5 BLOGGING TIPS FOR SUCCESS

This past weekend was the annual RewardStyle Conference where some of the top bloggers come together for a weekend of learning, networking and fun. It was my 3rd conference to attend so I thought it might be interesting to share 5 blogging tips for success some of which I picked up from the conference.

If you aren’t familiar with RewardStyle, they are the company I am affiliated with which is how I make my blog links and Instagram posts shop-able. I know many of you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably heard me talk about LiketoKnow.it several times or use it already to shop my outfits. But…it’s not the only way to make money as a blogger!

So what else did I learn? Honestly, owning my own digital marketing company and running the “Blogger Boss Workshop” I felt like I knew most of what was being taught in the classroom sessions, but I’m first to admit I don’t know everything!

DAY 1 OUTFITS

DAY 2 OUTFITS

DAY 3 OUTFITS

5 BLOGGING TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Control What YOU Can:

With the recent changes that happened with Facebook/Instagram focusing on your actual blog is more important than ever. Technology will continue to change and we will have to adapt. Your blog is the only platform you can truly control so make driving people to your site your #1 priority.

That’s why I invested in a brand new website design last month. I wanted my blog to be an easy to use platform where you can find exactly what you’re looking for whether it be fashion, travel, home decor, etc. But just a nice blog design won’t cut it! You’ve gotta create amazing original content. That’s my main focus this year!!

I’ve already talked a bit about my dating life and the struggles of being single. Right now, I’m doing this “body reset” which seems like you all have really enjoyed 🙂 and it’s kept me accountable! Next, I’m going to be working on some local Dallas content because that’s what you all seem to want to hear about lately so stay tuned!!!!

**TIP: Be sure your website/blog is “responsive” and not just a mobile design!

Give the People What They Want:

As a blogger I can attest to getting tons of messages asking where certain items can be found after they see them on my Instagram stories. Ideally, we want you to shop through our affiliate links because that is how we make money. (Help a girl pay her bills! Haha!) But one big question a lot of us had was, “what do you swipe up to”? I took a poll and a lot of you all wanted the “swipe up” link to go directly to a product. I’m almost 100% on board with that too as a consumer. Buttttt…As a blogger it gets a bit more complicated. Here’s my opinion on the topic…

SWIPE UP TO BLOG: I get a lot of questions about items in my house whenever I’m doing stories at home. People ask me where I got “X” and it was getting extremely time consuming to tell each individual person how to find that item on my blog. I have a specific blog post for each room in my house, but finding those posts were difficult. That’s why I made a specific “shop” page on my blog with all the products in each room of my house. So when I get ask this question on Instagram now I usually do a “swipe up” directly to my blog page with all the home decor products.

Also, if I’m doing a “try-on” session I have a dedicated page on my blog with all the links you can swipe up to. Why do I do it that way instead of linking to the direct product??? Because the chances of you purchasing instantly are very low… And, in all honesty it’s easier for you all because if you don’t have time to purchase instantly you just have to go the my page on the blog!

SWIPE UP TO LIKETOKNOW.IT: If people are asking me about outfit details and I’ve posted the items already the I “swipe up” to my LiketoKnow.it post which includes all the links in the outfit. The downfall for bloggers adding a direct link to the product within Instagram is the cookie goes away once you leave Instagram. What does that mean? Basically, if you don’t purchase instantly we don’t get credit/commission for that purchase later. If you “swipe up” to LTK or a blog post it will track that click and credit commission to us even if you don’t purchase for several days later.

SWIPE UP TO PRODUCT: I will on occasion do a “swipe up” directly to a product. Mainly, I do this if there is a huge SALE like the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in July or if it’s something that won’t make it on the blog or Instagram. I’ll also do it if it’s a lower value product like my hair accessories or something small.

Invest in SEO:

Since I’ve had my own digital marketing company for 8-years now I know the importance of SEO. What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization. Basically how Google ranks your site in search. I’ve invested lots of time into SEO on my site so that I rank very high for specific searches in Google. Ex.) If you search “dallas fashion bloggers” on Google my site comes up in the top 5 sites.

It’s not just about the overall site keyword either. If you do the keyword research for your posts then it’s possible for your blog post to be found easier, and it could even be picked up by another site giving you a link back to your site which is HUGE!

This didn’t happen overnight! SEO takes time… Using a few of these simple best practices will help you in the long run:

• Install Yoast SEO for blog posts
• Do your keyword research – the more specific your keyword the better **Ex. white jumpsuit v. sleeveless white culotte jumpsuit
• Always use internal links – link back to blog posts in each new post because this helps people stay on your blog longer
• Try to get referral traffic – these are links back to your blog from other sites! Very very important! Easiest way to do this is by doing a post with another blogger

Prioritize Your Time:

Let’s face it… Life happens and sometimes that Instagram post or story you need to post just doesn’t get done. Since Instagram stories are becoming even more important than ever, try to schedule these out when you have free time. Ex.) If you do a lot of tutorials and have a free afternoon then try to record 2-3 of these short videos so you can use them when you don’t have time to record in real time. Just change your shirt so people think it’s a different day!

Also, as an entrepreneur it’s your responsibility to make sure things get done and scheduling your time is super important. I get a lot of questions about how I stick to a schedule and don’t get distracted by working from home. Here is a post outlining exactly how I schedule my week. I don’t always stick to it exactly, but it’s a great guideline!!

Plan Ahead:

Create a content calendar! At the RewardStyle Conference we meet with brands 1-to-1 and talk about future partnerships. They usually ask what we have planned for upcoming posts so it’s important to have some content ideas to pitch them.

Ex.) I installed some Elfa shelfs in my closet and want to do a “closet reveal” blog post. But, I want to make it beneficial to my readers so instead of just a closet reveal it’s going to be focusing on top items you should have in your closet by the time you’re 30. I told one of the brands about this idea, and they loved it because they are all about the working girl style.

That’s it! Not really…but I didn’t want to make this post wayyyyyy too long. I’m always happy to answer questions about any of this stuff OR you can always learn more at the “Blogger Boss Workshop“!

photos: Beckley Co.