BORN TO BLOG? The Journey of a New Blogger

In The Beginning


I started blogging in April 2012 for my online wirework jewellery business, Chrissie Designs Jewellery http://chrissiedesigns.blogspot.co.uk/ and my Social Media Foundation Degree course http://chrissiewebber.blogspot.co.uk/ . As a published author I thought it would be easy but I was wrong. It has been enjoyable, as I love writing but it has really stretched me to find my own style and confidence.


In the early days, writing about jewellery, I thought blogging was all about selling my products. How wrong was I! Successful blogging is all about writing on a subject I am passionate about, not just knowledgeable about. It is about putting myself out there, on the page, for all to see. This means writing about myself, my experiences, feelings and opinion. Whether it is through controversy or vulnerability, good blogs allow people to see and know the blogger themselves. It is this that makes people regularly read a blog and engage with the blogger by leaving comments. This is what I am now aiming to achieve.


How Long Would I Last?


Most people stop blogging within 6 months. Why, because it is a lonely job often with no feedback. Also it is hugely scary to open oneself up to possible criticism by making public your thoughts, opinions and feelings in the written word. These fears are quite natural and come from our dominant character types. The ‘perfectionist’s’ fear is not having it 100% perfect before it is published. The ‘people pleasers’ fear is about what others may think of them if they express their opinion. The ‘Be Strong’ character would never allow their vulnerability to show by getting personal in their writing and the ‘Try Hard’ is a great starter but is quickly distracted with new projects or interests. That last one is definitely me! So I need to over-ride my own character types to become the bloggers I was born to be.


Until I developed a style that enticed people to read my blog there was little or no engagement from others. Statistics show that less than 1% of your readers leave comments on a blog. Inevitably you end up thinking, as I did originally, that no one is reading your blog. This I found most demotivating. My jewellery blog only lasted 2 months! Lack of time and demotivation took their toll. As I had to write blogs for my degree course my energy went into that for 6 months and then I stopped. I am now on my third attempt with a new blog for my work as the Business Incubator Manager for the University of South Wales - The Loft Blog. I have a feeling this one will last longer because I am really loving writing it and am already achieving engagement after just one month.


The Skills of a Blogger


According to marketing, social media expert and author Mark Schaefer there are different blogging skills needed for success:


· Dreaming


· Storytelling


· Persuading


· Teaching


· Curating


The balance of the use of these skills defines the style of the blogger. With over 25 years as a management development trainer and coach/mentor it is no wonder that teaching and storytelling are my predominant skills – I use a lot of anecdotes and stories in my training sessions. As for persuading, I am practicing this skill the more I put forward my opinion. Curating is the skill I thought I use least in my blogging however, on reflection and reading the section in Mark’s book again, I actually use it every time I create a list of tips or ideas.


Dreaming is the skill I am beginning to love and indulge in. It is about infusing my writing with emotional impact. Letting my mind wander and allowing it to see stories for my blogs in my past experiences and everything around me. This is something I have only just started to do. It has lead me to write blogs such as ‘Business Lessons From a Child’ – looking for the things my four year old granddaughter can teach me about business – and ‘Taming The Dragon’ a blog about a really negative situation I experienced that offers a lesson on how to handle difficult people.


Developing My Blogging Skills


Now here’s something interesting. If you look at my 3 blogs….


1. Chrissie Designs Jewellery Blog http://chrissiedesigns.blogspot.co.uk/


2. FDSM Blog http://chrissiewebber.blogspot.co.uk/


3. The Loft Blog http://loftblog.tumblr.com/


You’ll see that they have completely different styles! Reflecting on my first two blogs I see that the jewellery blog was more factual with a selling style whilst my FDSM blog has an open, relaxed and personal style to it. Written in the first person, the FDSM blog is a conversation with my audience that includes my thoughts and opinions. So what made me change my style? I remember feeling extremely scared about others reading my work, especially fellow classmates and my tutors. This was a reflective journal so I had no choice but to put myself and my opinions on the page.


Having never studied for a degree before (and I am now in my 60’s) putting my opinions on the line was the really scary bit. The strange thing is, as a published author of a book about weight loss (Weight Loss, Life Gain) I had no problems writing about very personal issues. I suppose that was because the book was something I never really thought would be good enough to publish. When I found a publisher it was too late to worry! Having written this book in the first person I just continued this style into my blogging without actually thinking about it.


Like most creatives and writers, I need affirmations from others that my work is liked and appreciated. To my great surprise colleagues on the social media course began to tell me how much they enjoyed reading my blogs. Some of them started to comment on them. I was thrilled. I had engagement; my style was developing in the right direction. My confidence was also growing which is so important for ongoing success. So why did I stop writing both of them? On reflection I was writing because I had to and not for my own enjoyment, to share my knowledge or to help others.


