Welcome, to another Behind the Blogger series. If you have missed it a group of ladies and myself have shared the last few months some background on who we are, and our men, and of course what we know and have learned about blogging. Today is one that hopefully you can really gather info and feel determined and not defeated. Grab that cup of coffee, take that note pad out, and lets get this going.

Okay, first I am no expert! and you can hear tons of bloggers say that but seriously I’m not! lol. I have been chipping away at this blogging thing for the past 2.5 years. It was probably the slowest start to any blog the first year. I was unsure of really how to go about any kind of blogging and felt maybe if I just kept writing eventually I would learn and put this thing together. I am so fortunate to have kept with it and done my research because over time my blog has become what it is today. Though I may not be 100,000 page view a month blog I am still aiming towards it and learning, learning, and learning to put everything into what I know and love.

To start: really look at other bloggers pages. Be inspired by what you want your page to be like and of course add your own personal touch to it. I figured some of those big names out there, the bloggers that have been blogging for a long time know a thing or two about how their page is set up and what their photos look like, and etc.

One of the hardest decision to make was to switch from blogger to wordpress. I really was comfortable with blogger and did not want to shove out money to start all over again. It took me months to really go through with it and I am really grateful I did. From what I heard taking blogging seriously is switching to a wordpress account. Not only do readers take you more serious, but brands which is super important.

When I switched from blogger to wordpress I used blogelina which helped make it easier for me. Honestly, you can probably do it on your own, but I am no techy so I know when to rely on others and when to do things myself. This one definitely required some help. Next thing was really getting a great design I used Sarah from Moonstream. She was wonderful to work with and really helped make this an affordable and easy way to make the blog exactly what I wanted.

So once I had the perfect page it was about really learning blogging, especialy blogging as a business. I turned to Building a Framework which saved me time and energy from looking at 50,000 different pinterest posts. Though keep looking at Pinterest because it’s always great getting tips…Building a Framework helped make every bit of blogging an easy break down and go at your pace of learning. I fortunately started reading this pre going to my first conference which helped when I got there to not feel like a total idiot lol.

My next point is go to a conference! Make friends! and network! I loved learning so much from professional bloggers and not to mention putting a face to the name. This will also help with your own blog. Having others know who I was or if not get back home and know who I was, became a big deal! You’d be surprised how many friends you leave with and wisdom! I can’t wait to go back!

I really learned so much from facebook too. It took me a long time to get on the facebook thing for my blog and I feel I missed out. It not only helps to gain more followers and peoeple to your page, but really helps with making friends. You can not imagine what having a blog tribe can do. It helps when organizing home tours, or giveaways. Finding bloggers with the same niche is so important! Though my facebook number is climbing slowly I have to say it really made a difference just by gaining friendships and blog tribes. I feel sometimes the girls in my groups can be that shoulder to lean on when it all gets frustrating. It’s a great thing to have!

Really stick to social networks that you LOVE! Though blogging is a job it really is still a hobby at the end of the day. One that hopefully within time you make money from. I try to stick to social networks that really make me happy and choose wisely when using them. My facebook has become my networking site, my pinterest my traffic driven site, and my Instagram my fun and easy app. Twitter and google + are ones I prefer not to do much with. Though they each have their benefits and I still have to use them, I do quick posts whether through Instagram or just when I am adding a new post that day to Google + and then thats all. Don’t waste your time if you don’t enjoy it. We all have to benefit somewhere and definitely pick which you prefer and which brings more traffic to your page.

I think most recently I’ve learned that my readers love my honesty. I not only learned to be yourself in your writing at Haven, but within comments I appreciate those that appreciate me! I am seriously no expert, no perfectionist, and no business woman…I am just trying to figure this all out and keep going with what God has planned for me. I know one thing I LOVE doing it so if I love it I will keep going with it. Also, just a small tip take breaks! Some nights I can see my husbands frustration with my head behind the computer and I have to learn when to put the computer down. My family is still number 1 and though there are times they will have to wait or I will have to make the sacrafice to wake up early or put my head in the computer…be sure to find your moments. I think it was Jon Acuff (An exceptional Motivational Speaker and Writer) that said to really make sure to know when to just put it aside. If all we do is work hard then we will never get to enjoy what we worked hard for. Oh and I swear I am not getting paid to say this…Read his books if you are an inspiring blogger or looking to find your calling in life. He really knows what he is talking about and you can always catch his Periscopes!

So to sum up what I’ve learned (especially in the last year) Research, Make Friends, Go to Conferences, Pick your Social Media that Works, be Honest, and Learn when to take a Break! These are my key points to making it this year…I can only imagine what next year will bring and what new things I will learn. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little blog and I hope I can encourage you to go for your dreams and if it makes you happy it’s probably worth it!

Now stop on by and see what you can learn over at my friend’s pages.

Casa Watkins

Domicile37

Fresh Crush