but I know squat about Wordpress.
Do you vlog? What tips can you share? Vlog examples
This is my very first without an external microphone. You can tell the sound isn't very good and I'm pretty friggin' nervous. The original post is here.
External Microphone and a backdrop and getting use to the camera. The original post is here.
Previously, I have shared my weekly blogging schedule but what about my daily schedule. This is my Monday to Friday schedule. I do blog on weekends but it isn't as structured.
5am
Bright eyed and frizzy haired, I reach for my MacBook, check overnight emails, reply, check twitter interactions and respond.
5.30am
My scheduled post should be live. I'll reduce URL of the post in bitly and share on twitter. Then open Buffer and schedule basic tweets for the day. Then share new post on Facebook.
6am
If you participate in any linkys, link up now. It's best to get in early.
6.30am - 9am
Breakfast, children wrangling and school run
9.30am - 10am
Visit my favourite blogs, read and comment
Visit link ups, visit and comment
Check Facebook
The following activities must get worked into whatever else I have on for the day. They always get done but not in any particular order or time:
Write new posts;
Write any other pieces I have agreed to;
Spend time learning something new: Currently it's Photoshop CS6. I think I'll be stuck on this for a while;
Read bloggy blogs. These are ones that provide information to help improve my blogging;
Respond to any comments I have received on my posts;
Review products or movies;
Continue to check in on Twitter and Facebook. Buffer doesn't make up for your real presence;
Respond to emails. Delete spam;
Work on 'the bigger picture'. Whatever that may be. Improving media kits, emailing PR, talking to advertisers etc; and
Schedule a post to go live at 5.30am the next day. In a perfect world, my posts would be schedule much further in advance. Maybe that can be my new years resolution.
How is your daily blogging schedule? Similar to mine?
When I was looking over photos for 2012 I noticed there was a ridiculous amount of selfies. I guess this happens when you're a blogger. Initially when I started the blog just over a year ago, I was going to remain anonymous, my name wasn't going to be mentioned or my face seen. I guess I failed big time.
The Hair...
The good....
and the ugly!
If you want some selfie tips I wrote some here. By the looks of it, I probably shouldn't be giving advice. In fact, I think my new years resolution will be to stop taking silly photos.
Have you been taking more selfies over the last year?
I am not a super model, or a model of any kind. In fact, I am the opposite. Just a normal girl with an iPhone. This can get you into all sorts of trouble.
Here are a few things I have learnt:
1. I know it's tempting but the next day you will regret it. Don't let your friends take photos of you either.
2. Check yourself, then look at the camera. Direct eye contact is better in the photo.
3. How many times have you seen this?
4. If we are going to learn anything from Britney Spears, it's this. It looks terrible.
5. Be selfish and think of yourself. No-one looks good hunching.
6. I am so glad social media wasn't around when I was younger. I would have been disowned and probably would never have worked in law.
I have spent years teaching my girls good manners. I am constantly telling them that manners don't cost anything and they mean so much. I am a little bothered when I notice that some people are skipping basic manners.
I have taught my 7 and 8 year olds that when you receive a gift, whether you like it or not, you give a big smile and thank the gift giver. They know that the gift is not as important as the thought that went into it. You are thanking the gift giver for their time and thoughts too.
AND, you never, ever complain or say ANYTHING negative about the gift.
In the blogging world, it's not unheard of to receive gifts, samples, goodie bags etc. These come from someone. Some business has spent time and money on making and distributing these items and they thought you were worth it. Maybe they are small, not our thing, not worth much or not relevant to our blog or readers. It doesn't mean they don't deserve our good manners.
There are nice ways to say thanks but no thanks.
If you receive a gift bag, thank the relevant people.
Use a hashtag to link it back to them.
and please don't bitch or complain.
My discovery of Buffer has changed my blogging life. This application that makes it easy for you to schedule and share your social media updates. It means you no longer need to be online 24 hours a day to have an online presence 24 hours a day.
I use it to schedule and share my tweets over the day and night. This means my tweets can be going out while I am sleeping, writing, eating or hanging out with the family.
