Being a mom is a full-time job. But what if you desire a life outside of motherhood? A job that supports you financially but also supports your role as a stay at home mom?
Blogging can help you achieve both. The hardest part is often getting started. Here are 8 pro tips for moms looking to start a new blog and a new career.
1. Choose a Niche You Can Stick With
The first step in developing a blog is choosing your niche. Unfortunately, simply liking something isn’t enough to build an entire blog around. You need to choose a subject that you’re an expert on. Sit down and make a list of 20 post ideas associated with your niche. If you struggle to come up with them, you may want to consider a different area of expertise. Another approach is to tackle a completely new and foreign topic and have readers follow you on your journey of self-discovery. Many blog readers enjoy watching a blogger grow, develop, and change over time. Invite your audience to be a part of your amazing transformation.
2. Network With Fellow Bloggers
Even mommy bloggers need to view blogging as a business. And like any good business, you need to network with other experts in the field. Find other blogs similar to yours and within the same niche. Reach out to the creators or editors and ask about writing a guest post for their site with a do follow link back to your own. A great place to start networking is by reading other blogs and leaving comments. The page creators will take notice of your interaction and may return the favor by visiting and interacting with your site.
3. Carve Out Time for Your Blog
Time is one thing that most moms lack. But if you decide to start a blog, you need to dedicate time to it. This doesn’t mean squeezing in a few posts when you have a free minute. It means creating a schedule that works. Maybe mornings are your most creative time. Try getting up before your children and writing for an hour or two. If nighttime works best for you, schedule some time after the kids are in bed to manage your social media feeds or answer emails. Creating a schedule will help you provide consistent, quality content to your readers which is key for success.
4. Who Are You and What Do You Have to Say?
Making people care about you and your story is essential for gaining followers and traffic. Creating your persona has a lot to do with creating a brand. This includes your voice, personality, and even a psydenume if you choose not to use your real name. Either way, you need to create a trustworthy persona that readers can relate to. Ideally, they’ll be drawn to you. But your brand isn’t the only thing that matters. You also need to consider your audience or avatar. Who do you want to appeal to and how are you going to do it? You need to consider all of these things before creating your blog and keep them in mind throughout the process.
5. Promote Yourself Without Apology
As a mommy blogger you need to be a voice and advocate for yourself. This means promoting your blog without shame or apology. Of course, you don’t want to be forceful or overbearing. And the good news is, you don’t need to be. Simply start by telling friends and family about your project. Chances are, they’ll be as excited about you new project as you are. Next, create a Facebook page and other social media accounts associated with your blog. Depending on your niche, you may want to create a presence on Instagram or Pinterest if your blog relies heavily on graphics or photographs. Other platforms to consider are Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit. But creating a social media presence isn’t enough. You need to post regularly on these outlets, interact with comments and followers, and follow others in your niche. This will help drum up more followers, which will convert to more traffic on your blog.
6. Be Flexible
As a blogger, you need to change with the times. What worked when you first started out may not work a few months down the road. This means being flexible and adaptable to change. This is sometimes difficult for new bloggers. Why? Because your blog quickly becomes your other baby. This is especially true for mommy bloggers. The amount of time, care, and love you put into your blog will ultimately create a sense of ownership over it. And while this is a positive thing, it can be detrimental to your success if you can’t adapt to the ever changing world of the internet. Be open minded and willing to make changes. These may come in the form of new Google algorithms, a drastic change in the industry, or suggestions and tips from other professionals.
7. Stay Focused
When you start out as a blogger, you’ll likely feel overwhelmed. There are countless options for web design, hosting, layout, and graphics, just to name a few. You can delve into the world of videos, podcasting, selling products, running ads, and affiliate marketing. But it’s important to stay focused and tackle one project at a time. Spreading yourself too thin will result in overall poor quality. Although you may be the queen of multi-tasking when it comes to motherhood, avoid doing too many things at once as a blogger. Focus on one outlet that fits your niche best. That may be video tutorials, infographics or tons of quality content. Once you’ve mastered one skill, you can move onto the next.
8. Consider SEO
Blogging without consideration for SEO will get you nowhere. The good news is, SEO is becoming a household name when it comes to websites and the internet. You don’t have to be a blogging expert to understand the basics of SEO, or search engine optimization. This is what’s going to help your blog rank on Google. While this may not be your immediate concern, you can still craft content that will eventually lead to better results. Incorporate long tail keywords into your posts. There are a lot of keyword tools available online to help you find phrases that your site may eventually rank for. But don’t forget that your first responsibility as a blogger is to cater to your audience and faithful followers.
Just because you’re a full-time mom doesn’t mean you can’t be a full-time blogger. All you need is a basic understanding of how to start a blog and effectively maintain it. Then, it’s all about pouring your love and passion into your project and the rest will follow.
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