What I wish I had known when I started my blog & business
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Man, where do I start?
Since staring my blog, I’ve come to realize there are so many things you need to stay on top of!
You have to stay on top of your emails, comments on your blog, comments on your social media, pictures that need editing, planning your calendar content….the list truly goes on!
With all that I’m learning over time, I felt to share with you what I wish I had known with the starting of my blog & business.
There’s lots of maintenance/lots to learn/lots to do
When I found my website theme, I was elated to know that as a newbie, I wouldn’t have a hard time learning the features. I chose to buy a theme through Squarespace and I’m loving every minute of having my theme with them.
Firstly, purchasing the domain and website with Squarespace was super quick with no fuss at all. I also find the theme I chose to be very user friendly, simple, clean & easy to navigate.
But, what I didn’t know about having a website is the amount of daily maintenance I would have to keep up with!
For example, since I’m learning my theme’s features, I’m definitely seeing the difference between WordPress (which for some reason, I had a hard time understanding) and Squarespace.
Back in the day, I used to have a fashion blog and | used Wordpress to start my first blog.
I find every day, I’m changing bits and pieces of copy, layouts, fonts, and images.
I do this maintenance to make the user experience for you, simple, effective and easy to navigate. I wouldn’t want to spend the money on a theme I think is great, but have it not perform well to the public due to poor visual imaging or poor copy.
I also didn’t know that you need to know some form of coding to change up the standard theme’s settings. For example, if you want your page layout to be stacked with images instead of one large image across your screen, coding is what you’d need to change that out.
2. The amount of time spent on SEO!
Now, if you have no idea what I’m talking about here, don’t worry…for the longest time, I had no idea what that was too lol.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it’s the system that’s used to get pure, organic, searchable traffic to your website.
For example, if you’re searching the internet for ‘blogging tips for the beginner’, you’ll find a ton of search hits, but what makes the difference is the first three ‘hits’ that come up on your search. Why are the first few important?
Well, that just goes to show the power of SEO. The blogger or writer of that particular post used all the correct practices of SEO to make sure their post ranked highest in your search.
Although it may seem easy for someone to master this, trust me pals, it ain’t that simple!
You really have to use heavy-laden keywords in your post and in your post description! It has taken me a while to understand this, and it will continue to take me a while, but I will master it! There are a lot of amazing resources out there to help you understand the power of SEO and I encourage you to use what ever you find works well for you.
3. The amount of time needed for Pinterest!
Oh Pinterest. I always knew you were a beautiful tool I used to save numerous recipes, design inspirations, and fashion outfits!
You see, Pinterest is a powerful tool that will bring you the traffic you want to your website (with SEO and heavy keyword practices) as Pinterest should be seen as a search tool much like Google!
I never knew that you needed to use descriptive keywords in your board descriptions, profile, and your pins! I figured if I just made a board and chose the category it should be ranking in, then I’m good!
Boy…was I EVER wrong…
Descriptive keywords are what help people find you in their searches and helps you to rank high in their search as well.
Try it out for yourself and see what changes with your Pinterest analytics.
For example, if you’re searching “Gallery wall” on Pinterest, you will get many hits such as:
Layout…
Ideas…
Living Room…
or Printables…
So, since I know the general categories that people are searching for, when I create my “Gallery Wall” board, my description would look something like this:
How to style a gallery wall, tips and tricks how to style a gallery wall, how to make a gallery wall, gallery wall ideas, wall collages, living room gallery wall, bedroom gallery, printable gallery wall art, gallery wall ideas…
You see where I’m going with this?
You have to make your pins and board descriptions searchable!!
People are using Pinterest all day, every day, and if you don’t realize the potential Pinterest has for your site, then you’re missing out my friend.
Since changing the way I use Pinterest, I’ve seen a steady increase in my impressions, monthly engaged audience, and monthly total audience! And I’m telling you, this is just for the month of January!
But, I honestly underestimated the amount of time I would need to make Pinterest work for me - with making graphics and then sharing those graphics on Pinterest and Tailwind - an automated Pinterest & Instagram scheduler.
You have to devote time to this on a weekly basis. At least, I am finding this to be true for me, as I’m still in the learning stages of using Pinterest for my blog & business.
And that’s the other thing I’ve learned…now I’m coming at Pinterest from a BUSINESS perspective. I’m using the power of Pinterest to help grow my blog. I still use Pinterest for personal use and fun, but I’m choosing to use Pinterest as a means to get my message out there in the world & connect with others more than I could before.
Another thing I’m using Pinterest for is to grow my email list.
I have learned through the short time I’ve been blogging that in order to gain traction and rapport with your audience, it helps to have an email list.
This email list is your core group of people who are legitimately your tribe. They will support your efforts, respond to your emails, and provide you with valuable information for any future projects you may have coming up.
In order to grow my email list, I’ve chosen to use Pinterest to help me. For example, I love making templates, printables, aka…freebies.
One thing I know is that people LOVE freebies!
Pinterest is used by thousands and thousands of people searching for free things. Using the power of Pinterest, I’m able to attract the right audience, hence, I obtain their email address in exchange for my lead magnet.
I work very hard to keep my Pinterest game on point! You can check out and follow my Pinterest account out here!
And if you need help on your Pinterest game, I highly advise you to check out Meagan Williamson! She’s the QUEEN of Pinterest and will definitely help you with the tools she’s created to up your Pinterest game!
4. You have to test out your products… like a lot!
You test. And test some more… and test some more!!
I did this over and over until I got it right, especially with my email marketing provider Flodesk and let me tell you… I’m so glad I did.
First off, Flodesk is THE BEST email marketing out there! It has made my communication with my followers and new subscribers so easy and painless. And the best part is the emails are STUNNING and my subscribers have always raved about how gorgeous my emails are.
