Hello, how are you? Thanks for stopping by my blog today to read and check out my latest blog post. So, I have been making a slight shift as it relates to my mental energy and focus. For the past 6 months, all I worried about was working on content without a true care as to how many people read my stuff, and really just having a good time being creative. Well, that's cute...haha, but I decided to blog because I wanted to use it as a vehicle to make money, to empower myself, to build a brand. And, all of those things require intention, a better understanding of how former bloggers have been successful, and the saavy know-how as to how to work on marketing and the resources that will support financial gain. I'm just learning, but from reading a few books and purchasing a few courses this is what I have learned:

Content:
Many of the resources that I have read or listened to, reinforce the concept of high-quality. It's not worth my time to blog, just to blog. In the world of business, the consumer wants value, they want to be able to get something from their visit to your blog. They should leave my page, learning something that they wanted to learn, they may want to gain entertainment, or they may want to gain inspiration. But at the end of the day, my blogs should service a type of need. Also, I learned that my blogs, should feel personal, as if I was talking to a person over coffee, and I don't have to pull out my "reservoir" of big words or write a critique/ dissertation (jumping for joy), because people read blogs to connect with you and in this world, you don't have to try to write your blog posts like term papers----sound like yourself. Lastly, there are courses, and resources that share how you should set-up your blog post, but I skimmed past it. I'm the kind of learner that likes to understand the big ideas, and when I am prepared to deepen/ sharpen my saw in that area, I will do that. But, gracious....this is sooooo much stuff, that I am trying to do my best to not feel overwhelmed!

Marketing:

Alright, good 'ole marketing! I have learned that the social media channels are the various spaces to market my blog. And every social media channel requires a slightly different campaign. Right now, I use mostly Instagram to promote my blog, but I feel like this is not balanced. I need to work on establishing a presence on different channels: facebook, twitter, pinterest, and youtube. I have a weird relationship with facebook, that I have to just go ahead and fix. Long story short, I have thousands of "friends" on facebook, but I have to promote my business page, and for whatever reason I have been hiding, not really wanting to promote on there. Actually, as I am writing, I realize I have been hurting myself ----just promote the brand Kayra!! Stop delaying, procrasting, and being weird on facebook!!!!

Ok, moving on...so, yes, you should be doing your best to use these channels. But, there's also a school of thought that you should pick 2-3, or the ones that really come natural to you and fit your blog.

Ok, another big-take away is the power of pinterest. Apparently, as a blogger, I need to spend a considerable amount of time ensuring that my pins/ boards are special...y'all, I'm still figuring this one out. But, I have already made my pinterest page into a business account, made sure my boards were relevant to my brand, and I started pinning my looks. I have to make sure that my pins, which link back to my website, have strong descriptions: several keywords that a person would use to find my pin.

My last take-away is that I need to invest in business cards with my logo. I thought this was an outdated practice, but I learned that I still need them. Last night I attended a lecture with Victor Luis, CEO of Tapestry, which oversees three luxury brands: Coach, Stuart Weitsman, and Kate Spade. Anyhow, I went to the event after the lecture, where you can connect with people who attended the lecture, and potentially chit-chat with Victor Luis. Well, several people asked me for my business card....and I didn't have any. FAIL! So, that is something I will be working on tomorrow!! I thought that since I was digital, I could just direct people to my website. When you are networking, people really don't have time to pull out their phones (sometimes they do), but one of the main reasons you shouldn't lean on this, is because people are socializing, and they have drinks or food in their hands....haha. So, yeah, I gotta get those business cards!!!

Income:

Altight, show me the money! The first way that you can make money is through affiliate marketing, and that I learned fairly quickly. In my case, since I talk about clothes, I am already connected to the LIKEtoKNOWit rewards program, and I'm an AMAZON affiliate.

My most recent learning, was about Google Adsense, and how you can easily set that up through Google, and the ads can pop up on your blog, and you make money by how many views your pages get and whether or not people click on these ads. Apparently, you don't earn a substantial amount of money through this source until your pages are receiving tens of thousands of views every day.

There are other affiliate marketing companies, and again...I have to pursue those details at a later date.

The second big way that I have learned is through sponsored posts. Businesses will see the value in your blog because they see you have an engaged audience, and in an effort to use your blog/ channel they will want to be a commercial on your page or social media channels.

A third way to make money, is to sell your own unique products and services on your blog (Clothing, Digital Resources, Books, Styling Services, Consultations, etc.). This is an exciting space because you are able to work directly with the consumer and make higher profit margins because you are selling your own stuff.

Final Thoughts:

I have sooooooo much to do. This blogging work is like a never ending to-do list and I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface. I'm breathing and doing my best to not let it make me feel crazy. There are soooo many pieces to this puzzle, and this hustle is perfect for me because I love figuring things out. It's challenging, and the more I work in this world, the more I respect it. This is NOT a toy or a cute hobby (at least not in my case). If you are seriously building your blog, it can turn into a legitimate brand and business. But, it's going to require work, and more work, and more work, and a whole lot of strategy. Lastly, what keeps me going is the BIG VISION, reflecting on how far I've come, and using these web pages as my canvas for my blogs, that to me, represent my art.

I wish you the best! I hope this blog served you, and I am linking the books I read/ skimmed through during spring break. Also, you can find them on my Amazon page, linked in the footer of this website. Lastly, as you can see, I am still learning, so if you have a good tip or resource, please share with a comment below! Thanks!!

I got this cute blouse from zaful.com, and I added the link below!