Three Years Of Blogging: Misconceptions

Todays post is the another blog posts all about my experience of blogging as my blog has just turned three years old *cries like a proud parent* so I thought it would be a great time to share my experience and tips! This post is all about the perceptions and misconceptions go blogging. 

Even though 'big' bloggers have branched out into mainstream media and more people know about blogging, especially brands. It is still relatively unknown to the average person and if you are not a blogger yourself then you may have some misconceptions of what blogging is all about. First up, the biggest misconception, in my opinion:

- It's not easy! Don't start a blog expecting to be the next Zoella within three months. There is so much time, work and effort that goes into blogging and I don't think most non-bloggers or new bloggers realise that; I always see blogs that haven't been updates for months or ones that have been abandoned. I've worked hard for three years on my blog even while writing my university dissertation. You also learn so much, for example, I had no idea about PR/digital marketing, SEO, editing photos, the technical side of photography or networking before I started blogging. It's a steep learning curve and there is always more to learn but if you stick with it, it can be incredibly rewarding in the end. 

- Blogging consists of a massive community of people from all around the world and even just through twitter chats or commenting on blogs, it's such supportive and a friendly community to be part of! It's not a very lonely or exclusive hobby to have. 

- I don't get 'freebies', this is one misconception that really annoys me. Yes, I didn't physically pay for certain items or experiences but that doesn't mean I don't work for those products/experiences. So much time, effort, work and dedication goes into blogging. 

- We are not all hysterical girls that are crazy about makeup, I do love makeup but it's not a stupid or frivolous passion. A lot of bloggers, such as myself are university graduates; others are university students or professionals with the fields of PR and digital marketing. Also some bloggers have made blogging into a full time career (which is something I would love to do) and it's a great addition to your CV. 

- Blogging is not an unknown, uninfluential hobby. So many brands and PR companies recognise the influence, popularity and relatability of blogs. Blogs have a specific audience and relationship to consumers, unlike any other media so products can be advertised to their specific consumer market. 

If you are a blogger what are some of the blogging misconceptions you deal with? 

*I'm on the Dreams site along with other bloggers talking about overnight beauty treatments and tips* 

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Three Years Of Blogging: Followers + Views

This post might be a little controversial as I think gaining followers and wanting to increase your page views is a taboo topic in the blogging community. Not many bloggers say 'I want more follower's and page views' but I think most of us would like that. 

I started out rather stupidly when it comes to blog followers, as for months when I started my blog I forgot to even add the GFC (google friend connect) widget to my blog...no wonder no one was following my blog! I didn't have many followers for a long time, I remember being so excited telling my mum that I had 10 followers; now three years on I have over 1,600 on GFC and over 2,000 on Bloglovin which just blows my mind! I'm so glad that so many people seem to enjoy my content. 

One way of gaining followers and traffic is commenting on other blogs. I only started doing this a couple of years ago and since then my numbers have increased so much. I love reading other bloggers posts (particularly unique posts or ones that I can relate to) and I love finding new blogs. I will have a 'my current favourite blogs' post coming within the next few weeks. 

Although you do not want to spam bloggers *that's not cool*, I try to leave a thoughtful, kind or opinionated comment as getting comments like that on my blog makes my day! Follow for a follow type comments are the opposite, it can be so rude and disheartening that someone only wants to follow your blog so they gain a follower. However, I do encourage readers to leave their blog links so I can check them out at some point. 

Social media interaction and joining in with blogger chats on Twitter are also great ways of getting your blog out there. I only started joining in with twitter chats last year and I don't know why I didn't sooner - I LOVE blogger chats on twitter, especially the #lblogger, #bblogger chats and more recently the #BDIB chat! 

The points above are my two main ways of gaining more traffic and followers that have personally worked for me; here are a few other points to consider:

- Tag brands in photos/posts on your social media accounts. I mainly do this on twitter and instagram so brands know I wrote about them and they might regram/retweet sharing your content with a wide audience. Just look at My Pale Skins instagram follower numbers since Anastasia Beverly Hills regramed her photo - she now has an insane number of followers!

- With regards to the point above, if you've been sent something from a brand/PR company, email the link to your post so they can share your post too. Again this can increase blog traffic, especially if it's a big brand.

- Following blogs, as they may follow back. I remember when I had about 100 followers and the lovely Evelyn from We Were Raised By Wolves followed me *I was so over the moon* and I still love her blog!

- Make it easy for your readers to find your social media accounts/blog - I see this so many times, blog/twitter pages with no blog link or social media icons that are hard to find!

- This point may be a bit controversial - giveaways. I love to host giveaways on my blog as they are a great way of celebrating a blog milestone and to thank followers. They can also give your page views and follower numbers a little boost. I only host giveaways once every couple of months generally as I wouldn't want them to distract from the rest of my blog content. 

