Dinner Dates: The Truth About Blogging

I’ve been getting more & more questions about blogging recently, so I thought I’d share a few “simple truths” about why I blog, what’s helpful when I’m blogging and how YOU can, too:)

The Truth: Pre-blogging is your best friend. Pre-blog your little butt off!! 90% of the time I’m pre-blogging which means I’m writing the night before, day before or even WEEK before!!! Then I can set my blog to publish the post on the exact day & time I want. It’s SO MUCH EASIER than having to write something new & fresh at 8am every morning before my coffee:)

The Truth: Plan, Plan, Plan. Blogging Planning helps me stay on track!! It helps me to space out my posts (so it’s not too many solely personal posts in one week), helps me stick to a schedule & keeps me accountable. I blog plan 2-3 months out. Currently, in my DSE Binder I have a calendar for November, December & January. November & December are pretty much full, January isn’t yet. But I’m able to look at my schedule 3 months out & space out my posts accordingly. (You can read this post to get more details on what I use & how I do it!)

The Truth: You DO have something to say. Yes, I’m talking to you. You most definitely have something to blog about. So what if other creatives have blogged about it? You’re not them. There are other GREAT posts on blogging, but I’m still writing this one!! Your readers connect with YOU, not them. They want to hear what you have to say… so say it!! Brainstorm a series or two you can implement!! Brainstorm things you WISH you knew when you started & blog about those! Blogging opens up SO MANY doors for your business… and I firmly believe there is always something to say:)

The Truth: Blog Series’ are Time Savers. I LOVE a good series!! It helps you to categories your posts & gives your readers something to look forward to! It can also save time when you just don’t know what to say!! Start a series that’s relevant to your business or your life. Meet A DSE Bride is my most popular, and I love it, too!! Some of my FAVORITE bloggers have the BEST blog series’ and I love reading them!! A few of my favorites include Southern Newlyweds, Navigating Entrepreneurship, Becoming a Better Blogger/ Small Business Owner & Coffee Dates!! (P.S. this is another one that’s SUPER simple but oh so fun!!)

The Truth: Blogging WILL increase your business. Blogging is the PERFECT from of marketing!! It’s free, it’s personal & it leads people to your business. It’s a simple step by step process:

– I blog.

– I post my blog on social media.

– Cindy “likes” it & “shares” it.

– Cindy knows Donna, who’s got a steady boyfriend & hoping for the ring any day.

– Donna starts following my blog. She gets engaged. She emails me.

– Donna becomes a DSE Bride:)

Amazing, right? Social media is POWERFUL!! Use your blog to it’s FULL potential & allow it to bring you your dream clients.

The Truth: A Dead Blog is WORSE than no blog. My good friend Katelyn once told me this, and I LOVE it. If someone hops onto your website, they click on your blog & they see your last post was in July what does that make them think? That you haven’t been doing anything since July. Honestly, that’s probably the OPPOSITE of what’s actually been happening… you’re probably TOO busy to blog!!! But they don’t know that. And to them, a dead blog shows no productivity or growth. So if you can’t blog right now, take the page off of your website.

The Truth: Personal posts are completely appropriate AND helpful for your business. Some of my personal posts have been the most popular on the blog!! Your clients LOVE to feel connected with you… they want to relate to you & hear your story. Post about your cute pup, or your date night to Sweet Frog!! Those things are apart of who you are, so share them! I LOVE my Weekend Wrap-Up posts because (a) they’re an “online diary” for me & Matt and (b) let’s be serious, they’re a bit easier to write!! They don’t as much thought or energy, ha! So it’s an easy, fluffy post that my readers still enjoy!! (Tip: Blog Planning helps me to keep track of my personal posts, so I don’t have 2 or 3 in one week!!)

The Truth: You do NOT have to blog 5 days a week. Guys. It’s hard. It’s really, really hard!! If you don’t think you can blog 5 days per week, don’t!! Start with 2 days! And blog the SAME 2 days every week… Tuesday & Thursday or Wednesday & Friday. Stay consistent with the days you do blog so that you’re readers know when to expect something new from you!! We like “schedules” and “normalcy” so if you make 2 days a week “normal” for your business, it will be easier for you to do!! When I started blogging last September, I started with 4 days per week. Then in January I started 5 days a week. Do NOT feel pressured to immediately jump in to 5 days!!

The Truth: Blogging IS Time Consuming. Blogging relative & relatable posts takes time. It takes research & passion. Some of my blog posts will only take me 10 min to write, others take hours. It depends on the topic, my voice & how “on fire” I’m feeling about it in that moment!! I’m not hear to tell you that blogging is super easy & doesn’t require a lot of effort. That would be a lie. Blogging regularly & blogging good content, DOES take work. Friends, it’s INCREDIBLY time consuming. And when you own your own business & work full time, time is your enemy.

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To be honest, the last few weeks blogging has become a burden. Why? Because I didn’t do A LOT of these truths. I wasn’t pre-blogging, I didn’t make a solid blog calendar for October, and I had NO TIME to do it. So I allowed myself to be burdened with it, rather then enjoy it!! No, I’m not about to tell you I’m going to stop blogging:) I’m still truckin’ along!!! But I DO want to encourage you with my story!! If you’re overwhelmed with it, take a deep breath, sit back & reevaluate. For me, I had to remember WHY I was doing it in the first place!! I had to remind myself that I LOVE to blog… I enjoy writing & I LOVE connected with my readers!! My blog has become apart of the core of DSE, so I refuse to stop! I just had to remind myself of the very Truth’s I just wrote out & refocus for the rest of 2014!! If I can do it, then I know you can, too:)

Are you struggling with blogging? What’s a Truth you’ve found that has helped you??

xo!! kat

(( Image by Andrea Pesce Photography – congrats on the GORGEOUS brand launch, friend!!! ))