Bloggy Boot Camp came to Boston, courtesy of the SITS Girls (The Secret to Success is Support), and kicked my butt. Actually, my butt sat in chairs most of the day, so I guess it'd be more appropriate to say that it kicked my brain. There was so much information shared, you'll want to attend yourself if you're a blogger, but here are ten tips for blogging to get you started!
1. Personal Branding is Good- Amy from Be Better encouraged us to determine who we are by asking ourselves five questions (What are my distinguishing characteristics and personality traits? What are my guiding principles and values? What is my role on the web? What is my promise? What is my story?).
2. Know Who You Are- Live it, own it, and don't be afraid of it. Understanding who you are will make the decisions regarding your blog much easier.
3. Not Everyone Needs to Like You- I believe it was Tiffany from SITS who shared this, and it would seem obvious, but some of us like to be liked. I like it when you like me but I know not everyone will. That's okay.
4. Use Google Ad Words- For this post, I chose Tips for Blogging from the Keyword Tool. Erica from Mommy's Fabulous cautioned us not to change our content to fit keyword searches, but to use it to tweak our headlines and first 100 words.
5. List Everything- Lists are popular, as Amanda of Top Ten Tuesday understands!
6. Find Your Inspiration- Sit and think, get up and go, try a few writing prompts. Mama Kat's Famous Writing Prompts were mentioned, as well as The Red Dress Club.
7. Write Great Pitches- Carol Schiller gave an excellent presentation on "Writing Pitches That Don't Suck". For those contacting companies, the key is to show them what's in it for them. They need to know the value you are bringing to them.
8. Make a Visual Impact- Lindsey from The ModChick calls this eye candy. She shared a few free sites (Flickr Commons, StockXchng, Google Images), as well as a couple of paid sites (iStock Photo, Big Stock Photo) and reminded us to ask permission to use images we find on the web.
9. Use Social Media- Twitter and Facebook are your friends. Management tools such as Tweet Deck or Hoot Suite can make them even more friendly.
10. Use Your Influence for Good- Mommy Niri shared how we can do good in our world, utilizing our platforms to make an impact on the world around us without allowing ourselves to be undervalued. Bloggers have a voice in this world, use it wisely.
What about you? Do you have any great tips or "secrets" you can share?
*All photos are the property of Lindsey from The ModChick, used by permission.
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5 comments:
Really enjoyed these tips and could certainly incorporate or refine a few of these things in my blogging.
I am DYING to go to Bloggy Boot Camp in Seattle, but I just can't imagine how we could swing it as I still haven't found work.
Sounds like a great experience and a wealth of information.
Great tips! I need to work harder on the not everyone needs to like you point.
@Janet I have lots of work to do but I figure a little at a time, right? Glad you found something helpful here!
@LucidLotus I didn't think I could go but ended up buying a discounted ticket from someone who was unable to go herself. Perhaps something like that will come up or maybe next time! It really was a great experience.
@Briana Yeah, me too. That one may be the most difficult!
Great recap! I'm working on being okay with some not liking me or what I have to say. It's a hard road, though, when you're a natural-born people-pleaser!
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