This summer I rang in the 5th year of online blogging. I have always been a storyteller, and elevating my feelings through words has become a special outlet for me.
I’ve been wanting to grow my blog into a business, but I struggled to justify the money needed to take Beyond Utah to the next level. From 2015-2018, I invested around $500. But this year alone (2019), I invested over $5,000.
There’s power in perspective, and that’s why I share numbers. This year my blog has seen a massive jump in viewership, and I can’t wait to see the results of my projects over the next few months. For transparency sake, let me share some Beyond Utah blog statistics:
July 2018: 65 views for the month
July 2019: 435 views for the month
*370% increase*
August 2018: 50 views for the month
August 2019: 453 views for the month
*403% increase*
September 2018: 56 views for the month
September 2019: 769 views for the month
*713% increase*
The world of blogging is vast and inconsistent. It can be hard to know where to focus your energy with all the buzz in modern blogging communities. I wanted to share my own advice (tips for new bloggers), based on my experience and growth over the last few years.
My Top 5 Tips For New Bloggers
#1 Find A Mentor
…and don’t be afraid to dream big! Look for someone with a blog or business model that matches that of your own. But as with any relationship, it’s important to remember their time is important; and you can’t have expectations before doing the leg work to invest in them and their brand. I knew my current mentor about 4 years before I felt like we had become mentor-mentee (beyond that of friends).
#2 Invest In Yourself (And Your Blog)
I can’t emphasize this enough. You can take courses, attend conferences, or even living healthier. This year I attended TravelCon in June, flew to Indonesia for the Bali Blogger Bootcamp in August, and I’m wrapping up the Blog Like A Boss Course in October.
#3 Find Ways To Outsource
Here’s some tools that I use, that make managing my blog easier. ALL of them are free. There are paid memberships/subscriptions if you choose to pay for extra features.
Trello – for task management
UNUM – for planning my IG posts
Adobe Lightroom – for editing my photos
Canva – for anything beyond photos that’s visual (business cards, banners, guides, etc.)
Bit.ly – for cleaner, shorter links
Linktr.ee – a master link to everything in my bio
Social Blue Book – to check what I can charge for my social media services
MailChimp – for my email campaigns and newsletters
In the future I’ll expand to other resources and hopefully start building a team for Beyond Utah and my other endeavors.
#4 Research, Research, Research!
Researching is such a power habit. Research new brands to work with, new products to try and possibly share with others, and new ways of doing things. I set quarterly goals for my blog to hold myself accountable.
#5 When In Doubt, Ask Your Audience!
This is something that was hard for me to do at first. I didn’t want to seem unsure of myself, or my direction. But I’ve learned the opposite, if I ask my audience what they’re looking for in content, I can actually create better content. I share my experiences to inspire, to educate, and to empower. And what better way to do that, then hear from the audience themselves!
I hope these tips help all the new bloggers out there! If anyone has any other advice, please share it in the comments below!
Sending you all my best from the world’s best office (35,000 feet up),
