Sunday, May 3, 2015

7 Blog Investments You Should Make


As I've mentioned in previous posts, the more I learn about blogging the more work it becomes. Going along with this theme, there was a time when I thought blogging didn't (and shouldn't) cost any money. My opinions on this have quickly changed. Now when I spend money for my blog, rather than thinking of it as an expense I view it as an investment. As such, today I'm going to talk about the seven investments all bloggers should make!


1. Your time and effort. In my opinion, this is the most important investment you can make in your blog. If you put no time into blogging, it will be incredibly obvious to those who come across your blog. Whether it is time in the form of writing new posts, editing old posts, social media promotion, design elements- whatever it is, the time you put towards blogging should be useful. Similarly, effort will show as well. Posts laden with spelling and grammatical mistakes will annoy the majority of readers, and make it difficult to understand what you are trying to communicate. Put forth the time and effort, and you will be rewarded! While you aren't necessarily 'purchasing' time and effort, what you put into blogging is taking away from other things you could be doing. As such, this is an investment you should be making into your blog, from the moment you begin!

2. Custom domain name. Purchasing a custom domain name is the second investment every blogger should make. It is a relatively simple and easy process that has so many rewards. Purchasing a custom domain name displays to the world a certain level of dedication towards blogging. When I started blogging, I began by purchasing hockeywifehockeylife.com , and switched to samanthaangell.com a year and a half later.

3. Custom website theme. After investing your time and effort, and purchasing a custom domain name, the next step is to purchase (or design) a custom website theme. For the non-creatives and HTML-challenged like myself, there are tons of great custom themes available from Etsy and other shops. They range in price, but you can get a great design starting at just $10-15. There are certainly more expensive themes available, but these are not always necessary!

4. An awesome camera. I just recently received a Nikon D3200 for my birthday, and have completely fallen in love with this camera already. The quality of my pictures has improved so much, and I can't wait to continue using this camera and learning more about it! The only thing I dislike about this recent purchase is that I didn't do it months- or years- ago. For any blogger, a great camera is definitely a necessity. There are tons of great DSLR cameras, and other cheaper options out there to fit any budget!

my business cards with contact information and social media links
5. Business cards. If you had asked me six months ago if I thought business cards were necessary for a blog, I likely would have said no. Today, I cannot stress the importance of them- it is such a great way to grow your blog! My best tip for business cards is to get them before you think you need them, even if it is just printing out a few on your home printer. You will be surprised how many opportunities there are to hand out cards and help grow your blog.

6. Educational classes and tutorials. I'm not the best photographer in the world- far from it. With a new camera in hand, I'm greatly looking forward to taking a few photography classes this summer. For any blogger, it can be greatly beneficial to identify what you can improve on, whether it is photography, SEO, HTML coding, anything. Once you've identified what you would like to improve on, find out what classes or tutorials are available to you to help improve!

7. Living a life worth blogging about. This can apply to any type of blog. For beauty and fashion bloggers, this may mean purchasing stylish and fashionable pieces as soon as they hit stores. For a travel and lifestyle blogger like myself, it means that I need to get out of the house and do things worth blogging about. Now, I'm not saying that you have to spend all of your money on things/experiences to blog about- but you definitely have to get out in public once in awhile!

And for today, that is what I have in terms of how you should be spending money on your blog! Of course, there are many other ways you can spend money to invest in your blog. A very popular one is to invest in self hosting. Personally, I haven't felt the absolute need to do this yet- although this could change at any point! What are the best ways you have found to invest in your blog, and how has it paid off for you?

8 comments:

  1. We are twins, I totally wrote a post about this same topic last week! ;) I love your business cards! Did you make them yourself?

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    1. Ah I will have to check yours out and see if there is anything I missed! These cards I made myself- still in the process of finding a card on Etsy or something that I LOVE. Want it to be perfect!

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  2. Great tips Samantha! I had given business cards some serious thought lately, glad to see they made the list!

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    1. You should definitely order them then if you have been thinking about it. Even if it is just some temporary cards while you find a template you love- definitely better to do it sooner rather than later!

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  3. Great post - all of these things are definitely required for a professional blog. I really need to get some business cards ordered ASAP. Have you done any researching into self-hosting? It's kind of a pain to transfer everything, but well worth it once it's completed.

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    1. Thanks Annessa! I've done some research on self-hosting. Right now (and this is terrible of me) after switching my blog over from Hockey Wife, Hockey Life, I just want a break from all of that work! I think the switch will happen sometime when I have a week off of my MBA classes and have more time. Who do you use?

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  4. Great tips, I hadn't even thought about business cards. Where all do you hand them out at?

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    1. Thanks Courtney! I had so many opportunities while on my recent trip to hand out cards. Beyond that, I've been trying to hand them out to anyone I happen to mention my blog too. It is a great reminder for them to later check it out- such a good marketing tool!

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