#13 The Truth about Blogging
Everyone tells you that your business will bloom and you’ll get tons more customers if you just start a blog – sounds so easy……right?
The truth is blogging is hard! You need to be dedicated, consistent and provide real value in your blog posts to really see any benefit to your business.
The good news? With lots of hard work and passion, blogging can be fantastic and it really can help your business grow and could even generate another stream of income.
Today my lovely guest is Jo Middleton aka Slummy Single Mummy – Mum of 2 and highly popular Mummy Blogger from Somerset – She’s here to talk about the truth about blogging and what we need to do to really make our blog a success.
I love Jo’s brutal honesty and wit. Her straight talking approach is refreshing. You’ll love this episode!
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN
- Why businesses should start a blog
- How to get people to read your blog
- How often to blog
- The 5 most important things to get your blog started in the right way
THE TRUTH ABOUT BLOGGING
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UNDERSTAND YOUR MOTIVATION
The reason why you blog dictates what and why you are writing. If you want to make money with your blog then BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT IT!
One of my aims is to make money from the Mum to Millionaire website through advertising – Jo is already making money from her blog through sponsored posts.
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PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE
A blog can be a great way to show your personal side especially for businesses. I also think Instagram is a fantastic way to show what your business is like ‘behind the scenes’ – click the image below to join my Instagram course (I show you step by step how you can grow a loyal instagram following for your business)
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HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BLOG?
Jo blogs 3 – 4 posts a week but in the past she hasn’t blogged for a whole week. I blog once a week but stay active away from this website by recording Instagram videos and updating my youtube channel.
The key really is to see what works for you – test it. Are people unsubscribing from you if you post every day? If so post less. Are people sending you messages to say they love your blog? Then post more!
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READY – FIRE – AIM
Not sure what to blog about? Scared what people may think?
Stop listening to all those doubts in your head and just start blogging – Once you start then you can see what works for you and your business. My blogs have gone through endless amounts of changes and tweaks, it has evolved over time.
STOP PLANNING & START DOING!
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THERE ARE SO MANY BLOGS OUT THERE – HELP!
Jo says she isn’t great at taking pictures and other blogging things BUT she is good at being consistent with her style and tone of voice.
All her blog posts are straight to the point, honest, tongue and cheek and her style is exactly the same in writing as it is in this podcast.
You really need to think what will make your blog different and go with it
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SPONSORED POSTS YAY OR NAY?
If companies start approaching you to write a post on a certain product, insist you write it, not them – this will make sure it fits in with your style.
It may be tempting to say yes to everything but sometimes you have to be brave and kindly decline. For example, if pampers wanted to pay me lots of money to advertise on this site I would have to find another way to work with them (even though I would be crying so much inside!!)
This blog is all about helping working Mums – so unfortuantely Pampers wouldn’t be at all relevant unless they wanted to sponsor a pregnancy post which is on a completely different area of this website.
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COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY
It’s very easy to get caught up in the blogging world and wonder why all those other blogs seem way more successful than yours – STOP NOW!
Jo has never been number 1 in any blog chart (yes there are blog charts!) but brands still want to work with her – so again please stop wasting time wondering why that mummy blogger down the road got sent tickets Disneyland and just focus on you and your business.
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START SMALL
Myself and Jo laughed a lot in the podcast about getting sent free stuff like a jar of jam – however the truth about this is that jar of jam could lead to bigger and better things!
If you do decide to go down the road of reviewing products that are sent to you then BE CREATIVE
Don’t just take a picture of that jar of jam and stick it up – if you run a cake shop you could use the jam in a victoria sponge cake and take photos of the baking process (Oh my goodness I am craving cake so much now!!)
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BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET
Think of yourself as a brand – The truth is, you could have the best written blog ever but if you don’t tell people about it no one will ever find it!
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HEADLINES
Believe it or not 80% of people only read the headlines! Make sure you spend time on putting together a catchy, thought provoking or entertaining blog post title.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Jo’s blog – Slummy Single Mummy
- Buffer – Scheduling tool for social media
- Crowdfire (previously known as ‘just unfollow’) – tool to see who is not following you, who your followers are following that are similar to you
- If you earn money from your blog then you must pay tax – listen to the finance episode
Other tips
– Make your blog as PR friendly as possible.
Have an About Me page stating who you are, why you started your business and list any interesting facts or achievements. Also don’t forget a Contact Me page too.
– Take good quality photos
You don’t need to buy an expensive camera – your mobile phone is fine
Be creative with the way you take photos rather than just putting objects in the center of a picture.
Use natural light and just use a filter on Instagram for a quick fix!
Look at photos on pinterest for inspiration
– Read other people’s blogs
Get involved in the blogging world – read other relevant blogs and leave comments on people’s posts
THANK YOU so much to Jo for coming on the show – I hope this episode gave you an interesting insight into the world of blogging. Please put your blog address in the comment section below so I can check out your site xx
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING
Please click here to subscribe to this podcast on itunes and never miss a show! Join hundreds of other business Mums just like you.
I will also love you forever if you left me a review too 
The little things like this will help Mum to Millionaire grow and help even more Mums and Dads across the world – yes I am on a mission and I really hope you are too!
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If we help each other we can ALL build successful businesses and create incredible lives for our children
Be Confident, Be Brave, Be You – Thank you for being part of the Mum to Millionaire journey
Veena xx
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