But to get to the nitty-gritty of it all…
You really need to test out your products that you are going to be giving out to others, especially if you’re asking for their email address.
The amount of time, energy, and editing you do creating a product for your audience has got to be spot on.
I cannot tell you the amount of times I sent things from Flodesk to my email address so I could see how it looked when it was opened up as an attached email document and to see what they would look like to my audience.
Now, I really didn’t need to worry much with Flodesk as their emails are beautifully crafted to help you engage with your followers, but sending the emails to myself, I found spelling mistakes & grammatical errors, some graphics didn’t scale correctly when uploaded, colours were off or some things just didn’t look right when opened up.
You see, it pays big time to spend the extra effort to make sure what you’ll be sending someone looks amazing, professional, and speaks to your brand.
If you are thinking about Flodesk for your email marketing, I highly suggest you get on it! Not only are their emails beautiful, but you get an amazing price of 50% off when you sign up here!
This will save you a ton of time when it comes to emailing your audience & increase your visibility with your engaged followers and new subscribers.
5. Time devoted to building a blog & brand
Whenever you see those Pinterest graphics that say “Start a blog in 15 minutes now!”, please my friends… be wary…
I mean, I’m sure you CAN start a blog and have it up and running in a short amount of time (my time frame above is just for illustration purposes only) but I’m here to tell you guys…
There’s a lot of time and energy needed to start a blog!
You have to remember, you most likely will be starting things from the bottom up, especially if you are a micro-influencer or starting from scratch.
There are so many resources I found with starting a blog, but the ONE thing I did not find was how to start and market a blog specific to my niche: DIY & home decor.
You will find numerous blog posts about how to start a beauty blog, lifestyle blog, fitness blog, or even a food blog - there are literally thousands out there!
But I never could find out how to start & run a successful DIY home decor blog! (hmm, this gives me something to think about!)
I’m sure there are many principles that are interchangeable with starting and running a successful DIY/home decor blog, but there are specific things to each niche that are important to focus on.
For example:
how to convey a message to your audience through a styled picture of your living room, or
how to find your RIGHT audience looking for master bedroom inspiration
You definitely need enough time to do your research with your niche and find & test specific marketing techniques that will build your brand and increase traffic to your website. Do not think that people will “find” your site through organic searches! That will NOT happen!
This is a misconception that some people think! You really have to do your work to find what it is that people are searching for when it comes to building a DIY/home decor blog & brand. You have to look, listen & sense what people need help with. This is another area that will keep you researching what your audience needs help with so you can be their go-to source for all things related to your niche.
6. Factor in the cost to register a business, trademarks, coaching, networking and marketing
To register a business, & trademarks, have business coaching, networking and marketing professionals expertise, and to find an accountant - these all cost money.
I personally thought I didn’t need to focus on the business coaching aspect at all because I thought I could do it by myself… well, I was so wrong.
I’m an RN - a registered nurse.
I come from an area that focuses on medical/nursing aspects to physical, mental, and spiritual care. I know NOTHING about business and marketing!
I quickly realized that if I’m wanting to take my blog serious in the near future, I’m going to have to invest in the avenues where I am clueless and have no experience.
Yes, you can watch all the YouTube videos, you can sign up for all the free masterminds and the free webinars - I know, I did them too.
Not only will this clog up your inbox with things you may not even be interested in the future, but all of these things are basic in nature and don’t really get to the meat and potatoes of running a blog as a business.
I have found since I invested in these coaches and strategists (yes…I use the word “invest” because that’s exactly what my money did for me), I have received personalized business tactics & advantages that I wouldn’t have received any where else!
Another thing I noticed I had to spend money on was my social media scheduling Planoly which I love and has saved me so much time (and stress) with my social media scheduling. I honestly don’t know what I would do without this. I spend a few hours a week planning my Pinterest and Instagram posts, and Planoly takes care of the rest!
Long story short, there will be money spent if you need things for your blog and business that can assist you with your daily tasks so you can focus on other things in your life - such as building your business.
7. You’re going to doubt yourself a million times over
Friends, there will be good day and bad days…
You will sometimes feel unmotivated to post, create, comment or share. The most important thing for you to do is to focus on your “why”.
Why did you start your journey?
What do you hope to gain from this new venture?
Who are you wanting to positively impact?
I also found it’s important to follow good people on your social media platforms and really get to know them. Comment on something you you like & be intentional about your comment.
If you really like the way someone styled a shelfie, comment on exactly what you like! A generalized comment of, “This is beautiful!” is great, but to really make a connection with others, try to find something that is unique about what they posted or comment to their call-to-action.
When you build connections like this, you’ll find that when you have your off days, the people who you comment to with intention are the ones who will lift you up and encourage you on your journey!
It’s always good to surround yourself around people in your own life who will encourage & support you too. Try to have a healthy mix of things: social media support & real life support. You don’t want to focus only on social media support that you lose focus of people in your real life (I know that wouldn’t be you but it doesn’t hurt to mention).
You really have to dig deep and find what motivates you to continue even when things may seem slow.
Did you get ONE email subscriber to your list?
Has someone commented on your latest post with amazing feedback?
Are your Pinterest graphics working and building traffic to your website?
I’m telling you friends, there ARE things to be thankful for. Even me, I’m so thankful that I have this platform to express myself and share my experiences with you. Even if one person sees my work, I’m okay with that as I know I’m making an impact, one way or another in this world.
Just continue to build yourself up in ways that are authentic to you.
You are successful because you took a chance on yourself and your future & that’s all that matters.
I hope you enjoyed this post and found it informational! As always, I’m grateful for you all. Your support means more to me than you know.
Got questions? Leave a comment! Let’s chat.
