Blogger Best Practices…a few tips for success!

Looking back as we launched Mom’s Best over a year ago, there have been many ups as well as downs…several things we were not prepared for that nobody really tells you!  First of all blogging is Hard Work!  To create and maintain a blog can take countless hours every single day.  As well it could take months before you receive any type of compensation for that hard work.

Today we would like to share some of our Blogger Best Practices…the Do’s and Don’ts for blogging as a business and how they’re helping us to make Mom’s best a success!  We do not claim to be experts by any means…there are just a few things we have learned along the way that we would like to share to help someone else as they embark on their blogging journey.

 

Our founder Tana Hallows shared these tips today as well on ABC 4’s show The Daily Dish…see the clip here…

Do’s

1.  Have a focus:  With the ease of entry into the blogging world…there are many new blogs starting every single day…while competition is always good, it’s also important to somehow stand out from the rest.   First, decide what your main focus or niche is going to be…Fashion, Lifestyle, DIY, Food, etc.    Then figure out your UVP (unique value proposition) what is it about that subject that you will be doing that is new and different?  Once you decide what your UVP is…then it should be simpler to maintain your focus.

Here is a great example of a blog with a clear focus and unique value proposition…Vintage Revivals.

2. Keep it Simple:  Have you ever heard the saying “less is more,” well this can apply to every aspect of your blog, from content to design.  When someone is coming to your website you only have about 30 seconds to really grab them, so if you your design is clean, simple, and easy to navigate then the odds will be forever in your favor.  Also, when it comes to posting and creating content…the same rule applies…edit, edit, edit. A few simple paragraphs is always sufficient…. once you edit it down, you can probably go through and edit it down even more.  With too many pictures and text. It’s easy to just scroll down through the pictures quickly not paying much attention to any of the text and you then lose your reader.

Here is a a blog that does a great job in keeping things very simple in design as well as content….Ivory Lane

3. Use great pictures:  Photography is key!  If you aren’t lucky enough to have a photographer on your team to take pictures…then take a class and learn how to do it. Pictures can really make or break a blog.  

Here is one of our favorite blogs with amazing photography…Dear Lizzy

4. Be Consistent:  In how often you post, maybe its 2-3 times a week…create an editorial calendar and put yourself on a schedule then stick to it.  As well, the type of content you share, remember your focus, you want to make sure you aren’t going off on any random tangents. If you plan to add a new section or feature then let your readers know.  We are not saying that things can’t change or evolve…just make sure your readers know that you are changing.

5. Friend the Competition: This is so important…in every business you will find competition, and in the blogging world this is no exception.  There will be positive and negative everywhere you go and people who are not so supportive of what you are trying to do.  Friend your competition, this can be a big key to your success!    It really is so simple, allowing it to work for you and not against you through networking and even collaborating with blogs that are similar.   It’s a Win Win for everyone by sharing your exposure and reach.  It’s a big world and the Internet is even bigger and there is so much to go around.     And yes we do believe in Karma…what goes around comes around!

6. Have lots of patience!  Blogging is hard work…! In order to reach some level of success, it takes a consistent effort.  As well as having patience through the process of time.  It’s easy to compare your blog to other blogs that have already reached some level of success, but it’s really not fair for you, they aren’t really doing anything super spectacular either,  they have probably just been working at it a lot longer.  Time really is the key…the blogs you would consider successful all started where you were once and had to work at it day by day building their readership and following.  So don’t get discouraged if you are not growing as quickly as you would like!

Don’ts…

 Don’t be afraid to approach a bigger blog or brands for collaboration.  Even though you may be small you still have an influence and reach…its all in the way you market and approach it.

Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t growing as quickly as you would like…there is an organic process to every blog’s growth and it will all happen in its own due time as long as you are consistent and just stick with it!