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Blogging 101: I’m ready… Now, how do I start a blog?

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Oh man! I wish I would’ve done some research (or had more info.) baaack in the day before deciding I’d start blogging. I could’ve saved some time, avoided certain mistakes, focused from the beginning, and probably made money from the get go.

 

As a blogger who’s been doing, learning, messing up since 2010… I see it as my duty to help those who are ready to start blogging but might now know how or where to start.

Note: if you still have questions after this, feel free to shoot me a message. Here to help!

Time to focus

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You decided you want to blog… question is, why? This is super important to clear out from the beginning. If you’re serious, start thinking – do you want to provide a service by blogging?  What is it? Fashion advice? Fitness training? Maybe you want to sell a product. Start thinking, ask yourself these questions and answer them.

Niche

Ok, so you have an idea of what you want to do… or so you think! Niche is super important because it will make or break your blog. Find something you can specialize in, and don’t lie to yourself (others can tell). If you’re really good at finding coupons, that’s your thing and you can kick ass in educating others how to do the same. Tip: find something others aren’t doing (or maybe not doing right). The internet is a competitive space and you want to make sure your idea is unique.

Let’s pick a name

What are you thinking? This is something that you should take your time with, you’ll be investing in it (yes, with $$$) by buying a domain (www.blah.com), and it’s not something you should ever think of changing. This is your brand and it should be the same across all social media platforms, including your website of course.

Back to the domain

Ok, you decided that your blog is going to be called ‘Blah’ – it sounds fabulous, amazing, and unique. “Hip hip, hooray!” Don’t get too excited just yet, first you need to make sure the domain is even available. What social is available? Namechk let’s you know. Buy the domain, and take over the social media accounts you’ll be using (you might want to consider taking all available, just in case).

Where do I start blogging?

Are you blogging for money or as a hobby? Let us know how we can help!

Are you blogging for money or as a hobby? Let us know how we can help!

You bought the domain… now, where the hell do you do this? Where will you write? You have options, many! Ever heard of Wordpress, Tumblr, Squarespace, Blogger, Medium (to name a few)? I personally like to recommend WordPress. It’s easy but not too easy. You’re able to customize, and many large publications actually use it (it’s that good).

“I need a theme”

Yes, you do! Time to look into a design that suits your taste and voice. Things to consider however, flashy and cool themes are not always the best. The number of mobile users is only growing; simple themes that are mobile optimized and load up fast and easy help and are very important!

Time to explore

Look, you’re not going to learn everything about blogging overnight. Begin by working on your first post, explore your platform; what do you want to do that you may not know how to? Thank goodness for YouTube! Tutorials are a great way to learn quickly.

“Hey guys, I have a blog!”

You got the basics down, you published your first post. Start promoting! Let your family and friends know what you’re doing and why (don’t be shy!). Always think about “them”; why will they benefit from being a part of your new community? Think about it and incorporate it to your announcement and early promotion.

Consistency is the key

DJ Khaled would probably say, “consistency is the key to success” because it really is. If you can’t commit to posting every day (very realistic), try to commit to once a week. Maybe Mondays will work or Wednesdays. Check and see what days are best to post and try to stick to a schedule.

Social is everything

Joanna Renteria, Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist and Influencer, Follow Joanna at http://www.joannarenteria.com/

Joanna Renteria, Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist and Influencer, Follow Joanna at http://www.joannarenteria.com/

The beauty of social media is that it’s free and it allows you to connect to brands on a global level. A simple hashtag on Instagram will connect you to other #vegetarians, a search on Twitter will let you know who’s “eating” what (these are examples, guys). Take full advantage of social media; it’s how you’re going to build your audience, how you’re going to connect with other bloggers, and how your latest post could potentially go viral (#goals).

That’s it for the starting process… some words of advice from someone that’s been blogging for a minute, be unique and be you. Once you find your voice, your blog will flourish and the sponsorship opportunities will come knocking!

