Blog Tips, Blogging, Mom Marketing Coach |
One negative aspect of writing about your life for all to see is that every once in a while, you will receive comments from strangers (or friends) that will annoy, contradict, or degrade you. The internet did not create negativity. It’s just a new medium that people use to spew their hatred.
One would think that most of the time, negative comments come from political or religious posts. For some reason, parenting brings out the nasty side of people as well.
The problem is that everyone thinks they know the right way to parent.
Other parents will think you are too strict with your kids, and others will say you are too lenient.
If you work outside the home, the stay-at-home moms will judge you. If you stay at home with your kids, the working moms will mock you.
People will blast you for overscheduling your kids, sending them to public schools, or allowing them to watch inappropriate content on TV.
Others will label you as a helicopter parent, a lawnmower parent, as being too involved, or not concerned enough.
And God helps you if you write about anti-vaccines, homeschooling, and co-sleeping. You’re just asking for trouble with those topics.
What do you do when you receive negative comments? You only have a few options. Let’s discuss them.
Delete (or Edit) Negative Comments
You could consider deleted or editing the negative comments that someone leaves on your blog. Immediately use this tactic if someone writes something perverted or inappropriate about you or someone in your family. Don’t forget to block them from making additional comments as well.
Respond to the Comments
Your knee-jerk reaction may be to fight fire with fire. If someone calls you a name, you may want to revert to your 11-year-old-self and name call as well. Honestly, it could be kind of funny if you respond with a, “oh yeah? So’s your mother!” You could diffuse the situation by bringing humor to it. This type of reaction is especially fitting if that is the personality you portray on your blog.
Perhaps you should consider responding with a thoughtful explanation of why you disagree with your readers’ opinion. You have created a public forum with your blog. Are you afraid of exchanging ideas? Maybe blogging isn’t for you then. If you want constant public affirmations, perhaps you should post your content on Facebook to an intimate group of family and friends.
Ignore
Sometimes ignoring is the same as responding. Sometimes people’s comments are so inane and poorly written, that calling them out on it would just be cruel.
Mommy bloggers are a tight-knit group. Perhaps your friends will respond for you if you ignore the Debbie Downer. It’s fantastic to see who has your back in your time of need.
That’s it! Those are the three things you can do if you receive criticism regarding something you wrote. You can delete, ignore, or respond.
Here’s an idea that may blow your mind: maybe you shouldn’t discourage negative comments. Here are some reasons why.
Perhaps your reader is right.
No one wants to admit this, but maybe you used faulty logic when expressing your opinion. Perhaps the studies that you referred to were outdated, or the information that you presented as “fact” is untrue.
Maybe you did over-share your family’s problems in the quest to be completely transparent in your blog. If someone calls you out on this, perhaps they are right. Granted, some of your readers may not present their ideas with tact and consideration.
Perhaps your reader is trying to help.
Another thing to consider is that some people can’t listen to any complaint or comment without offering advice. They may not even think they are inconsiderate or rude. They may feel as if they are helpful in trying to fix your problem.
Yea! You have readers who care enough to comment!
Finally, perhaps receiving comments, negative or positive, are signs you have made it as a professional blogger. After all, you want people to read your blog, right? If your comments are turned on, that means you are promoting a public forum. Honestly, I’ve never understood bloggers who are aghast when readers disagree with their viewpoints. What did you think blogging was going to be?
Think hard if you are considering starting a blog to earn extra income. Are you able to handle a back-and-forth discussion with someone who contradicts or disagrees with your ideas? Are you going to be able to handle someone offering criticism on how you parent? Will receiving tons of unasked for advice drive you crazy? I hate to break it to you, but if you answered, “yes” to those questions, then maybe blogging isn’t for you.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach!
Blog Tips, Mom Marketing Coach |
You have thoughts to share and products to recommend or to sell, but you may not have the technical knowledge on how to start a mommy blog. Perhaps that’s what is keeping you from taking that first step.
Don’t let your lack of knowledge keep you from sharing your ideas with the world. Let us help you walk through the process of creating your online space.
