Blogging is personal. It’s your own little space where you get to write what you want, explore interests, and create unique content. It’s a great outlet for people (like myself) who are wanting to add a bit more creativity and fun into their lives.
I started The Urban Umbrella over three years ago, and now when I look back I can say without a shred of doubt that I made more than a few mistakes along the way. While the “learning curb” of blogging is unavoidable, there are a few mistakes I made during the early days of The UU that you just do not need to repeat.
I Waited to Invest in a Camera
I didn’t invest in a DSLR camera. I’m not trying to say having a great camera is essential to having a great blog, but bold crisp high-quality images are never a bad thing. Especially if you’re showing style or beauty, you want your images to be clear and bright.
I didn’t Edit My Photos
I neglected to edit my photos in any way. Brightening, straightening, and improving photo saturation is so important! There are a ton of great free online editing tools you can use to alter your images slightly (like PicMonkey), so don’t worry – you don’t need to spend a fortune on a great editing program! If you’re looking for a slightly more advanced editing tool then try out Adobe Lightroom. I use adobe lightroom on my images simply to brighten, straighten, and create more vivid images. It’s a super user-friendly program to use.
I Was Inconsistent
I didn’t post regularly. Creating a blog “Schedule” is essential to gaining a loyal following. People want to know when they should check back for your posts – so pick the days and the time you want to post and try to keep that consistent.
I Didn’t Hop on the Insta-Bandwagon
I didn’t start an Instagram account immediately. Oh Instagram, the APP I neglected for way too long. Instagram is a great tool to branch out your blog brand and gain more exposure. It’s especially excellent because it’s photo-driven marketing so you’re able to truly give a snapshot into your blog.
I Didn’t Share Enough
My writing was short, and at times – impersonal. When I first started my blog my biggest fear was my writing – and over-sharing my life. I didn’t want to ramble on and bore everyone, so rather than take a chance on a few snores, I instead neglected writing entirely. After a while I began to realize that sharing a bit of yourself, and your opinions, is essential to building a great blog. So, I pushed myself to share (and maybe even over-share at times). What I found was people ended up relating to me, and suddenly I was a whole heck of a lot less shy than I started. Basically what this whole ramble means is make sure you add a bit of you into each of your posts, people want to know people – and they want to hear your stories and opinions.
I Didn’t Think of the “User Experience”
I didn’t invest in a user-friendly or mobile-friendly layout. Last summer I went to a blogger event and found that a majority of blog traffic comes from mobile devices. People are reading their favourite blogs from their phone – and that’s why you need to make sure your blog is as mobile-friendly as possible. One way you can find out if your blog is mobile-friend is by googling your blog from your phone. Besides your blog name it’ll either say “mobile friendly” or nothing at all – and if it doesn’t say it, then you should get in touch with your layout designer!
I Didn’t Think of Monthly Themes
I didn’t create a monthly blog schedule/theme. Do you ever have days, weeks, even months of feeling uninspired for blog content? This is where a blog’s monthly theme comes into play. I like to think ahead and set in motion a backup plan, perhaps it’s that April will be “health month” and I come up with 5-10 post ideas relating to health. You don’t have to post them all or write them all, but they are excellent ideas to fall back on if you run out of content to post. I especially like to set a monthly schedule during the colder months when shooting outfit photos can be a bit trying.
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My biggest blunder was 1st my posts were too long and my layout was way to colorful and busy. I got very lucky twice and had 2 free blog makeovers and I learned a great deal about simplicity ♡ xox
Amen to #1! I always tell people starting out to make sure their images are all the same width, since it looks SO much better
I can really relate to number 8! I used to shoot outfit posts, and then include no more text than just information about the pieces. I almost can't believe that now, because as much as looking at the photos are fun, people follow a blog to read it! Now I like to include a topic that I'll write about, and just add an outfit shoot to accompany it to add some visual interest. I have to admit though, I'm still trying to work on my writing to make it more engaging, and keep brainstorming ideas that people will be interested in.
I also love the idea of a monthly blog theme! I'll probably start doing that this winter, because you're right in the Canadian winter months it can be uninspiring to say the least, and super hard to take photos outside.
Great post!
-K
http://www.thoughtcouture.com
I haven't quite figured out how to edit my photos in picmonkey except for creating collages, I feel like all the settings make the photos weird 😛