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18 Black Friday (+ Cyber Monday) Deals for Bloggers
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Some of My Fave Marketing Blogs
I admit it. I’m a marketing junkie. I love pretty things that glitter + shine. I’m addicted to shows like Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant + Outlander (don’t judge me). You can find a People magazine in my hand from time to time (+ I do read it cover to cover).
But, back to the marketing junkie confession. These are some of my favorite marketing blogs. Reading them helps keep my up to date on the happenings in my world (+ probably yours if you own or run (or own + run) a business or blog.
Quick Sprout
Honestly, I receive Neil Patel’s emails, which is Quick Sprout’s founder + blog writer, to alert me when a new post is up on the blog. In other words, I don’t go specifically to the blog every day. I read his email intro + click on the link if it’s something of interest to me.
I wouldn’t say what he offers is cutting edge stuff to someone who has been online or working in the world of marketing recently. What he does offer is great reminders on what we all SHOULD be doing with our marketing online. If you’re a novice, you’ll think he’s a genius, however.
(AND, he might just be one since he has helped some major players turn their businesses into forces to be reckoned with.)
From time to time, he does offer some great suggestions on apps or sites to check out for your marketing efforts.
Digital Marketer
Digital Marketer is another great one to follow. They share some pretty intriguing ways to drive traffic to your site. They share a ton of info about converting your visitors into buyers. They are obsessed with putting systems into place to create a sales + marketing funnel that works for your business.
I’ve picked up some great tips—some that I definitely use in my daily content marketing + online marketing antics.
Melissa Cassera
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Melissa. She talks a great deal about your business being your guilty pleasure + about having a business crush. I am pretty sure that I might be crushin’ on Melissa. Anywho…
Her bestie is also a copywriter + since I am a copywriter, this might just make Melissa a little nearer + dearer to me 🙂
Melissa puts a public relations + sales spin on marketing. She delves a bunch into content marketing, but she focuses her attention on teaching you how to create RAVING FANS that cannot get enough of you + your business.
I completed her 5-day business challenge, Obsessed I dove (face first) into her guide The Irresistible Business Challenge. Yum-my! Delicious content that I can eat with a spoon.
What Do You Read?
Do we share any top fave business blogs? What are your favorite blogs to read?
- 18 Black Friday (+ Cyber Monday) Deals for Bloggers
- 39 Lessons For Marketing A Blog
- 3 Resources For Personal + Business Life While You Stay At Home
- What New Working Moms Should Know
- Self-Care for Moms
- How to SEO a Blog
- Writing Copy Stinks
- How to Write an eBook to Make Money
- Resources + Recommendations for Mommin’ + Bloggin’
- The 5 Biggest Blogging Mistakes + Lessons Learned
- How to Start a Lifestyle Blog
- How to Use Content Marketing as a Mom Blogger
- How to Increase Blog Traffic Fast
- How to Increase Blog Traffic for Free
- How to Find Blog Ideas
- 5 Ways to Balance Life as a Work-From-Home Mom
- 7 Ways to Grow a Mom Blog in 2019
- How to Build an Amazing Mom Blog
- The Rise of the Work-at-Home Mom + How To Do It
- How I Grew My Facebook Group to Over 4k Members in 2 Years
- How to Start a Mom Blog
- Some of My Fave Marketing Blogs
- How You Can Boost Traffic To Your Mom Blog Today
- How to Use Pinterest for a Mom Blog
-
3 Resources For Personal + Business Life While You Stay At Home
-
How to Build an Amazing Mom Blog
With over 100 million blogs online, your blog has to offer readers something they can’t get elsewhere OR you have to offer info in a way that totally engages them.
It may be the ease of starting a blog that makes it such a phenomenon. It might just be that more + more mommy bloggers want to stay at home with their kiddos + replace the income they’re leaving behind when they leave their jobs.
Maintaining a blog, on the other hand, requires a lot more work than starting a blog. Maintaining a blog requires design, traffic, social media strategy, monetization + more.
The Mom Blog Plan
Putting a blog plan in place for your mom blog is one of the easiest ways to ensure its success. Use this three-step approach to turn your blog from ho-hum to holy cow.
