Tag Archives: Blogging

8 Reasons Why Bloggers Fail

July 31, 2016 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , 84 Comments

Fashion Blogger in UK Image

 

There are millions of blogs on the internet, many of which are inactive. This got me wondering why bloggers just stop blogging, only to start again after months of not publishing a new blog post, and to stop again for good.

I must admit that blogging is not easy. It took me a lot of time, hard work and dedication to get my blog to where it is today. And right now, I am only starting to reap the fruits of my labour.
But why didn’t those bloggers stay long enough to enjoy the benefits that owning a blog has to offer? Why do bloggers who start out full of enthusiasm and zeal fizzle out in a matter of months? Here are the reasons why I think most bloggers fail:

1.    They spend time creating content hoping readers will drop by
There’s this misconception that as soon as you start a blog and publish content for your blog, the readers will suddenly appear. That’s so not true. And then, many lose the passion when they discover no one is reading. When you first start your blog, the only way you can get readers is by putting your content in places they can see it. So sharing on all your social media platforms with the right hashtags help, more about this in my book – How to Cash In as a Blogger, so go have a read if you haven’t read it already.
2.    They don’t promote their blog; and when they do, they do it badly
This tip works hand in hand with the first tip. You spend so much time creating content but you don’t promote it on social media, or share your content with bloggers in your niche. If you don’t promote your blog posts, except your Zoella, no one is going to read it. Even Zoella has to share her blog posts.

And when some bloggers promote their blog, they do it in a spammy way. Bombarding every Facebook group with their links every hour or annoying their Twitter followers with the same old link every 30 minutes. Many would find this very annoying.

3.    They don’t earn any money from their blog
This is a common reason why many bloggers fail. People go into blogging for so many reasons, but when your main reason for owning a blog is to make money, you’re going to have a very hard time.
Blogs do have a potential to give you a nice source of income, but it may not be immediate, and it may never be as much as you think. so soon.

4.    They are not focused
You need to be specific when you’re blogging. You need to know who you are appealing to and the type of content you’ll create for your audience. Some bloggers talk about all manner of things, which is fine, as long as they are connected somehow, and that is why your creativity comes in.
5.    They do not post valuable content
People go to blogs because they want to learn, be entertained or solve their problems. If the content you post on your blog does neither of these, then your blog will most likely fail.

6.    They ignore the importance of SEO
When I started blogging in 2012, I knew nothing about SEO, but I had to learn and I am still learning as the Google rules keep changing. Majority of people looking for solutions or information consult Google first. If you want your blog to be noticed then you need to learn about SEO and apply its principles. Some bloggers completely ignore this and end up not being found out in the search results.

7.    They are too focused on themselves
Now this is where many bloggers get it so wrong. Your blog is not about you. It’s about your readers and you need to do everything you can to make them happy. If you spend time blogging about things concerning your life, without adding value to the life of your readers, then your blog will likely fail.

8.    They aren’t consistent
Consistency is key. You can’t blog one day and stop another. You need to do it consistently. You need to promote your blog, engage with your audience and build relationships consistently. This will guarantee your success.

Why do you think bloggers fail?

How to Blog and Work Full Time

July 24, 2016 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , 54 Comments

Fashion and Style Police

 

If you think balancing blogging and your full-time job is impossible, then you’re wrong. You can do both at the same time successfully. I worked and blogged at the same time when I first set up Fashion and Style Police. I had a customer service job in Manchester which I hated. I had to commute for over 4 hours to and fro work, on the slowest, most unreliable train service ever. So trust me when I say my job experience was not pleasant. Apart from the commuting, I hated the job itself. It was an office job and all, but it was not for me at all. It was killing my creative mind slowly so blogging became an outlet for me. But I won’t deny the fact that it was a lot of work, running a blog and having a full-time job.  I had to plan and organise every aspect of the blog to get things going.
From my experience, if you love writing, have a good plan and the right mindset, you can achieve this easily. In the beginning it may be a bit tricky but you will adjust to it in no time. The trick is to use every minute you have efficiently and stay focused. You can blog and work full-time by:

Assessing your daily activities
Observe your daily routine. Write it out in a journal if you have to, so you have a clear perspective of all your daily activities. Next to each activity write down an estimate of how much time you spend on it.  It doesn’t have to be exact; a rough estimate will do.
You’ll be able to see how much time goes for non-productive tasks like watching TV, chatting on Whatsapp, or going on social media.  You can use that time for writing your blog posts, editing pictures, scheduling tweets, sharing your content on social media, or whatever you need to do for your blog.
You can also use time spent commuting to reply your blog comments, read and comment on other blogs, send emails and connect with your readers.
Being creative with time
If you want to balance blogging with your full-time job, you don’t only need to make use of already existing free time but you also have to create time. Waking up an hour early gives you a head start for the day. Use that extra hour to work on your blog. If you are focused, that one hour is enough to do a good amount of work on your blog because you likely won’t have any distraction. In addition to that, make use of your lunch time. Let’s be honest: no one uses one hour to eat lunch. Share your lunch time with your blogging activities.

