May is a pretty exciting month for me. My wedding anniversary comes first on the 18th, and then 6 days afterward is my birthday. (My husband suggested May for our wedding because he thought he could combine anniversary and birthday gifts. Silly boy.)
Now, I have even another cool milestone to celebrate!
I purchased the domain name for FlipFlopWeekend on May 10, 2017. This means that FlipFlopWeekend is celebrating its first anniversary!
Technically, the ‘blogiversary’ may be a bit of a gray area. I purchased the domain on May 10, but didn’t publish a post until May 12. AND I had a site a few years back ( that was pretty terrible), so I had some posts transferred from that blog…but it doesn’t count. So, I am claiming May 10.
Let me tell you, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. But, the reality is that this year completely blew me away!
So, in honor of my first year, I wanted to share some of the valuable lessons that I wish I had known on day 1. Whether you are a beginning blogger yourself, thinking of starting a blog, or been at for a bit and just need some reminders: here ya go!
1) Don’t be an island unto yourself
I love islands, and tropical feels. But, being a loner in the blog world doesn’t work. In fact, it kinds sucks and you’ll get burnt out and give up easily.
There are a lot of people who helped me out on my blog journey this year, but there are definitely a few who really stepped up to give me advice, collaborate with me, help me out of some tech scrapes, or share some connections. So, a huge shoutout to the following peeps:
This girl is my Disney mom blog BFF. We co-admin a Facebook group, Disney Fans and Bloggers Unite, and would love to have you join us!
Flav was my first coach, mentor/blog friend. He promotes small business and entrepreneurship and coaches others on how to be their own boss. At the beginning of my blog, when I ran into a number of scrapes, he answered each and every dumb question I could think of via Facebook messenger. He is an upstanding guy and a wealth of knowledge. Check out his site or join his Facebook group, Side Business Ideas: SideHustle & Blogging.
I didn’t set out to be mostly Disney. My blog still covers Food, General Travel, and Florida. But, truthfully, Disney drives the vast majority of my traffic and I have enjoyed getting to know other Disney bloggers who share my love of the House of Mouse.
Dustin from Steps To Magic is an incredible Disney blogger who reached out with a request to join my Disney Pinterest Group Board. We chatted a bit online, he shared some advice…and it has been a Disney blogosphere camaraderie since. I appreciate his tips, ideas, and feedback. If you want more Disney magic in your life, definitely check out his site.
One of my first friends in the blogosphere, Gina is a fellow mom and Orlando local who also blogs about the fantastic things to do in Central Florida for kids and families. So, let’s just say… she gets me. Our blogs are pretty simpatico. She has been amazing about connecting me with some local contacts for collaborations and giving me tips on what is going on in the area. Click here to check out MomExploresOrlando.
And FINALLY, Scrivs with Dare To ConquerÂ
This is a biggie.
When I started with FlipFlopWeekend, I tried to do it as cheaply as possible.Â
After all, It was a hobby, right?
I wasn’t going to make any money at this, right?
But, then I realized I loved it. And was getting frustrated when all the free courses and lessons left me hanging and I just needed some guidance. I stumbled upon the Billionaire Blog Club (Which is now Dare To Conquer)and struggled with the thought of spending money on it. But, he offered an amazing Black Friday sale, so I decided to take the leap.
This is what happened:
Pretty amazing, right!?
Paul Scrivens aka Scrivs has created multiple successful blogs in a variety of niches, so he created Dare To Conquer to share his knowledge. He doesn’t have a course for just one thing. He has courses for all aspects of blogging at one price. But, the selling point is the community.
When you join DTC, you have access to an online slack community of other BBC members who are all working together to build successful blogs.
24/7 you can log in and ask questions, offer support, get feedback on your pins and posts…and occasionally just shoot the breeze with other people who ‘ get’ what the hustle is like.
Plus, Scrivs is an active member. He doesn’t take your money and just walk away.