- Become Your Audience
You have to think + act like the readers you’re trying to engage with your blog. Put yourself in their shoes + use this mindset to always make sure you’re providing information on your blog that is relevant to the blog topic + to the types of readers you want to attract.
Questions to Ponder About Your Readers
- What are their cares?
- What are their interests?
- What are their likes and dislikes?
- What do they desire?
- What do they fear?
Then, assess what experience or knowledge you possess that answers the call of the information they seek. As is the case with any marketing medium (+ a blog is a marketing medium), you have to know your audience.
- Stay Engaged
Consistency is the key component of a successful blog. Consistency equates to posting to your blog on a regular schedule. If you can post EPIC content at least two to three times per week, then schedule to commit to it. Even once a week, if it’s EPIC content, is consistent.
If you can’t commit, consider getting guest bloggers to share posts to fill in the blanks. OR commit to writing at last one EPIC blog post per week. Really give it your all in the content + promoting the post throughout your social media networks, email list, etc.
Also, share + talk about information that you know. Turn to the experts on topics + areas you want to cover when you aren’t an expert by using guest bloggers or interviews or roundup posts.
- Integrate Technology
A blog without integration is an island of its own. Make sure that your readers can leave comments on your blog, but also be sure that you’re utilizing other communication tools.
Social media networks such as Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook + Instagram should be included on your blog. Your blog address should also be included on your Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter + Instagram profiles + posts. As technology changes, your blog needs to change with it.
With over 100 million blogs in the blogosphere, make your mom blog stand out from the crowd. You’re not into blogging to create “just another blog.” You’re into blogging to create an amazing mom blog.
- 18 Black Friday (+ Cyber Monday) Deals for Bloggers
- 39 Lessons For Marketing A Blog
- 3 Resources For Personal + Business Life While You Stay At Home
- What New Working Moms Should Know
- Self-Care for Moms
- How to SEO a Blog
- Writing Copy Stinks
- How to Write an eBook to Make Money
- Resources + Recommendations for Mommin’ + Bloggin’
- The 5 Biggest Blogging Mistakes + Lessons Learned
- How to Start a Lifestyle Blog
- How to Use Content Marketing as a Mom Blogger
- How to Increase Blog Traffic Fast
- How to Increase Blog Traffic for Free
- How to Find Blog Ideas
- 5 Ways to Balance Life as a Work-From-Home Mom
- 7 Ways to Grow a Mom Blog in 2019
- How to Build an Amazing Mom Blog
- The Rise of the Work-at-Home Mom + How To Do It
- How I Grew My Facebook Group to Over 4k Members in 2 Years
- How to Start a Mom Blog
- Some of My Fave Marketing Blogs
- How You Can Boost Traffic To Your Mom Blog Today
- How to Use Pinterest for a Mom Blog
-
39 Lessons For Marketing A Blog
-
What New Working Moms Should Know
-
Self-Care for Moms
-
How to SEO a Blog
-
Writing Copy Stinks
Writing copy + content is the most time-consuming part of marketing a blog or online business.
It’s also one of the most important pieces.
So when it comes to writing website copy or content, you have to work at it. You have to practice it.
I was offering website copy reviews for a long time but I took a break. I did one again recently for a loyal subscriber, Nancy.
After reviewing her copy + content + providing feedback to her, I realized that bloggers like Nancy don’t necessarily need a copywriter like me to write their website copy or blog posts from scratch but they do need more than just feedback on how to write it.Bloggers like you + like Nancy need a copy or content re-write.
So here I am offering copy + content re-writes.
Copy or Content Re-WriteYou already have website copy or a blog post. You don’t need a copywriter like me to write it from scratch but you do need a re-write. I edit, re-write + revise one page of your website copy or one blog post (up to 1,000 words).
If you have more than one page or more than one blog post you want a re-write for you can change the quantity during checkout.
$75.00I can help your website copy or blog post stand out + make it really compelling.
Sign up for a copy or content re-write with me. It’s only $75.
If you want more compelling website copy or blog posts, register for a re-write.
