How to Become a Full-Time Wedding Artist: Brushstrokes to Business Success
20 Reasons You Should Start a Blog
All Photography by Jessica Turley Photography
I change my mind with alarming frequency! I have written about it here before, but the one thing I have struggled with the most is my inability to decide on just one career path. In the past I have wanted to be a singer, actress, playwright, vet, conservationist, nurse, midwife…..believe me when I say the list is endless. However I have realised something these past few weeks… I have been a blogger for over two years now and I have had no desire whatsoever to throw in the towel, actually I am even toying with the idea of starting my own personal blog as I enjoy it so much!
So what is it about blogging that has kept my attention, stopped me from waivering? These are questions I asked myself last week when me and Jess were invited back to my old college to give a talk to a group of students who were interested in starting their own blog. To be honest I struggled for reasons why anyone wouldn’t start a blog, but I managed to narrow my answers down to 20 amazingly awesome reasons why you should start a blog, whether it be for business or pleasure, you wont regret it.
1. Create a Brand
For those of you who own businesses you will already know the importance of creating a brand. Branding is what makes you stand out from a crowd, you want to be the first person a client will turn to when searching for a particular product or useful advice. You will be familiar with Coca Cola, Amazon, google – these are excellent examples of businesses that have absolutely nailed their branding making them the go-to businesses in their industry.
Blogging can help reinforce your brand, creating an online persona will be one of the most important elements of your business, after all people come to your blog for information but they stay for your personality. Engaging your readers in interesting conversation will be as equally important, opening up a dialogue with the consumer will allow them to get to know you which eventually should lead to trust in both you and your brand.
2. Make New Friends
Blogging is great for meeting new people. Since we started Bespoke Bride I have been overwhelmed at the support and friendships we have made along the way. These people are inspiring and all have helped us in one way or another both on a personal and business level, they are passionate, talented and have made our lives what they are today. These people will change your world!
If you want to get serious about blogging, making buddies will be be crucial for your success. The business of blogging is a tough one and there will often be times when you will be invited to attend an event or will have mulled over a conundrum for so long that your brain will be in overload. Knowing that their will people you know at that event certainly makes it less intimidating and talking through your predicament is sure to add a fresh new perspective. Basically having friends in business will make life a lot easier!
3. Free PR & Marketing
I dont know any business that would turn down free PR and marketing for their business. Its a costly affair and doing a bulk of it for yourself will save your business loads. Blogs have fast become a highly respected form of new media they are aimed at specific demographics making promotion way more effective.
As bloggers your job doesn’t just end at your blog, you also become something of a social media expert. PR and marketing has changed dramatically over the past few years, now Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are just a few of the social media platforms that have become very valuable tools. As a blogger you will learn to use these for effective marketing campaigns as well as another great way of interacting with consumers and creating that brand we were talking about earlier.
4. To Be Helpful
As a blogger the main point of your blog will be to help others. As I mentioned earlier you want to be the go – to for information in your industry. By creating helpful content such as ‘How to’s’ and ‘top tips’ your are offering essential and useful information that will keep your readers coming back again and again.
5. Share your Expertise
Similar to being helpful, sharing expert hints and tips are not only great for building trust but will earn your brand/ products/ services the reputation you deserve.
6. Make connections
The connections you will make as a blogger will open a whole new world for both you and your business. One of the most enjoyable parts of our job is being able to work with so many great suppliers on styled shoots and guests posts. As I mentioned earlier many of this suppliers have become very good friends over the past few years, which means work never actually feels like work, its more like catching up with mates, whilst also being a huge benefit to your business.
7. Stay Ahead of the Game
The beauty of blogging is that you put yourself in the perfect position to hear all the latest news in your industry which will be a huge benefit to you and your business. First keeping up to date is key to a few of my earlier points, such as building your brand and successfully becoming an expert in your industry. You will also find yourself making better business decisions as you will be the first to hear about any potential changes or threats which could ultimately give you that competitive edge.
8. Extra Income
Earning extra income through blogging is not an overnight success story, but with dedication and strategic planning, it’s certainly achievable. Whether you’re aiming to supplement your income or turn blogging into a full-time career, the potential for a profitable blog is well within your grasp.
Diverse Revenue Streams: To maximize your blog’s earning potential, explore various income avenues. This includes:
- Ad Campaigns & Display Ads: Utilize networks like Mediavine for reliable and effective display advertising.
- Affiliate Marketing: Start with trusted programs such as Amazon Affiliates, known for their reliability.
- Private Ads & Sponsored Posts: Connect with brands and businesses relevant to your blog’s niche.
- Digital Products: Create and sell ebooks or e-courses related to your blog’s content.
- Dropshipping & Custom Products: Partner with credible dropshipping services like Printify. For a well-informed choice, consider comparing Printify vs Printful.
Consistent Effort & Diversification: Building a lucrative blog requires consistent effort. Diversify your income sources to ensure a steady revenue stream. Always be on the lookout for new monetization strategies to keep your blog financially robust.
Choosing the Right Partners: A crucial aspect of online business success is partnering with trustworthy and reliable companies. This not only ensures the quality of products and services you promote but also safeguards your reputation.
