Guest Post: So you’ve started a blog, what next?

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by today. A few weeks ago I was swamped and decided I needed to take that next step and “employ” someone to help me. I wanted to grow my blog a little bit more but there is only one of me and not enough hours in the day to achieve my goals. I talked about it with my husband and we both agreed it was a good idea to start looking for someone who might be able to give me a hand with writing content for my blog. I had someone in mind already! Let me introduce you to Fleur from Our Urban Box. Some of you might have already read her blog, or have seen her around the social media world? Fleur lives in Wagga (with me!) and she was already a reader of my blog, so I knew it was a perfect fit. Fleur would ‘understand’ what I needed. So I asked her! And she said YES. Each week I send Fleur a list of things to complete and she is totally acing it. It’s been an asset to me over the last few weeks.

I asked Fleur would she like to write a guest post for me about blogging and what works for her… Here are her top tips!

Hello! So nice to meet you all! I’m darn excited to be here today with some tips you can use to grow your blog. I’ve been following Katrina’s blog for years now, so when she reached out and asked me if I was interested in helping her out, I couldn’t type “yes” quick enough!

So you’ve started a blog and you thinking what next? You’ve hit publish on your first post, and wondering how do I get myself out there? I was in the same spot 12 months ago. I published my first post (it was terrible!) and I sat there and thought “so what do I now”. Is anyone going to come and read it? A lot has happened in the last 12 months and I am going to share with you today the tips and tricks I used to grow my blog and readers.

Join a blogging course.

This is the best advice I can give you! Blogging courses are so much fun! Not only will you learn from the best in business and learn how to blog, you meet other amazing like-minded bloggers. I’ve done 2 blogging courses in the last 12 months and some of the people I have met have become good friends. Most courses will come with member’s only access to Facebook groups. These groups are an invaluable source of information and support.

Comment, Comment, Comment

One of the easiest ways to get your blog out there is to read other blogs and leave comments. Just make sure your comments add to the conversation – don’t just say “Great post, thanks.” Answer the bloggers question at the end of the post and tell a story related to the post itself. Oh and be sure to include your blog name as part of your name when leaving comments. For example, I type Fleur | Our Urban Box. That way people will see my name and my blog! And always reply to comments left on your blog – its polite and that’s how you will form your community.

Form a support group.

If you find yourself connecting with a couple of other beginner bloggers, reach out to them and suggest forming a support group. You might even like to form a group with some other students in a course your doing. A support group is a great way to keep motivated, learn and encourage each other. Set up a closed group on FB so you can chat.

Join Facebook groups.

There are a few Aussie blogging Facebook groups that you can join. There are all level of bloggers in these groups; newbies right through to established bloggers who have been blogging for years.

Don’t compare.

Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers. Blogging is fun! Try not to focus on what others are doing. I love to remember this quote when I feel myself comparing “Comparison is the thief of joy”. You can’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle either.

Attend events.

I’m heading to Problogger this year and I am super excited. I get to meet all my new friends and I get to learn about blogging. But there are other events held throughout the year in most capital cities. If you can along to one, you’ll be sure to have a great time. Events are a great networking opportunity.

Link up with link ups.

Link your blog post up to link ups each day. There are Australian link ups on each day. Regularly linking up and commenting on two other linked up blogs is a great way to discover new blogs and to get your own blog out there.

If you are still sitting on the fence about starting a blog – just do it! What do you have to lose? Absolutely nothing. But what you can gain is a bunch of new friends, opportunities otherwise not possible and a whole lot of FUN!

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Thanks Fleur, you’ve shared some great ideas here. Pop over and visit Our Urban Box for more great ideas on home, life and fabulous finds.

♥ KC.