A couple months ago I asked you all to ‘ask me anything’, absolutely anything – nothing was off the table. With this there was two type of questions being asked, the Mandan questions and then there was the marketing & blogging questions. So I answered the Mandan first, feel free to head over to have a read on what I have wrote.
So today will be – yup you guessed it – the marketing & blogging questions being answered. I actually put it off due to the fact I was going to include it to an article I was writing on a different site about similar topic, so I thought it would be perfect; however, it fell through and thought what the heck, now is the best time answer.
So without further ado, let get on with it and I hope you will enjoy reading it. You might want to put some tea on and sit in a comfy position as I’m in a chatty mood and this could go for a while, as once I start, I might not be able to stop.
Ruby: Hello! What are your top 5 tips for encouraging traffic to your site?
I have since written a blog post on this – on how to increase traffic to your blog. So feel free to have a look at this for some advice. But very quickly, my 5 top tips are: Stumbleupon, Facebook groups, comments, blog links up and Pinterest. Hope that help.
MELANIE EDJOURIAN: ooooo goodie, I have one!!!! How do you check your backlinks to see if you have bad ones?
Make sure you are connected to Google Webmaster and you view from there, you will find it under >links to site. Also you can always Google your site using this site:www.blagblah.com (change the blagblah to your own site) and that should only show result relating to your site. Also check Google Analytic under referral.
shannon Ritchie: Do you have tips for aspiring/new bloggers that you wish you knew when starting a blog?
Don’t give up and be yourself. Don’t be afraid to put your personality across your blog and also any of your quirk (for example, I wrote that I was the crazy bunny lady!) you have. Learn html and have fun! You see when I started, blogging was completely different and my advice would still be the same from back then to now.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy: What inspired you to start blogging?
I love writing and sharing my interest with people, I love meet new bloggers and learning about their world. I remember the first blog I read was a girl from Australia and it inspire me to do the same, I then started reading Catwalk Queen written by Gemma Cartwright and I was transfixed and wanted to be in that world, especially as online media was becoming mainstream so I changed my focus on fashion writing.
Sarah Ebner: What do you enjoy most about blogging and (this is connected) what has been your top blogging moment?
I love meeting people! Sorry for the loud over bold hyped statement but I have seriously met some lovely people and shared many ideas and advice. My top blogging moment would be when I got my first paycheck – it wasn’t a lot! But it still made me happy and I went out and brought a top from Asos and Dorothy Perkins.
Fashion and Style Police: Great post idea Anna. My question is how do you find your freelance clients?
I often find them through linkedin or just by Google as they found my business site. I also often send out my CV to distributions services.
WhatLauraLoves: How do you create your blogging schedule or content calendar? Xxx
At the beginning of the year I brought a Filofax with the sole intention to use it as a blogging schedule/calendar. A month after I brought it I lost it – for 3 months! Whoops!! So that idea went out of the window…So currently when I get an idea for a blog post I tend to just write it on my phone notepad. I also get an idea often when I’m at the gym and don’t have access to my phone so I tend to keep it in my head till I can write it down. I will next year start up the whole blogging schedule/calendar with a Filofax and I won’t lose it!
Hannah: What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about blogging?
The ability to write anything I want, at my own pace and at my own schedule. Not to have a boss hoovering over me. I built something and working on my goal – to blog for a living. The least favorite things are the spam, the endless ‘guest blogging’ request, the spam, the pointless press releases, the spam and when people ignore my request. Oh did I mention the spam?
Agnes: Do you have any tips for a successful blog post?
Write long blog post, the longer the better. It tends to be a thing now in the world of blogging that people love reading long blog posts so don’t be afraid to write over 1000 words. Add pictures, use Yoast SEO and don’t afraid to promote it.
My Cool Toy Vids: How long does it take you to post one blog post from beginning to end (including research)?
Up to 3-4 hours sometime. For example, if I’m doing a big shopping page I have to find something I like (and want to share it), save the pictures then cut it down to size using photoshop, keep hold off the link while I’m still looking, write a blog post then put the pictures into my wordpress which often can be a pain in the arse as WordPress like to jump around and I end up making a mess of it. Then make sure the picture collarets with the right links and if it all have no follow tag. Then write a little blurb and make sure it all displaying correctly. Something shopping page can be a pain – but it still fun to do. If I’m writing a big long epic post, I would make sure my husband is out as I concrete better and I have a free evening (I tend to prefer evening then morning or night to write these kind of posts). If I’m doing a picture heavy post, then that can take me a two day, day one to correct it on photoshop and day two to write the blog post.
Anosa: Do you do it full time or part time?
I blog full-time, trying very hard to make it my job or at least another form of income.
Nayna Kanabar: Do you blog as a business or blog as a hobby?
As a business, I basically want this blog here to add another form of income for myself. I’m in the mind-set that I just have to make money as I can’t always relay on my clients to pay me. I’m also in the mid-set where I can be my own boss and I rule the rooster on this business.
Baby Isabella & Deborah Nicholas: Where do you see Nuttall Media in 5 years? Where do you see your blog in 5 years’ time?
With Nuttall Media – hopefully with an office and I have staffs who can help me with the workloads. I also hope I can make a bucket loads of money and be my own boss. With my blog I want it to be my job and hopefully I can make an income where I don’t have to relies on other people for my mortgage payment. I’m hoping that one day I will be blogging from the Maldives.
I hope you have enjoyed that, and now feel you know me a little better. However, feel free in the comments to contribute and to continue with this conversation.