While this article is focused on WordPress, know that you have options. WordPress is extremely popular, and millions of users have created blogs, business websites, eCommerce sites, portfolios, and resumes using WordPress. In fact, some studies say that WordPress powers over 34% of websites. But you can also start your website using the uniquely-named Wix, Weebly, and Jimdo. WordPress has plenty of competition.
Once you begin looking into WordPress, you will notice that there seem to be two versions. One is WordPress.com, and the other is WordPress.org. Without getting too deep into the reasons why, you should use WordPress.org if you plan to do affiliate marketing on your site.
1. Purchase hosting
Before jumping into WordPress.org and creating your site, you need to take care of a small piece of technical housekeeping. You first need to purchase a hosting platform for your website.
Every website that you look at throughout your day has a host that “powers” it. Without a host, no one will be able to see your content. It’s kind of important.
WordPress recommends hosting platforms on its website, such as Bluehost, DreamHost, and SiteGround. Each hosting site has a variety of packages available in different price points, but some start as low as $3 a month. You can’t purchase hosting and your domain name through WordPress.org.
We know this process sounds intimidating, but these hosting companies make the process as painless as possible. Once you pick which package is best for you, you will be asked if you have a domain name or not. This is the next step in the process of creating your mommy blog.
2. Purchase a domain name
Your domain name is your website’s address, such as https://www.mommarketingcoach.com.
You can purchase your domain through a variety of methods, but since you are reading this step-by-step guide, and technology may not be your “thing,” we would recommend that you purchase your domain name from your hosting company. For example, Bluehost makes it incredibly simple.
Bluehost charges a small fee to help you obtain your domain name, but this domain is yours for however many years you choose. You won’t have to change your website name if you decide to switch hosting platforms at a later date. You will be able to take your website’s name with you.
3. Install WordPress
You can install WordPress on your own. It’s free. If you choose to use Bluehost as your hosting company, you can easily install the software from their website as well.
Bluehost will walk you through the process of installing WordPress, but if you miss it, log into Bluehost and click the Create Site button.
3. Create your content
Once you have a hosting site and a domain name, you are ready to create your content using WordPress.
WordPress will walk you through the process of creating your first blog post. From the WordPress dashboard, click on the “Posts” link and then choose “Add New.” To write your text, you literally need to click and type. You can add images and videos using their rather intuitive system.
4. Seek help when you need it
One benefit of using WordPress is that you will have no trouble finding help when you need it. Search for YouTube videos to walk you through the process or help you when you get stuck.
If you are frustrated with the process, or you are concerned that your lack of expertise will make your website look childish, you may consider hiring a freelancer to manage your site.
5. Promote your website
Once you have gone to the trouble to create your website, it is time to learn how to promote it or to create content that allows people to find it easily. Promoting your website is the subject for another series of articles (or books). Remember that this is a necessary step in the process. Don’t feel as if you will immediately receive likes, shares, or comments on your work. It’s a long journey.
Hopefully, this is enough information to get you started on creating a blog using WordPress. While there are many other methods and software available to share your content with the world, this guide was meant to offer the most straightforward, fastest way to get started. Good luck!
This article was originally posted at Mom marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Mom Marketing Coach |
Wow. This is a stressful writing assignment.
If you don’t finish reading this article about how to write blogs that people want to read, will I have done my job?
While I might not be an expert writer, I do read. A lot. Here are things that I have noticed that draw me into other people’s blogs, posts, and personal essays.
1. Use Eye-Catching Images
Sorry, all you writers out there who spend hours crafting your words, so you can share profound, insightful thoughts. If your blog doesn’t have some sort of eye-catching image to draw you in, you may have a difficult time bringing readers to your post.
Learn how to improve your photography skills. Use free stock images if you are desperate. (You can find free photos at pixabay.com.)
Personally, I’m drawn to photos of people showing a lot of emotion. Or pictures of dogs. Even people who aren’t necessarily animal lovers like looking at pictures of dogs.
2. Use Quirky Subheadings
Recently, I was drawn to someone’s post about signs of aging. The first subheading was titled “Birds.” The next was “Ferris Bueller.” You know you’re going to read anyone’s writing who can connect those two topics in one piece.
Subheadings also break up huge blocks of text, so the piece looks readable. While the greatest writers in the world, such as Charles Dickens, didn’t follow this practice, Dickens wasn’t writing for average internet reader. The average internet reader scans articles while waiting in line at Target or sitting on the toilet.
