Taking My Blog To The Next Level
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In the last six months I have let my blog slip a bit. This was mostly down to the fact that I was going through a bad bout of depression (I am coming through it now). I have been off work for six months and will be doing a phased return to work soon. After being off work for so long I have realised how much I value the time I have with my family, something that I had been taking for granted before. This has motivated me to be more positive and give my blog the attention it deserves.
My dream, as I am sure it is for most bloggers, is for my blog to be my job. To be able to earn a living from what I love to do and spend more time with my family would be amazing. At the moment it is a long way from that. But I am hoping that with some hard work, I can get it somewhere near that. At the moment, it would be nice to earn enough just to cover my part-time earnings. I have a few other ways I make a little extra money already (see how in my post how to make extra money from home) , so to add blog income to that too would be great.
I know this will not be an easy task and I am going to have to work hard. I’ve already started to put things into motion.
The first thing I have tasked myself with is to post more often. At the moment I am only publishing a blog post once a week and it is not enough. I am going to aim for at least 3 posts a week. This is definitely doable for me as I have done it in the past. I already have 4 posts that I want to write. A couple of them are review posts and a couple are a bit like this. The fact that the ideas are coming to me again is a sign to me that I am moving in the right direction.
Something that has helped with this is that I have joined a local blogging network a few months ago. As a result I have been to a few local events now and I have a few more coming up. I have met some lovely bloggers through these and have had some brilliant opportunities. I would advise all bloggers to do a search and see if you have a local blogging network to join.
Sharing and scheduling my posts is something I need to do more. I forget quite a lot, so I think the way to go will be to do this at a set time everyday. I’m going to set an alarm on my phone to remind me to do it. The same goes with adding posts to Tailwind. I have recently reinstated my account on there. There are so many people who say it is a game changer with scheduling and increasing traffic. Again, I am going to set an alarm for this, I think every other day as I can easily fill my schedule with my posts and posts from others. If you would like to try Tailwind for yourself, you can get a free month with my link here.
I also need to be a little more present on social media. Not only posting my content, but interacting with others as well. This will hopefully help me to make more blogging friends and blogging connections. I want to try and post slightly different things on different social media platforms to give people a reason to follow me on each of them, not just one.
Increasing my social media following is also something I want to try and do. I’m currently looking for group boards to join on Pinterest to give me more places to share my content and more content from others to share. I have also created a group board of my own and am currently looking for people to join it. I’ve also started a Tailwind Tribe to do this. On Instagram I am not just liking other peoples pictures I am leaving a comment too. With Facebook, I need to find some more blogging groups to join. I am in a few, but want to see what else I can find.
I’m also thinking of changing the theme of my blog. At the moment it is a bit plain, it would be nice to have something that looks a bit more attractive and catches the readers attention. I’ve looked at a few so far, but it is a big decision as it is my brand and I want it to represent me.
I am already using affiliate links on my blog and I am going to continue doing this, but I want to play around with them a bit to see if I can increase my earnings from 0 to something lol. The thing I don’t want to do is to be spammy with the links. Hopefully I will work it out and this will be another small income for me.
The final thing I want to do is apply for more sponsored/review/paid posts. I am part of Bloggers Required and my local blogging network, which have given me a few posts. I can’t just rely on these for posts. The time has come for me to get brave and start approaching brands myself. As well as that I need to start searching Twitter for possible opportunities too. I have been so scared of putting myself out there, but if I want to grow, this is what I am going to have to do.
Things might not work out quite the way I want to, but I am going to give it a really good try. I am not just doing this for me, I’m doing it for my family, they are my world. It would be so good to make a success of myself, no matter how big or small. I will be proud of whatever I achieve.
Take care everyone.
47 Comments
Crummy Mummy
I haven’t ventured into affiliate links yet – mainly because I don’t understand them! Good luck! #MMBC
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you! I understand them, sort of lol. Hopefully it works out.
Carol
Good luck – it’s hard work to monetize your blog. #MMBC
aliduke79@hotmail.com
I know. I have been putting a few links in here and there for a while, but it is time to up my game a little bit I think.
Tracey Bowden
Good luck. It sounds like you have a good plan in place. You know where I am if you need anything x
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you Tracey! I’m hoping my plan is good enough lol x
Kim Carberry
Wishing you the best of luck! It sounds like your local blogging network is a great help. #MMBC
aliduke79@hotmail.com
It is really good. I am so lucky to have found it.
Angela Webster
Best of luck Ali, posting 3 times a week is a good goal to aim for #MMBC
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you!