Planning your blog posts
If you have your blog post ideas ready, it saves you time spent thinking of them. Have a notebook or a handy app to take note of post ideas, especially those that crop up at weird times. Writing an outline for those ideas even if it’s a sketchy one helps. Have an editorial calendar where you write down which blog post you should work on. The idea behind this is that as soon as you have free time, you can start work immediately.

Scheduling blog and social media posts
Automation is your best friend. Automating your posts allows you to have your content up automatically. Scheduling your tweets in advance helps get your tweets out when you want them. Make it a habit to create content in advance and schedule them. This will help you save and utilize your time effectively.

Do you blog and work full-time? How do you balance them both?

8 Things Every Pro Blogger Should Do Before Quitting Their Day Job

July 20, 2016 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , 47 Comments

Coin Necklace Picture

 

If you are among those who are waiting for the right time to quit their 9-5 job, then I have to tell you that there’s never going to be a right time to quit. Quitting your day job after freelancing for a while may seem like a big leap, but with everything all planned out, it can be the best decision you will ever make.
Have you been freelancing or blogging for while and are now ready to take that leap into quitting your job and going Pro? Here are 8 things every pro blogger does before quitting their day job:
1.    Have the right mindset
It may sound strange to have this as the first thing on this list, but having the right mindset before you go into blogging full time is a must. Pro bloggers make sure that they are mentally prepared for full-time blogging because it is a lot of work. It comes with a lot of issues and challenges, so having the right mindset from the start does help.

There will be a lot of business challenges that you may not have experienced from your day job. You will  have a lot of responsibilities. Do not let this scare you. Having a “can-do” attitude will help you grow your career as a full time blogger.
2.    Have some money left aside
When you take that leap into the world of full time blogging, you have to make sure you have some money saved up that will keep you going until you start to get regular income. I know some bloggers who left their day job with nothing to fall back on, or some who left because they had no choice, and yet became successful. But most of these bloggers agree that they should have had some money saved up first before making that move. Having some money saved up to cover your bills and living expenses for some months is ideal.
3.    Develop a strategy on how you can earn money
Don’t leave your day job without having clients! Being your own boss can be exciting but you need to make sure that you have some sort of income coming in from your blog first before you go Pro.
4.    Market yourself regularly
Your blog literally depends on it. You need to constantly promote yourself and your blog so that more people know about you and what you do. The more people know about you and your blog, the higher the possibility of them reading it and becoming regulars. The more readers, the moe followers and engagement. The more followers and engagement, the more money.
5.    Have a schedule
Everything in your day job is planned out: your tasks, goals or deadlines. In the same way, you need to have a schedule for your own business. Have an editorial calendar. Note the days and the frequency with which you will write your blog posts. Set certain days or times when you will edit photos and promote on social media. Have everything concernin your blog all planned out.
6.    Learn the necessary skills

You have to realize that blogging will be a totally different experience from your day job. Most of your time will be spent working on your own, and you will have to be a jack of all trades. You will be writing and editing posts, taking photos and editing them, promoting your posts on social media, moderating and replying comments, handling taxes and bookkeeping. You can always employ others to handle some of these tasks but when you first start out, you will be doing them yourself pretty much. Learning these skills will help you run your blogging business effectively.
7.    Set up your working environment
Just because you’ work from home doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t treat blogging as anything less than a business. Create a space in your house that you can make as an office. Clear up your desk and set up the right environment to work.
8.    Get support from fellow bloggers
Although you will be able to work from the comfort of your home, and if you are like me, you would love it. But there will be times when you would miss a normal working environment. I know I do miss it sometimes. Building a relationship with other bloggers will help you transition into pro blogging nicely. They may have more experience than you do and you can always learn a thing or 2 from another blogger. The learning process is endless.

Are you a pro blogger? How did you transition into pro blogging? If you are not, would you consider blogging full-time?

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