Blog Talk: 5 Reasons Why You SHOULD Start a Blog

Hi friends! It's been a while since I've done a Blog Talk around these parts, but after several requests, I'm reinstating it as a weekly topic. 

When people hear the word "blog" or "blogging", they may have a very specific idea about what it is or it can sound extremely vague.

The truth is there are ALL different kinds of blogs, bloggers, and niches out there and getting a blog up and running can be a little intimidating. Another truth is that it is NOT for everyone.

Tackling this weekly topic is an opportunity for me to pay it forward and help you learn from my experiences and mistakes - and possibly some awesome blogging friends of mine!

So today's topic is focusing on reasons why you SHOULD start a blog. If you have a question (or two) for future posts, I'd love to know!

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1. You have ideas and information that you want to share with people.

Mind blown I'm sure, but really......a blog is simply a place to share information with other people to inspire, motivate, teach, encourage, entertain, or save them time and money.  If you were to start a blog, what ideas do you want to share?  Do you truly believe in them??  Then a blog is a great place to "put it out there"! Plus, it's YOUR website that you own!

2. A blog is a catalyst for future growth.

We have no way of knowing what the future holds and how things will change, but one thing is certain, change will be a part of a blog.  As your blog grows and evolves, it can be what leads you to opportunities you made not have had otherwise.  Blogging has the potential to be a stellar resume of sorts and a stepping stone to that next big thing.

3. You want to work from home and have a flexible schedule.

Not everyone has the discipline and ability to schedule and manage themselves to run a blog, but if you do, blogging provides an amazing degree of flexibility. You are literally in charge of your schedule!  If you are a natural planner or willing to learn and set systems in place, you'll be successful in blogging.

4. You own a business and want to use your website to bring in more clients or customers.

The majority of businesses who utilize a blog gain more traffic than those that don't.  Whether you're a small business owner who creates handmade goods or offer services such as a photographer, florist, or designer, it's a great way to help your potential client or customer get to know you and build a trusting relationship.

5. The earning potential is HUGE.

Now I'm not going to lie and say that blogging is a way to "get rich quick".  In fact, for most it takes months of hard work and dedication to build a foundation and grow their audience and influence. That CAN be you with a plan and patience!

Building a business online has the potential to reach like-minded people all over the world, people who love you, what you have to share, and want to buy from you.  Connecting and making a positive impact on people who "get you" are the fringe benefits! 

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I hope you guys find this "new" series helpful!  If you haven't grabbed my FREE ebook on starting a blog, you can download it by clicking below.  

I wrote this after realizing how I was blogging "all wrong" and wanted to share what I learned to turn it around. :-)

xo,

Anneke

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Blog Talk: Blogging Habits to Save You Time and Make You Money

Welcome to another Blog Talk post! When teaching people what I've learned over the years about blogging and how to start a blog successfully, they usually fall into two spectrums.

The first person is the semi-established blogger (or aspiring blogger) with an imbalance of time involved blogging in relation to them making money (i.e. blogging more doesn't equal making more, being more helpful, or creating a healthy community).  

The second person is the business owner who want to incorporate blogging into their business, but they just don't have the time. Trust me, I understand!

Before diving into these habits, I'd like to give you my blogging ebook for free.

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Ok, so what habits can you incorporate into your blog and business so that blogging makes sense?

1. MORE content doesn't mean BETTER results.

At some point, you have to ask yourself, "What the heck's the point?"  I used to be that blogger that blogged and blogged and blogged and stayed up until 2am and had laundry everywhere and was seriously so stressed out.  It was a little out of control.  Worse than that, I wasn't really getting paid much of anything from my blog and my blog wasn't assisting my goals as a small business. I wasn't being smart about my content.

Focus about 80% of your content on what your audience really needs or wants from you, and then create something that is useful, entertaining, practical, a lesson learned, etc.  These kind of blog posts will be 10x more impactful than those that are not.

And YES, this looks different for every niche! Parenting, Crafts, photography, fashion blogging, selling essential oils, and those with a small business in the health, wellness, and food industries.

Now with that said, of course you may throw in small posts here or there like my previous post on some great home decor and fashion deals this last weekend.  I am a design and style blogger, so part of my job is to help save people the time it takes to find these items (and save them money!).  

Basically, some posts are more practical and to the point than in depth like a "How To" or "Tutorial".  Don't blog more for the sake of blogging.  Spend less time creating posts of Quality.

2. Schedule Your Blog Posts.

You are going to go through seasons of life where you don't want anything to do with your blog, business, computers or technology.  I'm a HUGE believer in stepping away for extended periods of time and avoiding the dread "content fatigue" that many online content creators experience.

Instead of posting 3-5 days per week, give yourself to slow down a bit, create the same posts, and schedule them out a little bit farther apart to give yourself some breathing room. If you are a business owner, even 2-4 quality blog posts per month can be huge to your bottom line!

So now that you are scheduling your posts, when you want to take that week long vacation, you can actually relax and not worry about creating 5 posts the night before you have to leave (which probably don't meet the criteria in my first suggested habit)!  Scheduling and thinking ahead gives you permission to have a day off and get out of "survival mode".

3. Hire Some Help.

Consider point #2, this is huge. It's also a touchy subject for quite a number of many bloggers and business owners, but the potential impact is HUGE.  Some thoughts that may be going through your head.

"But they can't do it like I do!"

"There's no way I can afford that."

"I don't have time to train someone."

Listen......I've been there.  But I wouldn't be where I am today if I tried to do EVERYTHING by myself.  I wouldn't have an ebook, graphics, high quality photos, an online class, and the reach I do on social media if I did it all myself. There just aren't enough hours!

Going solo works for a little while, but eventually you reach a breaking point.