Scheduling tweets
Set up your tweeting schedule in Buffer. I have scheduled six tweets each day. Two of these are in the wee hours of the night for my overseas readers. Each morning I use my computer to top up the tweets.
Scheduling facebook updates
Buffer is not just for twitter
Analytics
Buffer has inbuilt analytics. This is a great way to see how effective a piece you posted was (or wasn't)
It's Free
Well, it's free up to a certain point. Once you start managing multiple accounts, then you may need to upgrade and pay a small monthly fee.
I still like to go onto Twitter during the day to read, comment and retweet, but I save time because I don't have to worried about sharing my own posts.
This is an easy and fun way to communicate and share photos with other bloggers and people. You can also link it to Twitter and facebook and share your images with those followers too. Instagram has some great filters, frames and focus effect. Each filter has it's own frame. You can't pick between frames but you can choose whether to use a frame or not.
Once you have conquered Instagram and played with the filters. It's time to have some real fun.
2. Picfx $1.99
I love this for its filters and light options. Some of the filters give gentle drops of whimsical lights to your images. You can layer the filters for greater effect. It's easy to share the new edited image with Instagram.
You use this app to create collages. They have so many options but most of them are a little messy and complicated. I often find that simple is better. You can also add frames, effects, text and fun (silly) stickers.
4. InstaEffect $free
This just adds effects.. These are less subtle and more like a punch in the face.
5. Lumiè $1.99
Lots and lots of pretty effects with one frame option.
6. Labelbox $free
This is an easy way to add text to a photo. They have heaps of options and fonts.
After one year of blogging I have streamlined and perfected my blogging tools. Here are my top 5 in order of importance:
1. Macbook Pro. I can blog from the comfort of my own bed and it can travel with me to the comfort of a hotel bed. Can it get any better than that?
2. iPhone 5. I take most of my blog photos on this baby. This is also a must for communicating on the go. I can read blogs, tweet, Instagram. It's not my preferred method of commenting but it's better than not leaving any comments. Commenting has been made easier with the NuffnangX Application.
3. Nikon with tripod and remote. This takes gorgeous photos and is great for taking outfit selfies.
4. I was torn about whether to include my iPad. I have been using this with an external microphone for vlogging. I plan on using my Macbook for my next vlog. I don't use the iPad for blogging unless it's an emergency and to be honest, there aren't many blogging emergencies.
5. I realised I only have 4 and I didn't need a fifth (thank you angstar21)
What would you include in your top blogging tools?
Organised Chaos is how I describe my blogging schedule.
In real life I am very organised and time efficient. So much so, that it drives my husband nuts. I think I must have gotten it from my father. He was in the Army for quite a while and he was very much a 'rules boy'.
I would love to have posts scheduled for weeks in advance. Occasionally, I am a week in advance but usually it's just one day. It could be worse.
This is my ideal weekly plan.
Monday
Fresh as a daisy. Monday is an easy day to post. Whatever my heart desires but I would prefer it to be beauty or fashion related.
Tuesday
This is an excellent blogging day for visits and comments. Half my motivation is because I form part of "Team IBOT". This is a team formed by Jess from Diary of a SAHM (soon to be Essentially Jess) and I can't be part of the team and not participate. IBOT is a great link to share your Tuesday post. You get a lot of visits and comments and in return you must do a lots of comments. It's a great day for sharing 'important' posts, like giveaways.
Wednesday
I love taking photos and I love Wordless Wednesdays. This is another link withMy Little Drummer Boys and Twinkle in the eye. Wednesdays are like a big breath after a quick run.
Thursday
Ideally, I would like to write about something blogging related. Like this post or tools. applications etc. This I need to focus on a bit more. Which means I need to learn a bit more :)
Friday
Another ideally, but if I haven't already done it, I like to include something local about my area. I like to be able to write about something I did locally and share a business, meal or person etc. Also, on Friday it is great to share your favourite post of the week with FYBF (Flog your blog Friday). This is a great link with With some Grace.
