Elevating Your Blog to the Next Level

Blogging is a community. If you've been involved in any of the regular twitter chats, you'd know that there is a tight knit community where fellow bloggers are constantly helping and supporting fellow gals & guys in their own little corner of the internet. However, where there are communities, it's often easy to just go with the crowd and well, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd.

So, believing firmly that you get as much as you put into something, I set myself the task of elevating my blog. I wanted this little space to become something actively wanted to read, a place where people enjoyed spending time and not purely somewhere they felt obliged to click through to. So here's what I'm going to be doing.

• Paid for Buffer. Buffer is a free service where you can schedule 10 posts for each social media account and whilst this was definitely great for myself as a new starter blogger, when I set myself the task of tweeting about posts etc five times a day, the 10 post limit became an issue. So this month is the first month that I will be shelling out the whopping £8 a month for Buffer. A small cost if it helps to bring in more. (Also - important to note that it is not a contract so you can cancel whenever).
• (Actually) Planned my posts. This is something that bloggers and youtubers always recommend doing but it's something I hardly do. The idea sounds great but if you're not feeling it, there is something very school like about having a list of tasks to do. But I found when I was doing posts I actually wanted to do and was excited about, they came far easier as it was less arduous.
• Research, research, research. Have a look at 'big' blogs. What are they doing that you're not? How are their photos different? This is definitely a tricky one as the last thing you want is to end up copying someone and losing originality, but it's definitely worth assessing the elements that other blogs nail. 
• Treat it as a business. This is a big thing. Much alike a start up business, there are upfront costs like camera, website host etc, but these are things you need to get your blog going. Again, like I said before, you tend to reap what you sow so by putting time or skills into it, the benefits should hopefully follow. But don't forget - if you're looking at this from a monetary angle, very few businesses make money in the first two years so don't spend thousands as it won't be earned in a day. This might mean chasing invoices or pitching to brands - often it's worth it.
• Rome wasn't built in a day. This is something I constantly have to remind myself of. Unfortunately, you're not going to go viral in a day. I know this isn't the aim for many bloggers (including myself) but don't give up after a month because you're not Zoella. It will take a decent amount of time and graft before you create a regular audience.
• Don't lose your love for it. When looking at your blog as a business, it's easy to forget why you started it - don't forget this. Whether it's a love for words or just love for pretty lipstick, don't forget why you started. If you're struggling to write, take a break. If your pictures just aren't right, take a break. Remember that your blog is ultimately a labour of love so don't lose it. 

So, who is with me on this journey? I know it seems a bit like a New Years Resolution but if you can get going before January, hopefully it'll persevere through and onwards.