3. Tell Stories About Your Daughter Waking Up with Chewing Gum in Her Armpit
You’ve started mommy blogs before that are written with beautiful, flowery language full of generalities. Many times these posts are oozing with feelings and emotions about how being a mommy has been such a life-changing experience.
Maybe it’s just me, but as soon as I begin reading this kind of writing, my eyes glaze over, and I start scrolling. The only thing worse is having a seventh-grade girl ask you to read her book of poetry.
Start by telling a story, and then you can go into the feelings associated with the account.
For example, start your blog post about how your toddler woke up from her nap with a huge wad of chewing gum underneath her armpit. Then, go into your piece about the joys of motherhood.
Hopefully, you will have remembered to take a photo of the wad of gum. That image will undoubtedly bring in plenty of readers.
4. Lead With the Monster Attack
One of the first things you learn in journalism school is how to write a good lead. Professors teach baby writers to not “bury the lead.” Here’s an example.
If a monster is attacking people on the beaches in Florida, you don’t start your news article by writing, “On Tuesday, 56-year-old Herman Giuseppe lost his arm while on vacation in the Florida Keys.”
If you are writing a blog post about your child getting chickenpox, even though they were immunized against it, you will get more readers if you lead with that information instead of starting with a lot of background information.
Lead with the monster attack, and then tell the rest of the story.
5. Awaken Your Inner Teacher
We have all turned to the internet to learn how to do something. My recent Google searches include “how to paint your kitchen cabinets,” “how to get knock-out roses to bloom,” and “how to get a wad of chewing gum out of a toddler’s armpit.”
Even if your instructions are more tongue-in-cheek in nature, people are drawn to online “how-to” guides.
If you are writing a Mommy Blog, write how you were able to get your child to sleep through the night. Write how you were finally able to get your kids from dropping all their crap on the floor of the entryway. Write about how you were finally able to get your sixth-grade son to hug you every day before walking out the door. This is the kind of information Moms need to have to improve their daily lives.
As you sit down to write your blog, think back to what your seventh-grade English teacher taught you. Before you write, you need to know your purpose for writing. If your goal every day is writing about how perfect your life is now that you have raised the most amazing children in the world, you may struggle to keep readers.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success, Mom Marketing Coach |
I didn’t grow up in the South, and neither did my Mom. But every time I hear Miranda Lambert’s drawl mimic her mama’s advice to “hide your crazy,” I always think of my own Mom.
My Mom was the queen of stoicism, a trait that I honestly admire and tried to mimic most of my life. My Mom always put people at ease with her calm voice and absence of outbursts. I grew up with zero stress because my Mom wasn’t one to complain or express dissatisfaction. This doesn’t mean that Mom didn’t have hardships or difficulties. She just didn’t feel that it was very lady-like to share them.
While my Mom had plenty of friends and lived a perfectly comfortable life, she wasn’t the first person people turned to for a good story. She wasn’t the life of the party, and she wasn’t one who you felt you could pour your heart out to unless you knew her well. Because of this, my Mom would have been a lousy blogger. She wouldn’t have shared enough. She wouldn’t have been authentic enough.
To have a successful mommy blog, you have to have readers. To keep readers, you have to offer value to your content by telling a good story or giving good advice. And you need to be authentic. Here’s how to show authenticity in your writing.
Tell It Like It Is
One of my favorite mommy bloggers is the queen of honesty. She writes about how exhausted she was after entertaining her three kids for almost an hour in the doctor’s examination room. She stops and takes a quick photo of her youngest, who is screaming on the floor at Target because she didn’t like how her socks felt on her feet.
Of course, you wouldn’t want to read about this chaos every day, and people might start to judge you if all your photos depict red-faced kids throwing fits. But reading about this blogger’s issues may make someone feel a little better about your three-year-old threatening to throw away your phone, makeup, and a coffee mug because you didn’t peel her banana right. Reading about how a blogger’s toddler woke up with a wad of gum stuck under her armpit might make you feel better when you just caught your little darling washing her hair in the toilet.
