My 4 Year Blogiversary & What I Have Learned

Time flies when you have a lot to say…or in this case, write about! I have officially been a blogger for a bit over 4 years now. Funny, years ago when a co-worker suggested I start a blog to share my beauty tips, I had no clue what a blog was! I sure did learn and quickly too. What began as sharing tips of the beauty industry, turned into sharing some really personal stories with my readers; it has been a documented adventure itself and I feel I have grown through my writing. Though I do not consider myself a pro in the world of blogging, I sure have learned quite a bit.  If you ever wanted to start a blog for personal or business use, sharing about what your industry brings to the table and a bit about you can lead you to some really cool things and get you acquainted with some amazing people.

 

Here are 6 things I’ve learned being a blogger:

1. Always stay true to yourself and write about what makes you happy! Though readers appreciate your sponsored posts and tutorials, in my experience I have learned that your readers really connect with you when you’re raw and real.

2. Be open-minded! The blogging world will lead you to some really fun events of all sorts. Keeping an open mind and trying new things is all part of growing as a blogger and great for networking.

3. Kindness always wins, so be kind; there are all type of bloggers. Mom bloggers, Dad bloggers, food bloggers, beauty bloggers, lifestyle bloggers, military bloggers, bloggers that represent their state, and so many others…be kind to all those you come across, you never know what you might learn from them.

4. Don’t be cliquish! I have seen many bloggers only select certain bloggers for events all the time. Sure, some may work together because they have similar blogs, but as a blogger wanting to grow their audience, there is not much growth in working with the same people all the time or excluding other bloggers. I love sharing blogs and info with new bloggers or those that write about things totally differently than what I do; it brings me new readers and with that follows new fun experiences.

5. Be consistent! Whether you are a daily poster or blog once a month, keep it up and be sure to share through all your social media channels. Out of content? No ideas what to write about? Dig up some old blogs when you first started out that got little to no reads and edit them. Putting content out regularly and even scheduling older posts will keep your readers engaged. I also share blogs of other bloggers that I am a fan of and this boosts my stats as well.

6. And finally…you gotta be a bit thick skinned. Readers and followers will comment good and bad on your posts. You have to learn not everyone will agree or like what you have to say or are sharing on your blog and social media. For every bad comment, you’ll have about handful of good ones. Don’t sweat the negativity of bad comments, especially if you don’t even know the person posting it personally.

Happy Anniversary Shine Beautifully, here’s to many more posts!