Saturday
I don't usually blog on Saturday, but if I do a Vlog, I like to share it on Saturdays. Why? I'm not sure but it's just my vlogging day. If I have written a post during the week relating to blogging I'll share it on Styling You. Sunday
My day off. On this day I should be ignoring all things on-line but usually I am thinking about Monday's post.
Rinse and repeat.
This schedule is not written in stone, more like in the sand on a really windy day. I allow myself to mix up the days but I do like to try to include a mix over the week.
Also, in between my posts I squeeze in articles I write for an on-line magazine, social media commitments, guest posts and Blog Power Events responsibilities.
I am quite obsessive by nature. Once I start something, I want to do it as best as I can. As a blogger, I want to be the best blogger I can be. Fortunately and unfortunately there are figures everywhere that you can watch and judge yourself.
I attach my personal worth to these numbers. I don't compare myself to others, but I compare myself to me, yesterday or last week.
As they go up, my heart soars and I am all smiles and good times. Like James Cameron "I am the king of the woooooooorld". As they go down, so does my mood. "Nobody loves me, I'll think I'll go eat worms" (children's rhyme).
Last week it was the first blog anniversary of my blog. One year had passed and I had some goals I had set that I was hoping to achieve. This caused me to watch these figures even closer. It was very exciting because I was getting pretty close.
Then Blogger had a brain fart and all my statistics were reset. I was back to 0 page views. After 1 year of blogging, I was back to the beginning. At first I felt sick and anxious. All my hard work and nothing to show for it. Then, I went away, had a run and considered my options. If the past was erased, then I could start all over with a clean slate. Scary, but doable.
Then my figures reappeared.
It made me realise what is important to me and it's not the figures. It's the journey.
I think the best thing we can do for ourselves and our readers is to remember what is important. Content! Never forget the wise words of Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams "If you Build it, he will come". I think he was referring to readers and your blog too. Have good content, engage your readers, give them something and they will come.
AND...have fun.
I'd like to say that I won't watch statistics anymore. But this is a lie, I know me. I am going to try not to obsess on them anymore.
Do you watch the statistics too?
PS: On Tuesdays, I link up with Jess from SAHM for IBOT
I had been blogging for a little while before I stumbled upon IBOT at SAHM. It took me a while to work out what it was and it was like finding gold on a beach. It stands for I blog on Tuesday. This is a wonderful blog that you can join your post to. I realised pretty early on that the 'price' I pay for linking up is small but important.
It's all basically good manners, write a post on the Tuesday, link it up, visit the host (comment) and then visit other links to read and comment. It's also nice to mention in your post that you are linking up.
Why I love these links are:
1. I have discovered so many wonderful blogs
2. I love the feeling of community
3. I love the gift of commenting on other blogs
4. AND I love the bump in my figures and comments
Thank you to these wonderful hosts for creating these great, little blogging communities.
PS: On Tuesdays, I link up with Jess from SAHM for IBOT
I feel so tired and lazy lately and I am finding it hard to do anything. My housework, gym attendance and dinner making are all suffering. Which means my family is also suffering due to my lethargy.
When I was at a children's party in Margate recently and I met a lovely lady called Margaret. She was telling me about a movie I should watch called Julie and Julia staring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. You probably know this movie, but incase you don't, it's about Julia Child and a blogger that cooks and blogs her way through Julia Child's cookbook in a year. Margaret thought it was a great movie and due to the blogging theme I should watch it. Well, it was perfect timing. Under the guise of research, I ordered it on Apple TV, put on some comfy clothes, stretched out on the couch and watched it yesterday. Well, I watched until my eyelids got in the way and I watched the rest this morning.
Some of this hit home, like the narcissistic way of writing about myself everyday. I bore myself, I wonder how anyone else can bare it. It made me glad I am not writing about food and cooking. I hate to admit it, but I found Meryl Streep a little annoying, but that was just her character.
Thanks for your suggestion Margy!
I wonder what other 'Blogging' movies there are? Let me know if you think of any, I think I need one more day of research on the couch.
