When I started See Jane Write in 2011 it was just a small women’s writing group and a simple Blogger blog. Now it is an award-winning business. In my latest e-course Lady Blogger to Boss Lady I share all my secrets as to how I’ve grown See Jane Write and used blogging to land paid freelance writing gigs and speaking engagements.
Here are the seven steps I took to turn my blog into a business.
I got serious. If you want people to take you seriously as a businesswoman, you have to take yourself seriously first. This means treating your blog as if it’s your job. This means creating high quality content and being clear on your goals and vision for your blog. This means getting educated on the business side of blogging. And for the love of all that is holy, get some business cards and stop scribbling your website URL on the back of a napkin at networking events!
I got focused. If you’re only blogging for fun it’s perfectly fine to write about everything under the sun. But if you’re trying to turn your blog into a business you must nail down your niche. This doesn’t mean you have to ignore all your other interests and passions. I often find clever, creative ways to tie my love for fitness into the work I do for See Jane Write. But at the end of the day it’s all about empowering women to share their stories and be the author of their own lives.
I got organized. Consistency is one of the best ways to stand out in the oh-so-crowded world of blogging because being consistent is something most people simply don’t do. Create an editorial calendar and content plan and stick with it.
I got connected. Social media networks are great, but if you’re going to build a business you have to build an e-mail list. Get connected with your readers and potential customers by collecting their email addresses and sending them regular, valuable information so that you can always stay top of mind.
I got out there. I made a name for myself and my blog locally by hosting live events about blogging and writing. I also got featured on local media outlets, national websites, and popular blogs. And I network, network, network online and in real life.
I got creative. So many bloggers think that ads and sponsored posts are the only way to make money through your blog and that’s simply not true. I started creating e-courses and offering one-on-one coaching and consulting services to start generating revenue.
I got support. In addition to enrolling in online programs to help me be a better businesswoman, I also started to focus on building my tribe. It’s imperative to have a group of people who understand and support the goals you’re going after.
In my new e-course I will walk you through all seven of these steps in great detail, focusing on one step per week. Lady Blogger to Boss Lady is a seven-week course that has a value of $497, but I’m offering a beta version for only $75. Enrollment closes Sept. 21. Learn more and sign up at https://coursecraft.net/c/ladybloggertobosslady.
*This post originally appeared on Javacia.com on Sept. 14, 2015.
Megan LaRussa Chenoweth truly inspired me to take myself seriously as a blogger and businesswoman. Here we are pictured at the first Bloganista Mini-Con.
On July 19, 2014 I hosted my first day-long blogging conference, the Bloganista Mini-Con. Nearly 100 people were in attendance. We had networking, food, vendors, informative panel discussions and compelling keynote speakers and a professional photographer capturing it all. During the conference I kept whispering to my husband, “This actually feels like a real conference.” Eventually he said to me, “Javacia, this is a real conference.”
Megan LaRussa Chenoweth, the afternoon keynote speaker at that event, said something that day that truly stuck with me. “It’s not enough to be stylish bloggers,” she said. “We must also be smart businesswomen.”
I had a revelation in that moment. The reason my blog wasn’t growing as a business in the way that I wanted it to was in part because I wasn’t taking myself seriously as a businesswoman. After that day I shifted my mindset. I developed what I now call the “Boss Lady Blogger Mindset” and six months later I received an email from the Birmingham Business Journal informing me I had been chosen as one of their Top 40 Under 40 for 2015. I am convinced that learning to take myself seriously as a businesswoman made all the difference.
If you want other people to take you seriously as a businesswoman, you have to take yourself seriously first.
But what does this look like? How do we go about living out this idea of taking ourselves seriously as bloggers and businesswomen before we’ve “made it”?
Here are five things I believe will get you there:
Be professional. Treat your blog like your job. Most people don’t want to hear this because most people hate their jobs and obviously don’t want to start hating their blogs, too. But if you’re serious about blogging you have to show up and do the work. You have to develop a blogging schedule and stick with it, even when you don’t feel like it. Just as you’d never call your boss and say, “You know, I just don’t feel like coming to work today,” you can’t do that with your blog.
Be confident. You must be confident about who you are and what you do. One way to get that confidence is by producing good work. I live by the motto of “Be intentional or be quiet.” Never post for the sake of posting. Be sure everything you write serves a purpose and adds some type of value to your reader, even if that value is just inspiration or entertainment.
Be clear on your goals. People who aren’t bloggers most likely won’t understand what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. So you better make sure that you do! You need a vision for your blog and clearly defined goals for your career as a writer and blogger. Knowing what you’re doing, why you’re doing and where you’re headed will also work wonders for your confidence. Having vision is so important that I recently hired a business coach to specifically help me in this area.
