This past month I received a notification that my hosting company has renewed my 3 year plan. I was amazed to see how soon I got this notification – it reminded me of the exact moment I first signed up with them. So many thoughts were going through my head that day.
I’ve officially revamped my blog and it will be released tomorrow for you all to see. I just want to share with you how much I’ve grown and developed through these very short years of blogging. It has opened my eyes to so many things in life that possibly I wouldn’t have ever experienced.
Blush Bassinet is my baby – I’ve developed it, raised it and I am now nurturing it as it grows with me. As I was making the final touches of my blog before it’s re-launch tomorrow, I was going through some of my older posts. I felt emotional because I remember all the things I went through and the hustle I did to get where I am today and this is yet no way near where I envision. Truly no one really sees nor understands what you go through – besides the LORD above, you are your only witness. If you know your worth, you will not settle for anything less.
Here is my message to aspiring bloggers and influencers –
- Digging: do a little digging around what niche you are passionate about. I tell this to everyone who has ever asked me about how to start blogging. You MUST love the topic in order for you to spend countless hours creating content for it. (Case Study: Motherhood was my calling – I felt like so many new waves in my live became active since my first pregnancy and it inspired me to do something big about it – I knew this was the topic I am so passionate about and so that gave birth to Blush Bassinet).
- Market Research: once you have the niche in mind, research other influencers, blogs or services that are within the niche. Your goal is to understand the market, what are the current trends in that niche and which areas of that niche you want to focus and specialize in. (Case Study: When I was analyzing the market a few years back in my niche, I realized that there weren’t many blogs/bloggers out there that I could look up to in the motherhood niche – I couldn’t relate to the ones that were actually popular at that time, especially for an Afghan, brown and Muslim woman. So I began to carve the pathway for what I wanted to see in the market – Modern Motherhood!)
- Plan and Execute: Once you finalize your niche, do your research and focus on your topic, it is time to plan and execute that plan. Here is when you will begin asking yourself how you would like to proceed: do you want to launch your blog? or do you only want to do Insta-blogging for now? Do you want to open your YouTube Channel?. You get my point – once you have finalized how you want to proceed, make your plans on the necessary steps to achieve. And begin execution!! Do what it takes to achieve your plans! (Case Study: I knew I wanted to have my own blog as my main platform, and share all my content throughout multiple social platforms – though Instagram is my main. However, I have an itch for YouTube. So I did open my YouTube channel and it was going very well to my expectations – but when Surah was born and life happened – I realized I put too much on my plate. I became over ambitious, I was Insta-blogging, I had just launched my own blog, I just became a first-time-mom and on top of that I started my YouTube Channel. Learn from my mistake – do not go overboard. So of course I put a FULL STOP on my YouTube channel but it is always in the back of my mind that ONE DAY I will come back for it and when I do, I’ll come back BIG TIME!!)
- Photography/Videography: No matter what kind of blogger you want to become, you need to up your game with these two bad boys – photography and videography skills. Thank goodness now there are so many apps on our phones that can give us quality edited content. And no, you do not have to invest hundreds and thousands of dollars to start. I truly believe your phone has all the abilities and power for you to start from somewhere. And once you begin making money, later on you can invest in higher grade equipment. (Case Study: I started out with photos and videos with my phone. When I started making money from blogging, then I started investing in my more expensive gear.)
- Leads + Collaborations: Before collaborating, build some leads. You need to have some leads in order for you to be attractive to brands and collaboration opportunities. I know you might get excited for quickly collaborating – but rest assured, you will have many opportunities to collaborate if you do this the right way. Content is king – focus on your content and leads will come. Once you have a decent number of leads, begin networking with other bloggers/influencers and brands and start your conversation for collaborations! (Case Study: My first collaboration was with a headband company – we collaborated on headbands for Surah. Of course it was a free collaboration, I just started out. It was my first experience and it taught me a lot of how the relationship is built through networking and collaborating.)
- Making Money: Of course, most bloggers/influencers want to replace their current income with their blog’s income. If this is your goal, then you really need to put in the hours of work as it IS DEFINITELY ACHIEVABLE. Once you have created a lot of amazing content and have a decent amount of leads, you can begin monetizing your blog and your posts on your social platforms.
I know so many of you have asked about tips to start a blogging business, I promise to continue sharing more information. The most popular questions revolve around the following topics:
a) how to reach out to brands
b) how to make money / monetize
c) how to grow your leads
d) how to take better photos
I will be sharing a lot more information about this topic and the specifics very soon. Stay tuned and don’t miss out on this vital information by SUBSCRIBING to my newsletter – you will be informed FIRST in your email when I do post.