Claire Rocks
Good luck with it all. Dream big and believe
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you! Dreams are never ending
Jo (A Rose Tinted World)
Good Luck with all these! I am trying too. Just followed you on insta, which has been the slowest growing for me! #TriumphantTales
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Followed you back, I thought I was following you already. I find Instagram a bit up and down, I have a good week, then a rubbish one lol
Mrs Mummy Harris
It sounds like you have a good plan in place, good luck and I truly hope you get your wish – being able to work from home has its downfalls, but it also provides many wonderful things too!
Thank you for sharing this with us at the final chapter of #TriumphantTales. Thank you for your support!
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you so much for hosting this linky, it has been a joy to take part.
sam
Good luck with your blogging journey, having a goal always helps X #mmbc
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Yes it does, thank you x
Sam
Just returning from #kcacols X
Neil
What an inspiring post! Taking things to the next level is something I really want to do but the main thing stopping me is time. Everything you say makes a lot of sense and I’m going to try and do a couple of things like search for a local network to at least try and move things along a little. Best of luck with yours. #TriumphantTales
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. Time is limited for me a bit too, I am just trying to make the most of the time that I do get which is not always easy. Hope you manage to find a network to join.
Claire Justine
Good luck with your goals. My blog is a part-time business but it is hard work trying to get people money from it at the minute. I need to look into affiliated links. #MMBC
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. I know it will be a lot of work but I am determined to do it.
Fiona Cambouropoulos
Good for you it all sounds positive. funnily enough I’m just reducing my blogging this year from 3 or 4 posts a week to one a week and enjoying the time it frees me up for the business here and to do more on social media. #KCACOLS
aliduke79@hotmail.com
You must be so busy at the moment with it being half-term.
Jayne @ Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs
Sorry to hear you’ve had a bit of a tough time, but so happy that you are seeing a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Wishing you lots of luck with growing your blog. 🙂 x #MMBC
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. It’s not been easy, but I am getting there now.
Cheryl | TimeToCraft
I hope it goes well. Sounds like you’ve done your research and have a plan. Good luck. #mmbc
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you.
Anne
I’m sorry to hear that you have not been well. Good luck with taking your blog to the next level. Don’t forget that you need to approach people for blog work too. There are plenty of agencies out there that will pay peanuts but be prepared to push for more and you’ll soon find the ones that make it worth while. Stick with the advice groups, they can be really helpful, learn from those that are doing it and succeeding. x
#mmbc
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. This is all really helpful. I know I need to be brave and start putting myself out there to companies and agencies. I know my worth, and will always try to get what I feel reflects that.
Jo (A Rose Tinted World)
Returning from #KCACOLS . I was rejected by google adsense this week (lol) so I hope you have more success!
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Oh no! I have had adsense on my blog for a while now, but I need to get more traffic to my blog to see any real money from it/
Crystal Green
I hope that you reach your goals. This all sounds like wonderful courses of actions to take. My first blog was quite successful, and I stupidly sold it. It took me about a year to get it to where I could financially support our family on the blog income alone. (That was me earning roughly $3500 USD monthly with my blog.)
My second blog, the one I’m working with now, has been more of a hobby until recently. I’m hoping to make it grow like I did my first one. It seems the competition is stiffer now, and on top of that obtaining sponsorship isn’t as easy as it used to be for bloggers. (That’s the overall impression I’m getting from bloggers that have been doing it way longer than me.) However, I believe the money is still there for all of us!! I also believe we all bring a unique enough voice for brands to always want to work with us.
Good luck! #KCACOLS
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. I only need to cover a part time income, I think that it achievable. I am looking into a couple of different income streams to make things a bit easier.
Christy
I’m glad you’ve started feeling better now. This sounds like a solid plan to put into action to move your blog forward. #KCACOLS
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you
Jeremy@ThirstyDaddy
Its a lot of work and its easy to get overwhelmed. I know that I need to spend way more time on social media promoting myself. Good luck! #KCACOLS
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. It is a lot of work, but it will be worth it.
Enda Sheppard
good to hear you are in a better place, mentally … and good luck with moving your blog on. My own blog is personal, so I don’t know how one goes about turning that into something commercial. But moire readers is never any harm. Well done! #KCACOLS
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. More readers is always good!
Sarah-Marie
Good luck. You definitely have a good plan in place to reach your goals. #kcacols
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you!
Rachel - Kids, Cuddles and Muddy Puddles
I am really glad you have started to feel better. It also sounds like you are really motivated to succeed, and with such steps in place I’m sure you will do just that! Good luck with your future success. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time. 🙂
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you. Yes, I am very motivated, working in retail for a while will motivate you to get out lol.
Malin - Sensational Learning with Penguin
Following this with interest Ali, as I too hope to grow my blog (if I can just make enough time and be more efficient, gaah!). Rooting for you all the way! xx #KCACOLS
aliduke79@hotmail.com
Thank you! Yes time is the enemy isn’t it lol. Some of the little changes I have made are beginning to pay off 🙂