The Driving Forces behind Successful Blogging


Now I have a clear sense of why I personally want to be a blogger. I know what it is I want to say and achieve from blogging. This is the first key to long-term success and enjoyment.


I also believe that the driving force and key motivations behind writing an ongoing successful blog are fundamental to its long term success. In my opinion they are:


· Love of writing


· A desire to let your readers get to know the real person behind the words


· A burning desire to share your knowledge and help others


· A desire to find your own voice (your own unique writing style)


· The confidence to bring yourself and your vulnerabilities to the page.


By following bloggers such as Mark Schaefer and JackB and reading books on blogging I have now started to develop a new and very personal style to my writing. My latest blog, The Loft Blog www.loftblog.tumblr.com was created in June to help pass on my knowledge and passion for business and people development. Written for my graduate business clients at the University of South Wales business incubation space, The Business Loft, my new style is a combination of the all the blogging skills listed in the section ‘The Skills of a Blogger’.


Without really thinking about it my style has evolved and developed. For the first time in my short blogging career I am now really putting myself on the page with some very personal stories. My finger has hovered over the ‘publish’ button for ages, on numerous occasions, when finishing writing some of my blogs like this one http://bit.ly/16RVUM6 But I have had the courage to publish and be dammed.


Using Blogging as a Social Media Tool


When I began my jewellery blog I thought that people would find it, read it and buy my designs. How naïve was that? I now realise that blogging is a social media tool through which I can build a following of people, some of whom will engage with me, my website and my services/products. It is a way of building personal relationships as I would do if I were selling goods and services face to face. Now I ‘get it’ with at my third attempt at blogging!


The ‘rules of engagement’ (how to build a following) were an enigma to me until recently but they are proving to be vital to my success. Originally I was posting blogs inconsistently and only about 2 – 3 a month. The key to successful blogging is frequency and consistency. I now blog 3 – 4 times a week. Sustaining this level of commitment can be hard so I have adopted Mark Schaefer’s model. I write two blogs a week and post one or two relevant videos a week. Variety is also important and so I am also looking for a few guest bloggers to fill a slot once a week.


The frequency of blogging is important for a web site as search engines love content and engagement. Both of these you get if you post a blog regularly that people like and engage with. My frustration is that the Loft Blog is not allowed to be an integrated part of the University’s web site. Like many organisations they do not fully understand social media and how it can help drive traffic to a web site and create effective SEO. However, that’s an issue for another blog.


Publishing video on my blog is also important, especially as my market of students and graduates engage more highly with video. With this in mind I have just produced my first video interview with a Business Loft client. This is a new skill that is already stretching me way out of my comfort zone. Like my first blogs this video (in my opinion) is awful. It lacks creativity and impact that will entice engagement, however I have to start somewhere right? Posting it will be difficult but unless I start I will never learn. My greatest advantage is that a number of my clients and a colleague are photographers and videographers who are more than happy to help and teach me – thank goodness!


Developing a Following


Developing a following takes time and I am not the most patient of people. Also, the only social media platform that my manager is allowing me to have and manage myself, apart from the blog is Twitter. I can post on the Bright Ideas (the department I am part of) Facebook and Google+ pages and upload videos to their YouTube channel but I have no control over how they are managed or how they are used to grow their followings and drive traffic to the website. There followings are very small (Facebook 275, Twitter 352. G+ 21) and they are also only student facing platforms.


Whilst student engagement is important to The Business Loft development we are also business facing and therefore lack social media platforms in this area. This is something I am addressing with my manager and gradually educating her however, we are also hindered by large organisational policy! So I am limited to using mostly twitter and emails to publicise my blog. Understanding and being able to use Twitter well is therefore imperative to my success strategy of growing my following and a sound client base for The Business Loft. By reading books and blogs on the effective use of Twitter I am at last understanding how to use this platform effectively and am really enjoying using it (see my FDSM Blog ‘To Twit to Woooo!). In just one month I have grown my Twitter following organically from zero to 200, most of whom are relevant to my work in the field of business and people development.


Future Challenges


In conclusion and to answerer my self-imposed question “Born to Blog?” I definitely am! I love to write and blogging allows me to practice and hone my skill on an almost daily basis. How wonderful is that? There is still a great deal for me to learn. One of my main challenges right now is increasing my skill at writing blog titles that are short and succinct enough to fit in a tweet and yet attract attention and engagement.


My biggest future challenge is to increase my blog following and engagement. To date I have 61 subscribers and an opening rate of 39.5% where the industry average is 17.2%. Using these analysis tools built into MailChimp (the mailing platform we use for the blog) I will continue to monitor my blogging in order hone my skills even more.