In summary, turning your blog into a profitable venture is a feasible goal. By leveraging multiple income streams, consistently working on your blog, and selecting reliable partners, you can build a sustainable and lucrative blogging business.
9. SEO
A blog is one of the most powerful web marketing tools as every blog page is another chance to add more keywords and create valuable content all of which is great for improving your site ranking. If you have no idea what a site ranking is, this is , where your website appears in a search. It is the aim of most businesses to be on the first page of a search whether it be Google, Yahoo, bing as this is where consumer engagement is at its highest. Having a blog attached to you product or service is a great advantage and means you can build your rank organically without having to worry too much about site optimisation.
10. Create a confident voice
When we first started Bespoke Bride we made the number one mistake of sounding like everyone else, we compared ourselves to other blogs and found ourselves blending in. Lets face it there are a ton of wedding blogs out there so our mediocre voice was never going to stand out. We quickly learnt that readers wanted to see a personality behind a blog, they wanted to hear something different which although nerve wracking, made a huge a difference. It can be very intimidating bearing all on the web but if you have enough confidence in what you are saying your needn’t worry as it is this confidence that will attract a like minded audience and encourage engagement.
11. Help Get Creative
Blogs are great for finding and expressing your creative genius. You will connect with a community of like-minded individuals where you can bounce around ideas and find inspiration. The blogosphere is rife with influential people which I find brilliantly motivational. If you have been sat on an idea for a while now and haven’t been able to find the get up and go to do it, you can be sure that the blogging community will be there to spur you on. Your dream will be reality before you know it.
12. It is fun!
Blogging is fun! Fact! You get to write about things you are passionate about, you meet people like you, you can be helpful, you are invited to lots of exciting social events… need I go on?
13. Drive more Traffic to Your Website
I have already mentioned how useful blogs are for SEO but with that aside, blogs are great for building a targeted audience of consumers most likely to be interested in your product or service. The chances of those people recommending you is extremely likely and before you know it you have opened up the line of communication for word of mouth. Dont get me wrong it takes some time to build your audience but once you start you wont look back.
14. Improve your writing skills
Whether you blog for business or as a personal journal, blogging is perfect for getting your in the habit of writing. I personally think the power of writing is seriously undervalued as you will need to having good writing skills in almost every aspect of your life. In my experience as both an employee and employer, people with good writing skills are often seen as more credible. Whether you are at college, university or seeking employment, those that submit essays or job applications filled with grammatical errors and typos will generally be seen as less competent. I cannot emphasize the importance of practising your writing, it is something everyone can be good at.
If you have your own business, it is even more important that you are able to write well, as you will need to convey what it is that your business does. Very often it will be the first few sentences of your businesses ‘about’ section that determines whether a consumer will stay for more or go elsewhere. Honing in on those writing skills will be one of the most valuable things you can do for your business.
15. Improve your Thinking Skills
Thinking is imperative to your creativity. If you cant think your cannot create, its that simple! Blogging places you in the perfect position to observe, question and analyse keeping you one step ahead at all times – this will be essential to your businesses success and future.
16. Be Part of a Positive Community
When I entered the world of blogging I was overwhelmed at the support of this community. Bloggers tend to be extremely positive and I cannot express how important this is, not only your future success but for your health. Blogging will change the way you think, for the rest of your life.
17. Inspire others
Every blogger wants to be inspirational! Most will have started wanting to help others in one way or another and I think all will agree that one of the best parts of blogging is knowing that they are helping others.
18. Use it as a Portfolio
If you offer a product or service, a blog is great way of keeping an an updated online portfolio. Ready for potential clients or employers to view at all times. Make sure the images you have on your blog are good quality and only show your best work, this will increase traffic and keep readers coming back to see more.
19. Use it as a Personal Journal
You don’t have to offer a service or product to start a blog. Bespoke Bride started as a personal journal as me and Jess navigated our way around the wedding world. We fell in love with things we saw, we wanted to share them and blogging about them was the best way to do it. If you have a hobby why not start a blog about it? You never know where it might lead…
20. Boosts Confidence
Above all writing a blog is a huge confidence booster! Before I started blogging I was very unsure of where I belonged and where I was going to end up. Although I still don’t really know the answer to these questions I am confident that what I am doing now is where I am meant to be be. I am confident in myself, I am confident in meeting new people, I am confident in what I say and the way I look, it has changed the way I act, the way I look at the world and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
If you are thinking about starting a blog but haven’t been sure if it is the right move for you, then I hope you have found this useful. If you have any questions you would like to ask about starting a blog or any other advice you think would be useful to others please email us or leave a comment below.
Much Bespoke Love
Emily x
Thanks so much for this post! I’m newly engaged and gave just started my 1st ever blog to diarise the experience of planning my wedding. I read this post thinking you must have read my mind, I’m doing it for so many of the reasons you mention it and really enjoying myself. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone in a similar position considering starting a blog to do so, good luck!
First of all I want to say fantastic blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you do not mind.
I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior to
writing. I have had a difficult time clearing my thoughts
in getting my thoughts out there. I do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or
tips? Cheers!