Be eager to learn. Once I got serious about turning my blog into a business I signed up for every program I could afford to learn more about marketing and managing online businesses and membership sites. I started working with a business coach and a brand strategist. And I watched a countless number of free webinars. If you’re going to get serious, you have to get educated.
Be a servant. Even if you’re a fashion blogger posting pictures of what you wear each day or a fitness blogger sharing your daily workouts and meal plans, YOUR BLOG IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. I truly believe that to be successful and to be taken seriously you need to think about others. You need to consider how the content you’re producing is helping others.
If you want to turn your blog into a business, you need to act like it! And one of the things you’ll need to do is invest in your blog and invest in yourself. Here are 4 investments you should consider making this month:
Lady Blogger to Boss Lady E-Course
Enrollment for my new e-course Lady Blogger to Boss Lady opens Saturday. This 7-week course will help you develop your best blog yet and show you how to turn that blog into a business without relying on ad sales or sponsored posts. A value of $497, I’m offering this beta version of the course for only $75! Plus, if you sign up for my Lady Blogger VIP list you’ll receive a discount. If you’ll be in the Birmingham area Saturday, Sept. 12, be sure to register for my Lady Blogger to Boss Lady kickoff event for an even BIGGER discount. (Only 6 tickets remaining for this free event.)
Social Media Training
Nothing says social media like photographing food!
Writer, blogger and social media maven Carrie Rollwagen is offering a social media workshop on Saturday, Sept. 19 specifically for those building a small business or personal brand. The workshop is an overview of social media marketing and an introduction to all kinds of social media tools. This daylong session will help you find the social media strategy that’s right for your small business or personal brand and give you the inspiration to get started. Topics covered include: Managing websites and blogs; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest; basic keyword optimization techniques; scheduling and organizing; and much more. Tickets are $100 and include lunch. Use the code BHAMJANES for a 20% discount. Class meets Saturday, September 19 at Innovation Depot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Innovation Depot is located 1500 1st Ave N #31, Birmingham, AL 35203. Get more details and register here: tinyurl.com/popupworkshopsept.
A Self-Hosted Site
Moving to a self-hosted WordPress site was one of the best investments I ever made in my blog and business. After revamping my website people instantly started to take me and See Jane Write more seriously. If you need help setting up your self-hosted WordPress.org site, WPBeginner offers a free service through which they’ll do it for you FOR FREE as long as you purchase your web hosting using one of their affiliate links. Get more information here.
A Theme As Lovely As You Are
Perhaps you already have a self-hosted WordPress site, but you’re just not happy with the look of your blog. BluChic can help with that. BluChic offers beautiful WordPress themes designed specifically with female bloggers and business owners in mind. I use a BluChic theme for the See Jane Write website and my portfolio site. Themes are $79 and BluChic offers a number of other design elements, too. Click here to visit Bluchic (affiliate link).
I know that investing in all four of these in one month may not be feasible for most people. So decide which investment will be most beneficial for your blog and your business and go for it!
How will you invest in your blog and business this month?
The other day I came across the high school yearbook from my senior year. My senior quote was this: “If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
This quote has been attributed to nearly a half dozen people, but regardless of who said it first, it’s great advice. Teenage Javacia knew it was great advice and, fortunately, grown-up Javacia knows that, too.
And so I’m always eager to try new things and eager to encourage others to try new things as well. If you’re a writer or blogger, here are five things you should try next month:
On August 1, See Jane Write held its second annual Bloganista Mini-Con, which was presented by Laura Vincent Printing and Design this year. As declared by the fabulous cover of the conference program and complimentary notebooks, which were designed by Dionne Love of Laura Vincent Printing and Design, this year’s conference was all about teaching attendees how to “Blog Like a Boss.”
Here are five simple steps for taking your blog to the next level:
During her morning keynote address, Chanda Temple explained how to build your personal brand.
1. Know that you are your brand. During her morning keynote address on personal branding, public relations pro Chanda Temple explained that a brand is not a logo, the name of your blog or your tagline. “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room,” she said. “Your brand is your story.”
I believe that once bloggers truly embrace this they’ll have more confidence to better promote themselves and their blogs as a brand and Chanda gave plenty of tips on how to do just that:
Write good press releases. Be sure your subject line will grab the reporter’s attention. Be sure you’re sending your release to the right person. And be sure you include all the necessary information: who, what, why, when, where.
If you’re hosting an event or promoting your book, create a hashtag for it to use on social media.
Be sure you have a professional head shot and professional business cards on hand.
Maybe we were having too much fun on the Blog Like a Boss Panel.
