Now that I have shared How to Grow Your Blog Naturally, Nailing your Niche, and the Business of Starting Sponsorships, I want to share some really helpful resources that will hopefully help you with organization, growth, and motivation:) In fact, they are so thorough, I feel like I can refer you to these sites, and hang my hat with the Blog boosters series:)
#1. Get yourself a copy of Blog, Inc. – I pre-ordered Joy Cho’s book on amazon, and when it arrived last week, I dove in immediately. To be honest, I was expecting it to be geared towards the beginner level of blogging. However, I devoured that book from front to back, and I soon realized it is both for the starter and the pro. I was taking notes the whole way through. She offers some very practical and helpful tips on everything from the start of naming your blog to making it a full time business. Blogging Etiquette, Social Networking, SEO, and What to Charge for Sponsorship are just some of the topics she tackles. In between chapters there are fantastic Q & A’s with successful bloggers that I really enjoyed. Very honest, helpful, and inspiring perspective on their blog journey. It is a very easy read, and will help you in all areas of the blog realm.
#2. Be in the Know – Blog Series You Should Be Reading: I have come across some very helpful series on blog and business tips that you should definately be reading…
Design*Sponge has a Biz Ladies column that treads over every topic in the blog and entrepreneur world. The posts are loaded with helpful information. Recent topics include Quarterly Taxes Explained, Six Month’s Worth of Blog content in Two Steps, and Connecting with your Brand.
Bri Emery and Katie Evans have an advice column that I soak up each week. Its so helpful to me as a graphic designer and blogger. Its worth going through the archives:)
Alt Summit Blog- You know Alt Summit through the conference they host yearly for bloggers, but did you know they have a resource blog? Weekly tips and information to answer all your questions from some of the blogging greats! They also now offer online classes that can give lessons and demonstrations to grow in a targeted area.
VMacandCheese has a Blog Tip of the Day series that is helpful and to the point. Media kit, social media, and boosting traffic are all topics she has covered so far. Love each one!
Any other series I should be aware of? Let me know!
#3 Stay Organized: The not so fun part of every business is bookkeeping and scheduling, but these are a few ways to make it not so boring and scary, and dare I say enjoyable?
Freezer meals Blogging in Stacks – I recently started doing a lot of my cooking on Sunday – making 3-4 meals at a time to save time during the week during that crazy dinner hour. It can be the same with blogging. Try and prepare a weeks worth of posts in one weekend so that you have a clearer vision of what you want to share and post, and gives you time to focus on other areas of your business during the week. This has helped me so much with prioritizing my time with my family as well as saving me the frazzled stress that comes with flying by the seat of your pants. You can still leave room for spontaneity and make changes before you post. This may not work for everyone, but its worth a try if you need help in time management.
Freshbooks – This is a program that I plan on starting with the new year. It offers an easy invoice and receipt tracking system that keeps everything in one place. For instance, you can download the app on your phone and enter the amount of gas you spent on a business related trip right in the moment. This was made for my type of personality and schedule. When you are on the go, have a busy creative mind, and little ones to love on, being committed to book keeping ends up getting pushed back till tax time. You can try Freshbooks 30 days for free.
Evernote – This is a fantastic program you can use both online and on your phone. An organization tool with multiple ways to take notes, add photos, clip web addresses, draw sketches, etc. Every time you login, it will sync your devices. There is a helpful web bar button to quickly save and document things you come across on the web. I use this program for design inspiration, font finds, image sources, blog post ideas, etc., etc., etc. Its a private way of staying organized vs. public pinterest boards. Check out Evernote here. Its free and easy to use:)
Hope you have found this series helpful! Follow these sites to continue growing your blog naturally, and making it the business you hope it can be:)
Love, Anna
P.S. As promised, will share a new DIY tomorrow!
