Hi blogging babe! First of all, if you came here to make sure you weren't making these mistakes, then that's great! However I want to preface, if you do read something from this list that might resemble you slightly, don't do what I do.
What is that? I blow it off. I will read lists on things you should or shouldn't be doing and be like okay, I know this, I know that, I don't do that, I'm good here, oh, yeah I should be doing that, I could improve there. Okay cool, good list. Next!
We are always going going going but it's so important to just stop, write down a note, and remind yourself to do something about it at some point. If I stopped and did this every time I came across a thought of "I should change that up a little bit," I would probably be at the next level!
So, while I'm working on it, will you join me? If something I say below resonates with you, jot it down somewhere you'll see, and make a plan to do something to improve.
Before you try and beat yourself up about anything on this list, I want to tell you... I struggle with some of these mistakes still to this day. And I've been around this blogging world for a while. Life happens. But, if you're ready to go to the next level, you'll work on these and improve - like me!
You in? Awesome! Let's go.
Mistake #1: They Don't Share Their Content
You've hit publish! *Cue the Confetti!* But then... you're getting crickets. Well my friend, did you share your blog post? The first mistake we see bloggers make is creating a blog post and then not drive traffic to it. When you schedule your blog post for release, you need to also do the following:
- Add photos to your Instagram scheduler (we love Plann!)
- Schedule your Pinterest images in Tailwind
- Schedule multiple tweets to go out on Twitter, we recommend using Hootsuite
- Schedule posts directly into Facebook, because Facebook will love you so much more when you schedule directly on your page
Mistake #2: They Aren't Consistent
If you are wanting to create a successful blog you have to be consistent. If you can only write one blog post a week, then make sure you follow through and you write one blog post a week. If you can write two a week, that's great! Start with once a week, and increase from there. If you're ready for traffic to start getting driven to your blog you need to work on SEO and cranking out more blog posts. (Read our advice on writing blog posts faster here.)
Most importantly though, be consistent. Stick to a certain day of the week to publish posts so your audience gets used to it. You want them to know what day of the week they can return to your blog and see new content. Don't post once every month or once every two months and expect to see results.
Mistake #3: They Don't Build a Relationship with Their Audience
When your new (or experienced) in the blogging world it can be a struggle to build a relationship with your audience. You don't know what to say, how to get them to engage with you, or even where to start. I'm going to give you a list of things to do, but I just want to say first that it is so important to build a relationship with your audience! If you can make them feel like they matter to you, you care about them, and you're involved with what's going on in their lives, they're going to come back and tell their friends about you.
Here are some suggestions:
- Pretend like you're talking to your best friend. In what relates to the content of your blog, what would you tell your best friend about? Would you share the behind the scenes of a post, how excited you were to write it, or what the process was of the experience you wrote about?
- Share more than you blog. Think about some of your favorite bloggers to follow on social media. Why do you always go and check their feeds, or see if they have posted new stories on Instagram, or have any new tweets? They've done something to create a relationship with you, so write down notes about what they're doing, and mimick it!
- Go on stories, whether that is Facebook or Instagram. Video content is king in this industry, let them hear your voice and see your face.
- Go live! Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube - challenge yourself to go live at least once a month and chat with your audience. No one may show up at first, which is normal, so make sure you have an outline of what you want to talk about. It can be 5 minutes or 30! That's up to you. My advice for getting over the jitters? Pretend like you're talking to your best friend or your ideal reader, and keep doing it. It wasn't until I forced myself to go live every week in our Facebook community that I started to get rid of those jitters.
- Film. The third thing about video, I know, but that's how big of an impact it can have when it comes to building relationships. Film yourself doing a try-on session, do a timelapse of you creating a recipe, or give a behind the scenes look of what your day looks like. Even if you're not a full-time blogger, your readers are interested in you and your life, no matter how unglamorous we think it is.
- Share personal details when you write posts on social media. Share pictures that have meaning and write meaningful captions letting your readers in on your life and learning more about you.
Mistake #4: They Don't Create a Strategy
The thing that makes me cringe the most is when I hear a blogger say they're "flying by the seat of their pants." That they wake up and if they feel like posting a blog post, they will, and it will be about whatever they feel like that day. Now, I truly believe that if you stop and pause, plan things out quarterly, and then yearly, you're going to see a difference. I so wish someone would have told me this 8 years ago!
Once I learned how to plan my content quarterly, think ahead, and work on creating content ahead of time, my business changed. I am so passionate about it that it's something I teach frequently in our Facebook Community. You can also find amazing trainings on quarterly planning in the Thrive Tribe! Lastly, I've recorded a podcast about, "How to Create a Plan for Your Blog that Actually Works" so make sure you listen to that!