- Make your posts as interesting, unique and helpful as interesting content will naturally bring in more readers and traffic. I personally think that great photos and a simple blog design also help as well as an honest, easy writing style.

Please remember that this post contains my personal opinions and yours may differ. Also different ways to increase followers/traffic may work best for different people and don't spam other bloggers/brands. This post isn't about SEO as I'm definitely no expert but if you would like some basic tips let me know in the comments. Last but not least, remember in the end it's not all about the numbers, it takes some of the fun out of blogging and it can be disheartening. 

Do you have any tips? What are your favourite social media accounts for your blog? Do you join in with the blogger twitter chats?

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Three Years Of Blogging: Q+A Part One

I asked on twitter, Instagram and Facebook for your questions all about blogging as I have been blogging for over three years now and I thought it would be a great post to share! The bloggers who asked questions have their own blogs linked below so definitely check them out. The second part of this blogging specific Q&A will be live within two weeks time; also I will have a couple of general Q&A posts soon too!

1. If you could only pick one social media channel to use to promote your blog which would it be/which drives the most traffic? (question from Sally Says Beauty)

I would definitely pick Twitter! I love the twitter chats, it's so quick and easy to get blog feedback and to promote new posts. Also I *rather controversially* love the #prrequest hashtag as PR's advertise blogger opportunities and I've been able to take part in some fantastic blogger opportunities from it.

2. What have you learnt since starting your blog? (question from Pint Sized Beauty)

I have learnt how to use my camera well, how much I LOVE writing and even how to apply makeup better as well as how to network. There are more things I've learnt but the list would be SO long!

3. What has been your favourite blogging experience or most exciting blogging moment in the 3 years that you've been blogging? (question from Ellis Tuesday)

I would have to say that being invited to the St Legers Ladies Day was the best experience/event and I was able to take my non-blogger friend Yasmin along too. It was a great experience for both of us, it made me feel like a 'professional' blogger and it was something I never thought I would be able to attend. 

4. How much time do you spend per day on different tasks such as photography, writing, answering emails ect and do you have a blog plan for the future? (questions from Sweetpea London)

Answering emails doesn't usually take too much time but photographing products can take a long time and I sometimes have to edit photographs for ages! Writing time depends on the post, some only take an hour or less but others can weeks and weeks if I am testing a product for a long time *such as the HPL system I reviewed a couple of months ago*

For the second part of the question, I would love to continue improving my blog (with regards to my content, design and photographs) and hopefully gain the confidence to attend more blogger events. Also I would love to have more giveaways for my readers.

5. What's your ultimate blog tip? (question from Hannerking)

That's a very difficult question to answer, I would say that be honest and write about your passions! 

6. How do you find inspiration for posts and whats your best tips for overcoming blogging block? (questions from Your Almost Alice)

I find inspiration from other blogs, pinterest, magazines and even the seasons and magazines. I honestly don't get blogger block as I'm always thinking of new post ideas but I would say that if you have blogger block, check out some of your favourite blogs for inspiration or have a little break from blogging - whichever works for you!

7. In your 3 years of blogging, what has been your favourite / most memorable blog post and why? Congrats on turning 3!! Your blog is fab! (question from Holly at Rock On Holly)

My most memorable posts are my milestone posts (1/2/3 years and follower milestones) as it shows the progress of my blog. Although special blog events, such as the St Legers Ladies Day Post, is also very memorable as I never thought I would be able to attend a ladies day! Oh and the TGI Fridays event post is memorable as it was the first blog event that I attended. 

8. Wow, congrats on 3 years! My question; What's your biggest blogging mistakes and what was the best blogging decisions you made - with regards gaining followrs/people enjoying your content etc? (questions from Yay Interiors)

I think my biggest blogging mistakes (apart from not adding the follow widget to my blog) is not learning to use my camera. My photos from 2012 to 2013 were SO bad! 

The best blogging decisions I've made:

- Getting a pre-made and then custom blog design!!

- Joining twitter 

- De-cluttered my blog and started to comment regularly on other blogs

9. What influenced you to begin blogging? (question from Melissa at Beauty And The Little Lady)

I didn't really have many influences, apart from knowing that a lot of youtubers started out as bloggers. I didn't put much thought into starting a blog, I just did it and I knew nothing about blogging when I started!

10. What changes have you found have happened within the world of blogging over the 3 years? And how have you adapted your blog to embrace the changes? (questions from What Emma Did)

Blogging has become so much bigger, more popular and there are so many more bloggers than there were when I started back in 2012. I try to make my content as wide ranging as possible to reach as many people and keep my blog up to date with fashion trends, new homeware styles and upcoming/new cosmetics. 

Thank you to all of the bloggers that asked questions! If you have any questions leave them below and I will answer as soon as possible!

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