- 18 Black Friday (+ Cyber Monday) Deals for Bloggers
- 39 Lessons For Marketing A Blog
- 3 Resources For Personal + Business Life While You Stay At Home
- What New Working Moms Should Know
- Self-Care for Moms
- How to SEO a Blog
- Writing Copy Stinks
- How to Write an eBook to Make Money
- Resources + Recommendations for Mommin’ + Bloggin’
- The 5 Biggest Blogging Mistakes + Lessons Learned
- How to Start a Lifestyle Blog
- How to Use Content Marketing as a Mom Blogger
- How to Increase Blog Traffic Fast
- How to Increase Blog Traffic for Free
- How to Find Blog Ideas
- 5 Ways to Balance Life as a Work-From-Home Mom
- 7 Ways to Grow a Mom Blog in 2019
- How to Build an Amazing Mom Blog
- The Rise of the Work-at-Home Mom + How To Do It
- How I Grew My Facebook Group to Over 4k Members in 2 Years
- How to Start a Mom Blog
- Some of My Fave Marketing Blogs
- How You Can Boost Traffic To Your Mom Blog Today
- How to Use Pinterest for a Mom Blog
-
How to Start a Lifestyle Blog
Moms like me + like you LOVE to start a lifestyle blog so you can work from home, take care of your kiddos + make some money.
Am I right?
If you’re thinking about becoming a blogger, I’m going to walk you step-by-step through the process of starting a lifestyle blog.
What is a Lifestyle Blog?
Plain + simple, a lifestyle blog is a blog about daily life. While I blog a lot about blogging, I also blog a lot about daily life raising my three girls. I have a lifestyle blog.
You can have a lifestyle blog, too. You might want to carve out your niche in the world of lifestyle blogs. Maybe you’re a boy mom. Maybe you’re an organization expert so you want to blog about that. Maybe you have a child with autism or a learning disability so your blogging journey is a glimpse into what life is like for you + your child.
I can go on + on (but I won’t). I think you get the idea.
Benefits of Starting a Lifestyle Blog
Maybe, just maybe, you are scratching your head, wondering why in the free world you would want to start a lifestyle blog.
Here’s why:
- To make money (Yup, you can actually make 6+ figures with a lifestyle blog)
- You get to stay home with your kiddos
- You can travel with your family + still make income
Don’t get me wrong. Blogging is hard work. You’re not going to make money overnight. Some bloggers do start making a livable income within a few months of starting a lifestyle blog.
Some take years. Some never make any money.
The key to starting a successful lifestyle blog that allows you to do what you want to do + make money while doing it is to start out on the right foot.
Investing in your blog at the beginning can really set the right tone for your success. Investing in SEO courses like Mike Pearson’s Stupid Simple SEO, Suzi Whitford’s Blog by Number, Meghan Johnson’s Pinterest Ninja + Michelle Schroeder ‘s Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing was the turning point for me + my blogs.
After investing in + applying what I learned in these courses everything changed for the better for me, my blogs + my income.
Niche It to Rich It
Some people laugh when I say this but I wholeheartedly believe that choosing a niche — narrowing down the focus of a lifestyle blog to be as specific as possible — can end up making you a lot more money than being a generalist.
People say, “Oh but isn’t it better to reach more people with my blog than to alienate someone that might not fall in my niche?”
My answer is a resounding NO!
The more niche you can be, the more your focus is, the more of an expert you are + the more money you can make because everyone wants to work with the expert.
So the first thing you want to do when you decide to start a lifestyle blog is to choose a niche or a focus for your blog.
Pick a Domain Name
After you know what your lifestyle blog is going to be about, pick + buy a domain name. Try to pick a name that associates with your topic or brand. Mine is Girl Mom Chaos because I am blogging about parenting + raising girls. I also talk a lot about blogging + writing content since this is what I do for a living.
If you need to buy a domain name, I suggest NameCheap. I buy all of my domain names from NameCheap. As their name suggests, the domain names tend to be less expensive than other places + I tend to keep my hosting (more about this later) + domain names at separate companies.
This means that I buy my domain names from NameCheap but that I host my WordPress site with Siteground.
