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Think you’ve missed the blogging boat? Are your parents and neighbors telling you it’s too late for your blogger dreams to come true? Read on to find out the REAL truth about blogging.
Blogging is nothing new. It’s been around for over a decade. Which in retrospect isn’t that long at all.
Some people believe blogging is like a social media platform like YouTube or Instagram. That if you don’t get on it in the early stages then it’s next to impossible to make it grow successfully.
This is such a dumb thought process lol.
Blogging is the complete opposite of that. Blogging is one of the most sustainable things you can do as a business owner.
And to answer your question, is blogging dead? Here are my answers.
Short answer = No
Long answer = Yes, it can be for you if you make these rookie mistakes.
Let’s dive into why that is.
Each of your blog posts can be assets that make you money, give value, and be re-purposed in the future. Bloggers are re-purposing content written from years ago, updating it, and sharing value on it, and still making money on it.
Blogging is far from dead. It’s just being born. I think the reason people believe that blogging has died is that they wrote 3 blog posts, bought a domain off of GoDaddy, and put up some average looking photos on their site, and did zero marketing for it.
And then wondered why the heck no one is reading their posts and why they’re not making any money.
If you don’t want your blog to die in the infamous blogger’s graveyard then you need to get serious about it.
You could have a beautifully designed blog, branded photos, and some killer products. But if nobody knows about you or reads your posts then you’ll feel discouraged and want to quit.
Here are things to avoid if you don’t want your blog on life support.
Blogging to everyone is blogging to no one.
You need to niche down. There I said it. Just do it already and you’ll feel endless amounts of pressure lifted off of your shoulders.
There are bloggers out there sharing vegan chickpea pasta recipes on Monday, then organizing their closet Marie Kondo style on Tuesday.
Then for Wednesday, they’re sharing the best cleaning products for the inside of your car and on Thursdays, it’s all about skincare dupes from Target.
And don’t forget about Friday’s is financial advice day on how to pay off $150k worth of school debt which then leads to Saturday’s is all about relationship advice for married couples even though your single…
Okay, that was exhausting to type all that and I bet it was obnoxious for you to read it haha!
The “I blog about everything” bloggers are the ones who die out very quickly.
I’m not trying to be negative, but that’s the sad fact of it.
When people come to your blog, they want to know what they’re in for.
Imagine you watch the trailer for the movie Wonder Woman. You’re excited to watch the beautiful amazon warriors fight, and Gal Gadot (hopefully) save the day. And let’s not forget about Chris Pine 😉
You show up to the movies, get your popcorn, sit back, the lights go down, and then…Spider-man comes on. And then Batman shows up. And then the storyline only features Wonder Woman here and there.
The movie is all over the place and not at all what’s promised in the trailer. You leave annoyed and confused and pissed you didn’t get to see Chris Pine.
That’s how people feel when they come to most blogger’s websites.
The blog will say it’s all about finance, but then as your reader is scrolling through the content it’s all. over. the. place.
Don’t make this mistake. It will be your demise and unfortunately, it won’t take you very far.
So you have to pick your niche and stick with it. From there you have to pick your brand pillars. These are the 3-4 main topics within that niche you’ll be speaking about.
I break all this down in my FREE Ultimate Blogger’s Checklist, which you can grab on the homepage of my site.
Remember you can’t possibly be an authority in the space you’re in if you have 977 different categories on your blog.
Niche down ; )
Your blog isn’t actually about you.
If you want your blog to die before you’ve hit publish on your first post then you need to do a mindset reset.
Why are you starting this blog in the first place? If it’s just to make money then I hate to break it to ya…that’s not why you should start a blog.
I’ve been working online for a long time. And I’ve struggled and I’ve succeeded. If I could go back and tell myself one thing it would be to find something bigger than myself as to why I wanted to do this.
I was in such a desperate place that all I could think about was myself. But when I became more grateful and started to trust God I realized that I needed my work to be rooted in service.
From that point on, I made everything I did about my readers and subscribers. What were their needs? What were their desires and dreams? What were their struggles?
When I started blogging from that space I found that everything shifted.
You can only push yourself so much, you have to find something outside of yourself that pulls you forward.
So find that thing that pulls you forward. Something that is outside of you.
For me, it’s my readers. I think about them all the time and what they need help with. I know what it’s like to struggle and feel alone. I know the feeling of nobody caring about your dreams…which is why I want to be that support system for my readers.
I write every blog post for my readers. Everything is geared towards them. This blog isn’t about me. It’s about how I can help them.
Make your blog about helping others and being of service. You’ll see a huge shift in your blog, your business, and your overall quality of life.
Positioning yourself as the authority.
One of the greatest things you can do for your blog and your readers is to become the best at what you do. Most people are into blogging for the money. But what will set you apart is not only having a service rooted blog but one where you become the expert on your niche.
This comes with a variety of learning modalities you’ll need to take on. You’ll have to become the person who is constantly educating yourself within that space.
This means investing in yourself, your blog, your business, and your big picture vision.
I take about 10% of my income each month and dedicate it to educational purposes. This means courses and business coaches along with reading books, listening to podcasts, etc.
I love to learn and grow so this comes very naturally for me. However, it may be a bit hard for you at first if you’re not used to it. But think about it like this.
You can’t take your readers, subscribers, and followers to a place that you haven’t gone to. If your mind and skillsets are limited because you’re not learning then you will not be able to grow beyond that point.
See how you can become a better writer, listener, and communicator. Learn about the latest marketing trends and social media platforms.
And don’t be afraid to learn from someone who’s younger than you.
I’m 28 years young and there are some 20-year-old bloggers out there who are killing the game right now. Don’t let pride get in the way of your growth. Everybody you meet knows something you do not.
Make it legal, baby!
Finally, make sure that your blog is fully compliant and legal. This point makes the list because this is the biggest mistake people are making within their blogs. They are risking getting sued before they are even able to start their blog and get it going.
Get your legal pages and make sure you are fully compliant. More bloggers are popping up these days which means the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is coming down hard to ensure people are doing business and blogging legally.
Get your legal pages HERE.
Plus, check out the Resources page on my blog to see the EXACT resources I use to grow my blog and business. I share these because I know how much digging I’ve had to use in the past to find out what platforms other bloggers use.
I want to make this as seamless as I can for you which is why I made that resource page…check it out!
There you have it beauty! What did you think? Are there any blogging tips you’d like to share below? Leave your comments and questions below…I read each one : )
Thank you for being here and reading my blog posts. I appreciate you and I believe in you.
All the love,
Sarah xo
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