2. Be true to yourself. This is a theme that came up again and again during the Blog Like a Boss panel discussion that I was a part of along with Heather Brown of My Life Well Loved and Jennifer Dome King of Stellar Fashion and Fitness. Sure, we talked about ways to monetize your blog: You can spruce up your media kit and begin approaching brands about partnering with you for campaigns and sponsored posts. You could start developing and selling your own products, services or books based on your niche. You could use your blog to promote yourself as an author, freelance writer, public speaker or coach. But no matter what you do, stay true to who you are and what you’re really all about. Don’t agree to do a campaign with a brand that has nothing to do with your niche or is the opposite of what you stand for just because you got offered money.
The panel was moderated by TV and radio personality Eunice Elliott, who is also a comedienne and, as you can tell from the photo above, was absolutely hilarious.
But before the panel, Eunice gave some great advice of her own.
Eunice Elliott brought the laughs, of course!
Eunice reminded attendees not to get too caught up in the comments of critics and to instead simply stay focused on their goals. “Everyone’s information about you isn’t always for you,” she said.
3. Find your tribe. One attendee tweeted this: “Biggest takeaway from the #bloganista mini-con? ‘Find your tribe.’ If you are a blogger, @seejanewritebhm is it!”
I always say that whether you’re trying to be the Virginia Woolf of literature or the She-Wolf of Wall Street, you need a wolf pack. You need a group of fans, followers and friends who will support you through thick and thin. You need a tribe. Your tribe will defend you against Twitter trolls and naysayers who leave nasty comments. Your tribe will be your first customers when you turn your blog into a business. And when you publish a book, your tribe will not only buy it, but encourage their friends to do so too.
Maacah Davis (left) explained how she started her own magazine.
Your tribe could even help you start your own fashion magazine as Maacah Davis, founder of belladonna magazine and one of the panelists from the Magazine Dreams panel discussion, can attest to.
Annalise DeVries of Hoffman Media knows her readers.
And once you find your tribe, you need to get to know them well so you can give them the content they want, how and when they want it. Annalise DeVries of Hoffman Media, for example, knows that most of the readers of their magazines and websites enjoy receiving email newsletters several times a week and so DeVries and her team deliver!
Kaneshia Sims reminded attendees that if they want to be on the pages of their favorite magazines they must put in work.
4. Be ready to work. If you’re dreaming of seeing your words or photos on the pages of your favorite magazines, Kaneshia Sims of Red PaSH magazine says, you must be willing to do the work to build your portfolio and get your foot in the door.
Fashion blogger Jeniese Hosey gave an inspiring afternoon keynote address.
5. Step out on faith. “Sometimes when you step out on faith, it can be the most beautiful thing,” Jeniese Hosey of The Je Ne Sais Quoi said during her afternoon keynote address. This probably was the most tweeted quote of the day. Jeniese has done just that. Sometimes stepping out on faith can mean cashing in your frequent flyer miles and hopping on a plane to New York so you can network with brands, which Jeniese did. Sometimes stepping out on faith simply means starting to take yourself seriously as a blogger. Jeniese is clearly serious about her blog. She maintains a content calendar and plans her blog posts a month in advance. She has special days designated for scheduling posts to social media. And she sets goals for herself to keep focused. Jeniese recommends you set two HUGE, shoot-for-the-moon goals for yourself each year and several smaller goals. During her talk Jeniese revealed to me that one of her goals for 2015 was to be a keynote speaker at the Bloganista Mini-Con!
An even bigger accomplishment for Jeniese this year was that she was selected as one of the winners of Redbook magazine’s Real Women, Real Style Awards! We’re so proud of her!
This year’s Bloganista Mini-Con wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the support of our sponsors. In addition to our fantastic presenting sponsor Laura Vincent Printing and Design, I’d also like to thank Church Street Coffee & Books for providing delicious coffee during our Morning Mingle, Full Moon Bar-B-Que for providing lunch, and Insomnia Cookies for sponsoring our afternoon cookie break. (Artney of My Pretty Brown loved the cookies so much she wrote an entire blog post about Insomnia Cookies.)
And some attendees also scored a special gift from Birmingham Boutique Blowout — a cute koozie and a special discount code for the next Birmingham Boutique Blowout event.
I’d also like to thank Lynsey Weatherspoon Photography for shooting video at the event. Soon you’ll see that footage and more as part of a fabulous brand video for See Jane Write that we’re putting together. Get ready!
If you are truly ready to “blog like a boss” then you should consider signing up for my upcoming e-course Lady Blogger to Boss Lady. In this 7-week course you will learn how to turn your blog into a business without relying on ad sales or sponsored posts. Click here for more information.