Eventually you start to miss your family, a clean home (hire that out!), sleep, a balanced way of life and you're not quite sure how to have fun without "working on your blog or business".

Eventually you want to go on vacation, and actually have it be a vacation......knowing your business is taken care of and you don't look like you dropped off the online map.

A great resource for this is Upwork, which is a site to connect you to freelancers.  This kind of platform is a life-saver and a safe way to hire or be hired for work.

Give it a try and maybe start with a temporary job with the potential for more work in the future OR hire people for single jobs like editing photos, improving your SEO (search engine optimization), or social media promotions.  Take a look and browse around and soon enough you'll see the power of outsourcing or hiring for some help!

That's it for now!

If you are interested in taking your blogging to the next level and learning how to Blog for Biz, I'd like to invite you to learn more about my online course Blogging For Biz. Click the button to learn more.

Have a great day!

Anneke

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NOW ON PERISCOPE! @ANNEKEMCCONNELL

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My Top 3 Blogging and Small Biz Mistakes

When I first began blogging over 5 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into as I started a blog on blogger (don't do that by the way!)  I knew that I loved refinishing furniture and people wanted to know how I did that. Of course I wanted to help!

Now all these years later, I LOVE helping people avoid my (many) mistakes and get set up the right way.

So how can you get set up and start a blog or use blogging for business in a way that actually supports your entrepreneurial work for yourself dreams?

Glad you asked!

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1. I had no long term vision.

When I began blogging so many years ago, I literally just said, "Hmmm.....maybe I should start a blog."  And I did.

No planning. No focus. No goals. No clue even how to blog.  I just wanted to share what I knew with people, but never accounted for the amount of time it would take, the expenses that would incur, or how it would affect future goals and my family life.

THANKFULLY, I figured it out and am able to stay home with our kids and bring in an income doing what I love and helping people!

If you want to start a blog and share your ideas with the world, or have a small business and need to incorporate blogging to reach your ideal clients and customers (yes, you NEED to blog as a business owner!), it is possible to make it work!

BUT.....you need a plan and vision.

2. I didn't have a clear voice.

Here's what I mean. I knew what I loved to do and what I could share with people, but I never took the time to figure out how to connect that to the people I wanted to help!

One of the most POWERFUL things I did was to figure out my voice for my blog and business.  The impact was almost immediate and my earnings quadrupled.  Now that wasn't a scientific experiment or anything, but it has played a HUGE role in my success.

Plus, I get to work with and help super fun people like YOU! ;-)

3. I was doing TOO much!

Oh my. I could talk forever about this one.  I gave up on "lifestyle blogging" because I realized it didn't fit with my long term vision and I was trying to do waaayyyyyyy too much.

Now I share about design and style (and blogging).

I say no to A LOT.

I delegate wherever possible, because I can't do it all and do it well.

I am now able to focus on doing what only I can do and love and let go of the rest!

 

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Now what about you? Do you want to start a blog?  Are you a small business owner needing help to get your blog off the ground?

I would love to help you!

If you are interested in more extensive Blog Training so you can fast track your blog and business, download my FREE blogging ebook below and learn more about starting a blog.

Blogging has certainly been a blessing to our family and allowed me to be home with my kids, so if I can help others out there learn more and achieve their dreams, I'm all in!

Have a wonderful day friends!!! And PLEASE be social and follow along somewhere below! 

xo,

Anneke

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Make It Happen: Getting Over Fear

Hello friends! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for all the behind the scenes, not to mention my new FAVE app Periscope!!

So FEAR! We all experience it on all different levels about various things all the ways from creepy critters to mental roadblocks. The focus of this blog post is to address the latter and help you overcome fear and move forward.  Here are some suggestions to help you transition from operating out of fear to operating with hope. Let me be clear though! I do not think you can meet goals just because you are hopeful, but rather when you change your mindset. Ok? Let's dive in!

1. Recognize that fear is wasting your time:  

I absolutely have been convicted about this since the launch of Periscope! Ha!  All the thoughts >>>> I don't want to look stupid. I don't know how to use it. What is nobody shows up.  It's no different than any other situation we may find ourselves in.  When you pace and delay action and fret, you are wasting your life. This is why I personally am encouraged by a verse in the Bible: Matthew 6: 25-34. Read up on it! Don't worry, but rather pray, have faith and courage, and do it!

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2. Take time to make a plan:  

Fear of the unknown can be an absolute killer to dreams if you let it.  You certainly can't know how everything is going to pan out before you begin!  You can, however, do the research and learn a little bit about that goal of yours before you dive in. Want to lose weight but are afraid of failure? Research and make a plan. Do you want to start a blog but afraid of what people will think or don't know where to begin?  Research, learn, and go for it! Make a plan and reevaluate after a set amount of time.  What is your goal?  Don't go about it blindly - make a plan!

3. You are Unique and Have Something To Offer.  

Ok, so you actually know A TON about something and have a goal surrounding it, but you are still feeling fear about your goal. Maybe you are worried about others will think of you if you put yourself out there? Maybe you feeling like you should just let those "more experienced" people do it all. NO! There is room in this world for YOU and who you are and what you have to share is valuable! Don't downplay who God made you to be! Don't let fear win.

4. Recognize the benefits that are greater than your fear.

If your child needed your kidney to survive, you can bet that you would overcome your fear of the process to help him or her. Now that's extreme, but you can apply the same thinking to any situation.  When you are feeling fear about a goal, take time to write out the benefits of moving past your fears and accomplishing what it is you are going for!  The process is rarely easy, but as I like to say, "If accomplishments were easy, they wouldn't be rewarding!" 

So what fear are your facing today? What steps are you going to take TODAY and THIS WEEK to move forward?

xo,

Anneke

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Want to start your own blog? Check out my FREE tips at www.CreativeBloggingResourceGuide.com