Wednesday, October 19

Blogging to the Front Row

My friend Sarah is of a rare breed.  She is brutally honest, uber funny, super generous, and incredibly kind and comforting.  I am beyond lucky to call her my friend.  (You've seen her here and here.)  A little over a month ago, she gifted me this.

Blogging Your Way to the Front Row-Yuli Ziv
We actually went to a Fashion 2.0 meetup on Online Retail & Technology and while back and she knew that I was starting to get very serious about blogging.  I immediately started reading it and finished it within a few days.  I then read it again.  And again.  There were so many helpful hints for all bloggers: novice to professional.  It touched on everything from branding and revenue to dealing with vendors and photography tips.  I have recommended this book I don't know how many times now.  Below I have listed the top 3 tips I found most useful in blogging.

1. Treat your blog like a business.  If you are in it for the long haul, you need treat it like a business. You are representing yourself and presenting a product (your blog) to your readers.  You should have a mission, vision, goals, strategies, and objectives.  You are the CEO and you should act professionally (which doesn't mean you can't have fun).  This also means honoring your readers.  Do you respond to them in some way?  Do you thank them?  They are your lifeline, so you shouldn't take them for granted.

2. Have high standards.  Think of this: would a glossy ever publish the work that you publish on your site?  Are your images the best they can be?  Are you religiously proofreading?  Yuli gave a great action tip to help you figure this out.  Go to a local stationary store, such as Kate's Paperie or Papyrus, and get one sheet of high-end beautiful paper.  Now, construct a post on it.  I imagine that going to the store, picking out paper, and figuring out what to write on this one piece of paper may take a while.  It will most likely take more time and effort than a usual blog post takes.  This experience will help you really look at your blog, your posts, and how to make it the best it can be.

3. Be yourself.  Ok, ok. Don't roll your eyes so soon.  This blog is yours.  Yes, there are some bloggers that use the same format, techniques, and even writing style and have been successful.  Just because you want to be successful, doesn't mean that format is for you.  Pave your own path!  Have your own niche!  That's what makes blogs exciting!  Have the layout that best represents you.  Talk about what is meaningful to you.  Write the way that you talk (with some exceptions, of course).  Wear the things that suit you, that you like, and that you normally wear.

Readers can tell when you're being insincere or fake.  I can't count the number of blogs I've seen that all follow the same trend because they think it will end up getting them some notoriety.  By showcasing who you are gives you the most connection with your readers and could end up in meaningful relationships.  I can't begin to describe how happy I am to have friends worldwide that are equally passionate about big hair, the color black, leather, artsy nails, and fancy food.  Remember this: readers (and sponsors) want to know you, not who you are pretending to be.

Now, all of these were obviously valuable lessons.  I wanted to share this with other bloggers.   Here's the plan: One blogger will read the book, write a post about what they learned, link to the previous blogger, sign the book, and pass it on to the next blogger.  Hopefully this book can get all over the world and be the jet-setter that I always dreamed of being!  I'll make sure to keep you updated on who gets the book and what they've gotten from it.

First stop: Sydney, Australia with Kel from Amuse About!

6 comments:

  1. Yes to big hair, I'll never give it up!
    The book sounds really interesting, my photos let me down, I can't tell one end of a camera from the other.

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  2. I bought the book a few weeks ago, read it, and have been highlighting it and making tons of notes. I have been blogging for almost 5 years, and I've learned a lot, but this book taught me some very helpful business and marketing tips and practices. Thanks to Yuli for sharing all of her valuable knowledge! I'll be reading the book over and over again.

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  3. Helpful tips! Sounds like a great book. As soon as I have free time for extracurricular reading,I'll have to pick it up.

    www.chillairandperfume.blogspot.com

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  4. The biggest thing to me about being a blogger is responding to my audience. I always, always, always comment back. It may take me a couple of days, but I get there because, without my readers, I wouldn't be here.

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  5. It's hard to think of it as a business...I guess it depends on what your in it for...


    xx THE CHEAP


    www.thecheapblog.com

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  6. Love that you are passing this around! Great idea.

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