Try to Write Like You Talk
Some bloggers get so caught up by trying to depict a perfect life that their writing style suffers. They begin to sound like anal-retentive English teachers instead of regular moms who are just trying to get through their day.
If your tone is more formal and less conversational, try telling someone else what you want to write about in your blog before you sit down to write it. Sometimes writers start off loose and easy, but after a series of edits, their writing ends up being too stuffy and impersonal.
Quit editing so much. You’re not writing for the New York Times. No one expects your writing to be perfect, and no one cares if it is. If you live your life peppered with four-letter-words, use them in your writing.
If you are really ticked off with your husband because he threatens the kids with ridiculous punishments that he can never follow through on so the kids lose respect for you and start acting like a bunch of barbarians, don’t worry if you just wrote the longest-run-on sentence ever. Get it out, girl.
Get Off Your High Horse
I’m an eye-roller. I always have been. My Mom used to tell me that if I got hit on the back of my head during an eye roll, my eyes would stay that way. It’s a bad habit, so since I’m a grownup, I try to limit my eye rolls to times when no one is looking, or else I do an “inner” eye roll, which only I know about.
When I read Mom blogs of women who LOVE their kids SOOO much and have the PERFECT spouse who takes her on OMG – a SURPRISE weekend to wine country, I have to be careful not to hit the back of my head.
Where I grew up, people who talked like that were said to be on a “high horse,” which is kind of a funny expression when you think about it.
Not only are you making the rest of us feel bad about our unglamorous lives, but you are also losing readers too.
So, forget about hiding your crazy. Let it all out. Your readers will thank you for it.
This article was originally posted to Mom Marketing Coach
Blog Tips, Blogging Success, Mom Marketing Coach |
Congratulations on your decision to start a mom blog!
Just like all pursuits in life, you’ll not get it perfectly the first time and that’s okay! As the cliche goes, everything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first.
Of course, there are exceptions, but what I’m saying is that you don’t need to be disheartened as you bump into the gutters of the learning curve in this mom blogging journey.
And unlike ten years back, today, you can tap so many resources online every time you feel lost while you’re blogging. You have Wikipedia as the main source of legit information about anything. You have Google News to check for the latest updates on more serious matters. And you have, of course, Google itself to search for literally everything under the sun.
Just in case you get too overwhelmed, here are a few tips on how to look like a pro mom blogger even on your first week of blogging.
Start with the name
The success of your blog starts with the name you’re going to choose. It has to catch the attention of your target audience and showcase the identity of your blog. Keep in mind that the shorter your name is, the easier it is to recall. Come up with a name that contains all of these elements and you’ll surely have a winner in no time.
Find your passion
The passion you feel for a goal or a field of interest you want to pursue is the fuel you’ll need to keep going. It’s crucial to discover what you’re passionate about and focus on learning everything about the matter at hand. It can be something simple, like writing poetry, or something as complex as building cars.
No matter what you’re passion may be, you need to go out into the world and find it. Otherwise, you’ll be tossed in the wind by any trend or fad that comes along your way. Create social media accounts too and add awesome content on your Facebook, Instagram, and other social media accounts.
Find out your strengths
Have you found your passion? If you have, it’s time to identify your strengths and capitalize on them. You need to find out what you’re good at so you can know how to focus your passion. At the same time, you also need to learn the areas where you’re weak. Knowing these things will help you improve and take your blog to the next level.
Keep learning
Now comes the exciting part – learning. Most people balk at the idea of learning new things but you shouldn’t. It’s a key element to your blog’s success. You need to read every significant article about your specific field of interest and watch every tutorial video that comes along with it.
You might also be interested in attending workshops or speaking to those who have been doing your passion for the longest time. Just keep yourself humble and hungry for the idea of learning and you’ll definitely go far with your blog.
Do interviews
Speaking of connecting with the right people, it’s also vital to interview them once in a while. You’re going to gain several benefits in achieving this goal.
First off, you get to learn from these people and the experience they have gained over the years. Second, you get the chance to practice your communication skills, both in speaking and writing.
Last, but definitely not the least, you get to have awesome content for your blog. Do these interviews on a regular basis, add some amazing photos, and your blog’s online presence and reputation will exceed your expectations. As you do that, keep in mind these 5 key elements in of a great blog post.
