Photo by Hope Taylor Photography

It seems like everyone and every business has a blog these days.  Knowing that makes it intimidating to even consider starting one because crippling self doubt sets in and you wonder if 1. anyone will read it and 2. if you even have anything worth writing about!!  The first few months of my blog, I was certain that I was tossing words into cyber spacefor everyone and no one to read!!  

I started blogging for my business in March of 2015.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I didn’t even know where to start!!  So, my first blog ever was titled “Welcome {To Uncharted Territory}”.   The post pretty much introduced me and my business and told the story of how I got to where I was at the time! In all honesty though, that blog was just as it was titled.. an uncharted, completely new aspect of my business that I was pretty positive would not amount to much!!   

11 months later, and I am here to tell you that my blog is one of my biggest assets in my business!! Its a place to regularly showcase my work, it acts as a consistently updated portfolio, and it is a place to keep my clients + supporters engaged with my business!  

Since my blog has had such an amazing impact on my business, I wanted to use today’s blog to share five of my biggest tips for anyone that is considering starting a blog!

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1 | Create a Blog Calendar

The biggest advice I have for you is to start a blog calendar!!  Take one day a week or a month to sit down and plan what you will blog about and what days you will be blogging those topics!!  I regularly know what I will be posting about on the AHP blog at least a month in advance!  This calendar helps keep me blogging consistently and it plays a huge role in fighting off writers block!

2 | Mix Personal + Business … (but be choosy)

When you are planning your blog scheudle, find a healthy balance of personal and business related posts!  Personal posts allow your audience to get to know the heart behind the business!    (This plays a HUGE role in my brand!!) With that being said, The key to personal posts is to refrain from letting these be a free-for-all-whine-session. I have read so many blogs that consist of “I had a head ache and was tired and then I was busy and thats why I haven’t been blogging a lot but I am back now!” and then three silent weeks later, there is another post stating the exact same thing.  Using your personal posts to complain will repel your viewers from ever coming back to read your words!

3 | Compose Posts That Are True To Your Brand

If you follow my blog, then you know that I can write a lot!  Even my “short blogs” are paragraphs and paragraphs long!  With that being said, remember that everyone’s writing is different and you don’t have to write a lot of words to have a successful post!  My favorite example of this is my darling friend Morgan Hockensmith of Hockensmith Portraits!!  Morgan’s blogs are typically short, sweet, and to the point… Nothing like mine at all considering that I write a story in every blog…  You know what our blogs do have in common, though?  Both long and short, they are both super successful!!!  

4.  Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Story

One of the biggest reasons I hear of why people aren’t blogging for their businesses is because they feel they have nothing to share… Well, thats a lie my friends!  We all have a different story to share.  We all have our talents and our struggles and our lessons learned and our joyful triumphs!  Don’t be afraid to share your story!!!  Your story is the thing that makes you different from everyone else.  You being YOU will attract your tribe a lot faster than you trying to be someone else.

5.  Don’t Force It

The last and perhaps most important tip I have for anyone considering a blog is to not force it.  Some people hate writing.  Writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and thats ok!!  I encourage you to push through the first few posts on your blog because if you aren’t initially comfortable with writing, it may just take some time to get used to!!  

However, if you find yourself dreading the time you spend working on your blog, if your blog is stressing you out entirely too much, if you just don’t feel like a blog aligns with your brand, and if you are blogging just because “she” is (whoever she may be)- remember that it is ok to not be a blogger!!!  You don’t have to blog just because someone else is.  Chasing after what everyone else is doing will only leave you feeling exhausted and defeated… Don’t be afraid to set your own standards and vision of success!

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I hope this helps anyone that has been considering a blog of their own!!  I am such an advocate of blogging and I encourage you to give it a shot!!   And remember, If you need help along the way, I would be so happy to offer guidance during an AHP Mentoring Session!!!  Have an awesome weekend friends!