Pick a Host
The next step in setting up a lifestyle blog is to pick a hosting company. NameCheap has an option for hosting, so you are certainly welcome to check out what they have to offer.
I use + highly recommend SiteGround. I find them to be affordable (plans start at $3.95 per month) + to offer all the services I need to run my businesses online.
You can host a WordPress site without a problem + they offer superior customer service when (+ if) you need it. I highly recommend them whether you are just starting a lifestyle blog or need to switch hosts.
In case you didn’t catch it already, I use + recommend you use WordPress to build your website + blog. WPEngine is another hosting option. You can get 3 months of hosting for free + you also get Genesis Framework + StudioPress themes for free.
Create a Logo
Next, you want to create a logo for your lifestyle blog. You can certainly do this yourself with a program like Canva. You can also hire a designer to create a logo for you.
I used a pre-made logo from Autumn Lane Paperie, which cost me $17.
This is my logo.
Pick a Premium WordPress Theme
Next, you want to pick a premium WordPress theme for your WordPress blog.
Generally speaking, you want to choose a theme that represents your blog topic + brand. You can hire a designer to create a custom design for you but this is the more expensive route.
You can also buy a premium theme + use it as is. You can also customize it as necessary with the designer you buy it from or by hiring a designer to do it for you.
If you’re interested in buying a theme, these are the companies I highly recommend you check out:
A Prettier Web: If you’re building a WordPress blog or you’re looking to change the theme, but can’t afford to hire a designer to customize it quite yet, check out the WordPress themes from A Prettier Web.
You can find premium themes but not pay a premium price.
Restored 316: Restored 316 offers a variety of premium + feminine WordPress themes, which is perfect for a lifestyle blog. All of the themes are pretty affordable. If you’re looking for a custom design, Restored 316 offers custom site-building too.
BluChic: This is one of my fave places to buy feminine website templates. BluChic offers WordPress templates that are perfect for any business + this includes a lifestyle blog. I also find their templates to be super affordable, easy to install + simple to personalize + customize to fit your lifestyle blog. BluChic also offers other types of templates (Canva social media templates + landing page templates) so check them out to help you create your online brand + presence.
How to Set Up a Lifestyle Blog
Now, that you have a domain, host, theme + logo, you’re ready to set up your lifestyle blog + start blogging.
Step #1 Login to WordPress
Step #2 Set up Your Blog Page
Once you log in to your account, your Dashboard opens.
From your dashboard, click on the Settings Link on the left + then Reading option in the dropdown menu.
You have the option of having a static home page or having your blog posts as the “home” page. If you want to keep your home page static, then choose the dial button that says “a static home page.”
Then, choose the home page from the drop down menu next to Front page. From the posts page drop down menu, choose your blog as where to publish new blog posts.
If you want your blog posts to be your home page then make sure the dial button is checked for “your latest posts” to be the front page displays.
(This is the default option so you should not have to change it unless you are changing a previous setting.)
Congrats! Your lifestyle blog is now set up on your website.
Woot! Woot!
Now, you’re ready to start blogging.
How to Blog
Once you have your lifestyle blog up + running, its time to write blog posts + promote blog posts to attract the readers you want.
Suzi Whitford goes through the entire process of lifestyle blogging in her thorough course Blog By Number. She provides step-by-step instructions on how to blog, what to blog about, how to monetize your lifestyle blog, etc.
You can also check out these blog posts for more information on blogging.
- How to Find Blog Ideas
- How to Use Content Marketing as a Mom Blogger
- 5 Ways to Grow a Blog in 2019
- How to Increase Blog Traffic Fast
- How to Increase Blog Traffic for Free
- How to Boost Traffic to Your Mom Blog Today
- How to Use Pinterest for Your Mom Blog
- Mommy Business Blogging eBook
How to Make Money with a Lifestyle Blog
Once you have a lifestyle blog you can stay home to take care of your kiddos but how do you make money with a lifestyle?
The truth is the a lifestyle blog typically makes money from several different streams of income. So as you go through this list of ways, realize that you do not have to rely on just one way to expect it to make all of your income.
