Blogiversary – Milestones
If you missed yesterdays post, I am celebrating my 3rd Blogiversary! Today I’m sharing a few milestones for year 3 as it was a big one for me in a few areas.
Upgraded Blog Design
I started blogging on a whim and while the cartoon queen was perfect when I started out, I had grown tired of her over time. Changing up the look of the blog to be cleaner and more visually appealing was my number one goal. Here were the steps I took before taking the plunge!
- Identifying a tag line! The Queen in Between has been near and dear to me but I needed something a little beefier to give a heads up to what this blog is all about. After playing with words for a few months, I finally settled on Designing a Blessed Life With Style as the winner. I say don’t rush this as you want it to be short and sweet but still be meaningful.
- Developing a new header. Like I said, the cartoon queen was dying a slow death and I knew she had to go! I worked with Karli (September Farm) from Karli Bell Branding and she put together my new header complete with the tagline.
- Deciding to continue with blogger or migrate to WordPress was the biggie. Ultimately the blog designer I worked with when I first began blogging convinced me WP was the best choice. Thanks to her cyber Monday sale last November I jumped in head first. I took my time and really thought about what I loved and didn’t love by looking over other blog designs I was drawn to. It took me until February to finalize the theme and provide her all my thoughts. Do you know how many fonts there really are out there? Becca handled all the new design, the migration and was there to support me as I transitioned.
I won’t get into the pros/cons of WP and will save my thoughts for a future post possibly but I will say, if you are not the creative type, working with a designer is so incredibly helpful. I know what I like when I see it but often struggle with pulling ideas out of my head and making them a reality. With just a few questions both Karli and Becca nailed my design! The investment was worth it to me and the time it saved was huge.
Attended a Blogger Conference
Attending a conference was a huge goal for me in year 3 and I am so happy to say I made it happen! This will definitely be something I hope to do at least once a year moving forward but hoping next time I have some buddies. You can see the highlights and what I gained by reading my 5 Takeaways from the Thrive Conference.
Upped my Photo Game
In case you do not know, I take almost all my photos myself using a tripod and a remote. Occasionally I bribe a family member to help me out but typically I need so many shots at so many angles just to figure things out and I just feel more comfortable wasting my own time. That being said, this year I really tried to move away from the standard brick wall shoot pictures in some alternate locations. Dragging out a tripod in a public place can feel a little uncomfortable and slightly narcissistic but if my goal was to improve quality I had to take a few risks right?
I also hired a photographer for one photo shoot around my blog anniversary last year and I really think I will do this again this fall. It is not super expensive and having a creative eye take a few pictures I can use to change head shots will give a more professional feel. I’ve also been able to use my pictures across all platforms to give some consistency.
Developed a Media Kit
If you have been blogging for any amount of time you have been asked to collaborate. Believe me, before I began my blogging journey I thought it was all fun and games but truthfully if you are serious about blogging to not only share your journey but also to monetize at some level, it is a second job. While monetizing is not my number one goal here, I do want to be thoughtful about the brands I work with and definitely do not see value in spending my time offering a review for free. By creating a media kit (Karli actually developed mine) I am now able to respond politely to requests to collaborate with a simple copy of my media kit which contains my rates.
Reaching out to brands and businesses on your own can also be time consuming and a little intimidating but I did finally decide to reach out recently. I figured it never hurts to ask right? Having a media kit available to send with a brief email helped me feel more professional when inquiring.
My collaboration with Minted was probably my favorite over the past year! I worked with Minted to add some art to our bathroom and collaborated to create our annual Christmas card and overall both were a very positive experience.
Shop one of my favorite looks!
As a thank you to all you sweet readers, I’m giving away one of my favorite new products from Rodan + Fields! Register below for your shot to hydrate your skin. Winner will be announced next week!
I’m sharing a few pieces I’d add to a summer look to begin the transition to fall on The Blended Blog today! Share your look and hop on over to check it out.
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