In fact, a couple of months ago, I had a post do something really really haywire in my WordPress dashboard. I was thinking I would need to pay a developer to fix it. I popped into DTC and Scrivs himself began directly chatting with me and spent HOURS working on it to help me solve the problem..for free. That’s the kind of guy he is and the kind of program he runs. It’s amazing. Needless to say…I recommend.
Even if you’re not ready to commit to DTC, I highly recommend signing up for his free 12-day Blogging Boot Camp…which is super helpful in itself.
Because I wanted to give you more than just my perspective, and because the BBC folk are so awesome, I reached out to those with awesome blogs that are over a year old and asked them what they wish they knew their first year blogging. I am continuing my list with their nuggets of valuable wisdom to help you press through your blog journey.
2) Write What People Want To Read
Yes. I use a computer to blog and this is a stock photo. But, I just love old-school typewriters and really wanted this pic in my post.
“I wish I had known that I should be writing about popular topics that people are interested in and not try to come up with magical unicorn posts 3 times a week!”
       MaryBeth (Blogger for 5 years)- Lifestyle For Real Life
Find out what works in your niche and put your own spin on it. People know what they like, so find out what that is and write about it. When you try to be super duper unique… or post all about you… all you’re gonna get are crickets. I can guarantee it.
3) Have a Strategy
“I wish I knew that you could make money by utilizing a proper strategy from the very beginning.”
        Ashlynn ( Blogger for 5 Years)- Enjoying Simple
Even after a year, I struggle with this. I still get terrible ‘blog A-D-D’ but know that strategy is key. At least have a semi-figured out gameplan of what you want your blog to look like and become.
4) Be Patient!
This is a popular comment:
“Patience! Blogging will take a lot more patience than you are expecting! You expect to see quick results, but even the smallest change takes time.”
                                                              Sasha ( Blogger for 16 Months)- Life’s Carousel
   “Patience is key. Don’t hop around from one “expert’s” advice to another. Write every day, Pin every day and remember that success takes time.”
   Susan (Blogger of 5 Years) – Woman of Noble Character
5) Go With The Flow
“I also wish I had known that the ups and downs in pageviews are normal and you have to learn to accept the downs and just keep plugging away, writing good content that people are searching for and promoting it to the right people.”
  MaryBeth (Blogger for 5 years)- Lifestyle For Real Life
6) Consistency is Key
  “Find a way to be consistent when working on your blog. I did so many start/stops on mine that it took longer before it became successful than if I had just stayed consistent.”
Christina ( Blogger of 4 Years)- Sam and Maddie
Write every day and make sure your audience knows what to expect from you. Maintaining consistency will keep you continually growing!
 7) Embrace Pinterest
“Unquestionably, it is the power of Pinterest. I had no idea that Pinterest would be the driving force behind my blog traffic.”
Diana ( Blogger of 2 Years)- Sew Very Crafty
When I first started blogging, I thought Pinterest was still just for recipes. I had to realize it was a search engine. The reality is that once I realized how to harness the power of Pinterest with FlipFlopWeekend, it has become THE most significant source of traffic for my blog. If you are a blogger, you pretty much MUST utilize Pinterest.
To learn how I increased my traffic with Pinterest, check out this post!
Don’t know where to start with Pinterest? I highly recommend the Pinterest Ninja course or Scrivs’ comprehensive Pinterest E-Book.
8) Know When It Isn’t Working…and That You Need To Fix It Or Try Again
“I was running scandiasia.dk for 6 years but recently said goodbye to it. Now, I am starting funkawaii.com. I wish I had known if my old blog had money potential or not. How big is the audience? What kind of products to sell? What’s the strategy? Because I believe each niche has a different approach. You just can’t start a hobby blog and expect it to become money, unless you’re lucky. Hobby blog usually stays hobbies, it takes work to do something about it!”
Koko (Blogger of 6 Years)-FunkawaiiÂ
9) Don’t Make It More Complicated Than It Needs To Be
“Keep things simple. Don’t hop on every webinar you hear about and try to learn absolutely everything you can. Choose who to take advice from and learn from and then listen to what they say. Don’t try to do everything at once. It really is a marathon, not a sprint (as cliche as that sounds). And to start seeing results, you need to focus on one thing at a time. Set one goal. Crush one goal. And then move onto the next.”
Brianna (Blogger of 1.5 Years)- Spiked ParentingÂ
Great tip from @SpikedParenting “To start seeing results, you need to focus on one thing at a time. Set one goal. Crush one goal. And then move onto the next.” #focus #crushit #bossgirlbloggers https://t.co/erSqYb2L39
— Keri|FlipFlopWeekend (@flipflopweekend) May 11, 2018
10) Celebrate The Milestones!
“I would say trust the process and write good content. Celebrate every little milestone you reach and be always ready to set goals that are way out of reach. Because those are the goal you’re gonna hit faster than you’d think with hard work and commitment. Blogging is enjoyable and you may choose to blog because you love it but you won’t love everything about it all the time. Be ready to stay committed even then and keep your perspective.”
Hilda ( Blogger of 2 Years) – Real Mom Help
Congratulations on wherever you are at in your blog journey! I would love to hear about your struggles, victories and lessons learned in the comments!
Gina
These are such great tips! You’ve had a fantastic first year!
Sue Nelson
What great advice! I’ve been blogging for some time but learn more every day and BBC is like Disneyland for bloggers! So much to do and see!!
Flavio Medeiros
Great job! You have a great voice in writing and a lot of knowledge of all things Disney and Florida! I enjoy seeing the content! Keep it up!
Kendra @ Chaos & Castles
Thank you for this! I’m at the beginning of my blogging journey and get worried about everything!
Keri
It is so easy to get overwhelmed! BBC has been a great support community, but you can definitely find support with fellow bloggers in your niche ( which you have) who can encourage and help! Just go at your pace and take one thing at a time!
Leisa
Happy Anniversary! Feels good doesn’t it? And I like that you give awesome tips to celebrate your anniversary rather than merely show off about the money. Good on you x
Nikki
These are great tips! I “officially” launched in January even though I bought my domain in November, so I’ve only been really blogging for only half a year. These are great tips to keep me going!
Lup Wai
Awesome tips you have here! Really useful! Thanks for sharing 😉
Jennifer
Blogging definitely has a huge learning curve. I’ve tried a bunch of free training and paid for some too. Everyone has their own grove and it’s hard to find one thing that works for me like it does for them. I will have to look into BBC. It truly sounds amazing.
Keri
It really is! The price seems steep at first. But it truly is all inclusive, there are payment plans. At least do the free 12 day bootcamp to get a feel for it. The support there is amazing. Best wishes on your blog!
Tracey
Thanks for the tips. It is truly overwhelming to get started doing anything online. I have questions like where do you find your URL? What does it stand for ect. Lol? How do you post more than just a picture on Pinterest? Sometimes I just want to scream ?. Also how important is a website?
Thank you so much for the article.
Tracey Anderson
Keri
Hi Tracey! I saw you joined the Facebook group, as well! Thanks! It’s a small, but growing, community and I know you’ll get some great support. Your URL will be created when you purchase your domain name. For example, when I chose FlipFlopWeekend, I purchased the domain and my hosting at the same time. I highly recommend Siteground. They make set up so easy! THen your website is automatically http://www.________.com. The blank is whatever your domain is. However, it should go somewhere…so you need a website. Whether or not you need a full blog depends on your goals. If you are a shop owner, maybe you just need one landing page. But you will want a site that your URL directs to. You also need that site for your pins to point to. As for Pinterest, I am a bit unclear what you mean. You can upload as many pins as you want to your Pinterest account. If you want a Pin with multiple images on it, I highly suggest Canva.com. You can create pins of a custom size, upload your photos and then moe them around the canvas as you create a pin. Or, they have premade grids for multiple photos and you can just drag and drop. Here are some of my other articles you may find helpful. https://flipflopweekend.com/how-to-easily-start-a-blog/ and https://flipflopweekend.com/how-to-use-pinterest/ . Cheers!