Sell a service
Probably one of the quickest ways you can make a buck (hopefully, more than a buck) is to offer a service. I offer my content + copy writing service.
Some lifestyle bloggers offer:
- Virtual assistant services
- Pinterest account management
- Social media management
- Design consultations
- Photography
- Organization services
- Graphic design
The service you provide can (+ should) relate to a skill you have — something you can offer to people that need it 🙂 Keep in mind, you can offer a virtual service or in-person service (or sometimes both as an option).
Sell a product
While you can create + sell a physical product, you can also create + sell information products, such as ebooks. After selling a service, selling a product is probably the second biggest way a lifestyle blog makes money.
An interior designer might create an ebook on how to decorate a home for those who do not want to hire her for her design service but instead want to do it on their own with professional advice.
A mom blogger might have a course on how to start, write for + promote blog posts, as well as make money from blogging.
Ana from The She Approach offers a bootcamp on how to create an ebook that you can sell + make money. She’s opening up her ebook bestselling bootcamp at the end of this month (July) so you can check that out for help.
Ana recently vacationed overseas + made $1,500 in ebook sales while she was away 🙂
Affiliate marketing
Instead of selling your own product or service, you can also make money by referring other people’s products or services. This even includes products on Amazon.
Affiliate marketing is when you refer a product or service. When the person makes a purchase from clicking on your affiliate link, you earn a commission or portion of the sale price.
This is another great way to make money without having to do 1:1 work or create your own products or services.
The master of affiliate marketing is Michelle Schroeder. Her course is Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. Michelle is a financial blogger who makes 6 figures from her blog all while traveling year-round with her boyfriend.
Sponsored posts
Sponsored posts are another way to make money from a lifestyle blog. Companies pay bloggers to review or feature their product or service on their blog.
As a boy mom, a diaper company might approach you to give your honest opinion of their boy training pants. You can write an entire feature piece on your experience using their training pants.
Usually, you get the package of training pants (so the product) for free + they pay you to write + publish the blog post on your blog.
BONUS here is that you get fresh content for your blog without having to come up with a topic 🙂
This is just one of the multitude of examples of getting paid to write sponsored posts.
Ads
Those ads you see running along the sidebar of a blog or weaved into blog posts are another way to make money with a lifestyle blog. You can hand pick + feature ads. I do this on this blog, so that the appropriate ads show up + it’s ads for items that I use + recommend.
You can also go the route of Google Ads. It took me a few years (almost 2) to truly make money from Google Ads (I made almost $1,000 in less than 2 years).
You can also search out ad networks, such as Media Vine. You do have to have 25,000 sessions per month to get approval for an ad network like this but you can make more money than using Google Ads.
Start a Lifestyle Blog
So, are you ready to start a lifestyle blog?
Starting + running a lifestyle blog is a great way to do what you love while making money doing it.
So whether you have a desire to share your beauty tips, tips on decorating a home office or offering fashion advice, a lifestyle blog is right up your alley.
- 18 Black Friday (+ Cyber Monday) Deals for Bloggers
- 39 Lessons For Marketing A Blog
- 3 Resources For Personal + Business Life While You Stay At Home
- What New Working Moms Should Know
- Self-Care for Moms
- How to SEO a Blog
- Writing Copy Stinks
- How to Write an eBook to Make Money
- Resources + Recommendations for Mommin’ + Bloggin’
- The 5 Biggest Blogging Mistakes + Lessons Learned
- How to Start a Lifestyle Blog
- How to Use Content Marketing as a Mom Blogger
- How to Increase Blog Traffic Fast
- How to Increase Blog Traffic for Free
- How to Find Blog Ideas
- 5 Ways to Balance Life as a Work-From-Home Mom
- 7 Ways to Grow a Mom Blog in 2019
- How to Build an Amazing Mom Blog
- The Rise of the Work-at-Home Mom + How To Do It
- How I Grew My Facebook Group to Over 4k Members in 2 Years
- How to Start a Mom Blog
- Some of My Fave Marketing Blogs
- How You Can Boost Traffic To Your Mom Blog Today
- How to Use Pinterest for a Mom Blog