Originally published at www.JoannaRenteria.com

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Likes are important but engagement is where it’s at

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Joanna Renteria, Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist and Influencer, Follow Joanna at http://www.joannarenteria.com/

Joanna Renteria, Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist and Influencer. Follow Joanna at http://www.joannarenteria.com/

Welcome our new Social Media Specialist and Influencer Joanna Renteria!

Learn more about Joanna.

 

Likes, likes, likes… it seems as if likes are the main focus of brands aiming at increasing their online presence. More likes, not enough likes, let’s buy some likes.

While “likes” are important, building a social media presence isn’t all about the likes.

Let me explain.

Yes, “likes” equal engagement, but they’re also a very lazy way of engaging. On Instagram, it has become so easy to double-tap on an image and hand over someone a like or a follow, but how much time does it take someone to actually comment, tag or share a post or picture from your news feed? Taking that time to do so means SOMETHING, it means that followers are intrigued and connected to your brand.

Flashback…

It was about two years ago, I was sitting at a conference, listening to start-up CEOs talk about their sites and apps, the idea behind them, and it was then that I first heard and understood community in terms of web and social media.

“Web and social media is all about building communities. You want to create a space where others can connect, share, and identify with.”

I then understood why Facebook was such a success and why I was spending so much time on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest daily.

Group of Multi-Ethnic People Holding Sign Poles with a Symbol of Like

So while I was working in newsrooms, specializing in building social media accounts for them, I then understood why these brands weren’t as successful and why they wouldn’t be as successful until they changed their way of thinking, their way of working.

Hear me out.

For many, many years, media worked one way… we had producers and then we had consumers. Journalists, TV, newspapers, radio… they would work on producing content for their audiences (everyone else), their consumers. In order to get your information, you would tune in on a certain time and just listen or watch. You read your morning paper, and while you probably had something to say about what was being shared, there wasn’t much you could do.

Now back to 2015. We have social media networks, communities, where one can tweet at pretty much anyone with an account instantly. We have the freedom to create a blog, share any article, produce viral content. Content is no longer being produced or consumed one way but many.

While major media outlets may have a big following on social media, their level of engagement (RT, SHARES, COMMENTS) doesn’t always reflect their following. Why? It’s a one way street: Lack of interaction.

See, it isn’t about buying likes or getting tons of likes/followers overnight. It’s about BUILDING a community.

Bloggers, my obsession with bloggers… fashion bloggers mostly. Why? Because they’re KILLING IT. K-I-L-L-I-N-G IT!

Bloggers, more like influencers. Individuals now have their own communities on IG, Facebook, Pinterest, or their own personal sites. They’ve managed to create spaces where others can learn about trends, destinations, airlines, shoes, clothes, gyms, food. They produce and share content; they ask their followers for suggestions and sometimes even create videos/entries upon requests.

Community Casual People Communication Team Friendship ConceptTop bloggers are consistent, available, and welcoming… and present on more than one social media network (but not all, don’t get too excited now).

So yes, likes are important… but engagement is more. Building a community should be your goal, and in order to do so you must be willing to spend time on paying attention to your audience.

Listen and engage.

 

See the original post at Joanna’s blog here.

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Joanna Renteria, Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist and Influencer

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Joanna Renteria profile pic

Joanna Renteria, Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist, Influencer

Joanna Renteria is a first generation Mexican-American born and raised in California. With a passion for journalism and the Latino community, she initiated her career in broadcast journalism, gaining experience as a story-teller and content creator at Univision San Francisco, C7 in Jalisco, México and MundoFOX in Los Angeles.

In 2014, Joanna received her M.A. in Mass Communication from the California State University of Northridge where she focused her research and thesis on the transition of television outlets and audiences to digital.

With a personal blog (www.joannarenteria.com) aiming a peak of nearly 900,000 visits one day, Joanna quickly realized the importance of connecting with the new generation not only digitally but socially. 

Upon completion of her graduate studies, she has worked as a social media consultant and strategist for brands, helping them build relationships with their audiences in the most prominent social media platforms that benefit their products. A hopeless writer, she also freelances from time to time, blogs occasionally, and tweets daily. 

 

Twitter: @Joanna_Renteria

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