My blog officially launched a month ago today! & I cannot believe the response that I have already received already! So, I’m dedicating this post to everything that I’ve learned my first month go blogging:

• It takes time. There’s a lot of work to making and building a blog. From layouts to content to links to advertising your blog; it takes a LOT of time. Especially if you want to have good content & have other people read your content.
• You get what you put into it. Because blogging does require a lot of time, you don’t get results by just posting. If you actively share your blog and what it has to offer people then you’ll see the results.
• It doesn’t happen over night. Don’t get discouraged if you just started blogging and see that only a few people have seen your blog. There are a lot of other blogs that took time to get where they we’re at. By actively sharing your blog and being consistent your blog will grow.
• Be consistent. Pick a blog name you love, make sure it’s available on all social outlets, & try to keep it the same so it’s easier to find. Also be consistent in your posts. Make sure everything is consistent & organised. Content should also be high quality. Make it appealing, memorable, & easy. 
• Get social. Share your blog & get social. It’s more than posting #newblogpost on Instagram. Find other bloggers that you love and content, network, and engage with everyone! This will also make you love blogging more. The feedback I get from my blog makes me love doing it even more!
• Instagram. Instagram is the #1 social platform right now. USE IT. Find hashtags that other bloggers or pages in your niche are using, follow those hashtags & use them! This is one of the best ways to grow your blog. 
• Track everything. Track what works & what doesn’t, what gets the most response, what feedback you receive, & even track if there’s no response. Make a Facebook Page so you can turn your Instagram into a Business Profile & can track engagement and insights. 
• It’s about doing what you love. Remember why you started blogging. It helps when you’re waiting for it to grow and putting in all this effort. It also helps when you’re trying to think of content for your blog. Even if you only get twenty engaged followers, those twenty engaged followers love your content and can share your content. I personally love helping people and I love that I can have a blog where I can inspire and motivate others. This was my goal. In any business class they tell you that you can’t have a business without a mission. For blogging that means finding your purpose. Do what you love & blog about it.

BLOGGING ESSENTIALS:
Blogger. I didn’t know what platform to use because there are so many options. I chose blogger, it’s hosted by Google & it was most blogger use for their blogs. I also recommend your own domain, they start at $12/year. Your blog will be taken more seriously and it’s just more professional.   

Blogger App. The “App for Blogger Blogspot” is the best Blogger App in my opinion (I downloaded them all when I started). This one is $2.99 but it allows you to compose drafts and content from your phone more easily than the others. You can also see comments and it has a few Setting options. 

EC Monthly Deluxe Planner. I’ve been using this to keep track of posts and blog content. I mark important dates in my planner such as launches, sales, and blog post dates. 

HTML Guide. Blogs are like your old MySpace profiles on crack. Knowing HTML will help you customize your blog and link you’re site and affiliate links. 

Link Tree. Get a link tree for Instagram! You can link your blog, favourite posts, products you use, & the best part is that LT tracks the number of clicks! 

Affiliates. If you want to turn your blog into a small business than look for affiliate programs for companies that you shop at or love! Continue to blog about what you love and turn into doing what you love as your own business!  

EC Notebook. I have a productivity Notebook from Erin Condren that I actually write the content out and future ideas. 

Blogging Planner & Notebook:
I use the Erin Condren Monthly Deluxe Planner to track important dates and blog posts.

The monthly view is where I have an overview of all the holidays, events, launches, sales, etc. I try to make my blog posts consistent. So I will always post on Sunday, maybe Wednesday, and on Friday if there’s something special!

On the inside of the month, I put what I’m blogging about and small summary or list on the left and then on the right I use the checklist to mark things I want to do or need to do for the blog.

In my Erin Condren Notebook is where I will go in depth about ideas for blog posts and content.

So, I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming response to my blog & to inspire those who are interested to just start doing what they love! If you have any questions, message me!