Be authentic
No one wants to read and follow a blog that doesn’t show any personality. People are attracted to authenticity and allergic to anything fake. Make it a point to connect to your target audience with utmost sincerity.
Try to learn the culture and find out what drives them in this life. Soon enough, your posts will connect to these people by adding value to their lives. The key point here is to always bring that personal touch to your blog.
Things like responding to comments, writing in an easy-to-understand style, and showing a bit of your daily routine will go a long way in connecting to the crowd.
This article was originally posted to Mom Marketing Coach
Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success, Mom Marketing Coach |
These days when opening your laptop is like going outdoors and meeting tons of people, you don’t really need to be away from home to reach out to the world. Communicating with your friends and family and with people whom you share the same interests with can be done within the confines of your home. That in itself is a lot of fun!
Gone are the days when women with children seem to be locked inside the toxic world of motherhood, without anything else to do but to take care of their children. Now, you can do so much more, learn so many things, and connect to the world even when you’re a stay-at-home mom. But a lot of moms like me have discovered that there’s a way to use that global access for something more productive. That’s by having your own mom blog!
You may be hearing this ‘mom blogging’ for the first time. In that case, you might want to read our earlier post about how to start a mom blog. And if you decide to push through with this journey, you’ll be one of the thousands to millions of moms out there who took this path and hopefully, you’ll love it too.
As for me, these are the reasons why I find mom blogging very helpful for all the mommies out there.
It’s fun.
When all you do for the rest of the day is to change nappies, cook meals for your kids, play with them until they get tired, and take a peek on social media when they’re too tired to play, you’ll surely find mom blogging sooo fun!
Imagine sharing your ideas to the whole world for free and exchanging thoughts with those who have the same experience as yours. You can share the ups and downs of being a mother. You can tell your fellow moms about the hacks on how to make a mom’s life easier. Above all, you can be yourself and share your passion to tons of people without having to leave the house. Isn’t that fun?
You can earn from it.
In case you don’t know it yet, a lot of mom bloggers out there are earning millions of dollars by sharing their true selves to the world through their blog sites. If other blogs can be monetized, you can moneytize your mom blog too! Not that we’re saying you should do mom blogging for this sole reason, but if you can earn while having fun, why not?
You can destress through it.
Moms understand that our journey involves a lot of inner battles. Our daily environment may be filled with children’s laughter and silliness, but there are private moments when you just want to give up. It’s during these stressful times that mom blogging can help you.
Instead of keeping everything inside, you can share your thoughts and feelings through your mom blog. It could be a personal journal of your struggles and victories as a mom. This will help you de-stress. Plus, you might get some insights and tips from moms like you on how to handle what you’re going through.
You will learn from it.
As you do mom blogging, you will realize that this journey requires learning new things. In fact, writing posts in your blog will lead you to the routine of researching. If you’re not the type of mom who reads a lot, don’t panic! Doing online research for your blog is not as boring as it sounds.
If you’re writing about what you love, like pop culture or the Marvel Universe for example, then reading about it will never bore you. It won’t feel like working at all. What’s great about blogging is that your knowledge base will only grow as you write more.
You will know yourself better.
Speaking of more, another good thing about mom blogging is that you will discover more about yourself. As you brainstorm content for your mom blog, you will find out more about your interests – what topics are dearest to you, what things you want to learn more about, and which ones you write the best about. You’ll discover new passions and pursuits. Your journey to self-discovery will grow deeper as your horizons expand in the world of blogging.
It will help you become a better mom.
When you know yourself so well and you continue to discover new things while mom blogging, you’ll also have more things to share with your children. When you have a passion that keeps you going every day, you’ll be happier and more content. You will have an outlet when you’re too stressed and you’ll have a sense of purpose. As you become a better person, your children will be the biggest beneficiary.
You should contribute to the mom community.
Since I’ve been mom blogging for years, I see it now as a responsibility to the mom community. We know that being a mother is not easy and if you have the chance to make it less burdensome for another mom, wouldn’t you do it? I would. What can stop us when we have free access to the internet and there are websites that offer blog domains for free?
You can help other moms out there by sharing what you know through mom blogging or by simply being an inspiration to all of us that a mother can have a meaningful life apart from rearing her children.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach
