My brain is on blogging overload today! I just returned from Megaphone Summit 2018 where I made a last minute decision to attend this local blogging conference. And boy did it pay off again! Last year was my very first Megaphone and I walked away with such a kick in the pants that really got this whole blog thing on track. They lit an even bigger fire in me this weekend and now I’m processing all the things. If you have ever wanted to blog, or maybe you’re wondering what does she do behind this computer screen all day, then your questions are about to be answered as you enter into my jumbled mind. Here are my Top 5 Megaphone Summit Take Away’s – Blogging Tips & Tricks.
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED A BRANDING PORTRAIT SESSION? WHY OR WHY NOT?
Brand portraits are an extension of the traditional professional head shot session a person receives for their business or brand. Branding photo shoots allow you to showcase not only your personality, but present your vision and business.
LeSha recently had a brand portrait session and today she is talking about the importance of brand portraits. She covers topics like:
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
TOP 5 REASONS
STEPS TO TAKE FOR BRAND PORTRAITS
MY EXPERIENCE WITH BRAND PORTRAITS
Check out her blog The Lovely Photog to READ MORE!
This past weekend I attended one of my favorite things I get to do all year – Megaphone Summit 2018 (#Megaphone18). Maybe it’s because so many of my favorite people all in one room. Maybe its because it’s in one of my favorite places in the whole U.S. of A (Fayetteville, AR). Maybe its because it brings my annual kick in the pants. Maybe because the value vs. the things I bring home just makes so much sense. I could keep going. But, my heart is full, my mind was rolling on the way home, my anxiety level kicked in on Sunday afternoon with all the things I felt like I needed to catch up on, and the notes in my journal pad were super, super full.
As I come off this incredible weekend that really did so much for my heart and hustle, I thought I’d share with you 2 lists – what I learned and what I’ve got to do. READ MORE…
I’m having one of those days where I just don’t want to write the post. Well, at least not the post that I’ve been paid to write and should be working on. But, Little Man is asleep and I have the short window to be productive so my mind is rolling through – what are some blog things I could be doing even when I don’t want to write? READ MORE…
If you aren’t a blogger or social media influencer then you will probably have zero interest in this post. HA! But really though…today am going to talk about Instagram Pods and what I really think about them. This all stemmed from an article that was on BuzzFeed a couple of weeks ago titled “Facebook Removes 10 Instagram Algorithm-Gaming Groups with Hundreds of Thousands of Members”.
I remember seeing the article and skipping over it because I didn’t know what “algorithm-gaming groups” were but when I started seeing it popping up in all of my blogging facebook groups I knew I had to check it out. That’s when I discovered that it was all about Instagram Pods, Facebook groups that were all about them and that BuzzFeed had somehow infiltrated them and gotten them shut down. Bad move BuzzFeed. I mean, why? What did those groups really do to you?
If you are confused as to what these groups did and why they got shut down let me explain.
I recently had a discussion with a fellow blogger about SSL certificates because my site got hacked last week and she thought having the certificate would cover you against attacks. Well, guess what friends, it won’t and I’m here today to tell you why, things you can do to prevent attacks and what, exactly, your SSL certificate does for you/your website.
First things first, what in the world is an SSL Certificate?? Most people didn’t actually know anything about SSL certificates or had even heard of them until last fall when Google announced that they were going to start flagging sites that didn’t have them and marking them as “unsafe”. You can physically see when a site is marked unsafe because the little green lock shown in the photo of a browser below will be red and/or not locked. The website’s address will also be HTTPS and not just HTTP.
To find out exactly what an SSL certificate is and does click here to READ MORE.
Have you also heard about how important SEO is for your blog, but don’t know where to start? Have your pageviews hit a plateau? Are you looking for the latest SEO tips to help out? Then read on!
“I just googled….” , “You don’t know this, then Google it!” – the word “Google” has become a part of our day-to-day life; there are over 3.5 BILLION searches on Google every single day. Imagine if you were to get just 1% of this searches landing on your blog. Sounds dreamy, right?
Well, friends, have I got a treat for you! The acclaimed SEO Consultant , ClemSEO, is sharing the 3 SEO tips you need to know to get you started with your own SEO. In this post, you will find the tools you need as well as the questions to ask yourself to help you set up your strategy and improve your pageviews. Let’s start, shall we?
Talk Bloggy to Me is a little blogging series I started on my blog at the beginning of the year. One of my most popular posts from that series is all about my favorite photo editing apps for your phone!! If you have been blogging for any length of time then you know that while content is king photography is queen. I don’t know about you but sometimes I don’t have time to whip out my fancy camera, get the setting just right, take photos, upload them, edit them and then get them to social media or my blog. That’s too much work!! So I take about 99% of my photos with my iPhone and edit them with apps on my phone. It’s quick, easy and works! My motto is work smarter not harder…ok?
READ MORE to see my five favorite photo editing apps!
Ricci Ellis is an Arkansas native who has some serious love for the natural state. She loves big hair, monograms, blogging, caramel frappes from McDonald’s and being the “cool” Aunt among other things. She has one spoiled rotten puppy girl, Sophie. You can catch up with her on her Arkansas lifestyle and beauty blog, Ricci Alexis, or on Facebook,Instagram,Twitter or Pinterest!
I’m just back from a trip to Paris with my mom and sister which was super lovely.
I’ve been playing catch up this week, but I have a lot on my brain regarding blogging and writing lately.
I’m taking a new writing course and doing some new projects to breathe a little life into my blog.
Because new inspiration + new adventures = happy blogging!
So, here are 5 great things about blogging + writing + storytelling that I have read lately.
I think they are all super helpful!!
Why + How to Update Old Blog Posts. If you have been blogging for a long time, this is post is for you! Sarah explains how she waaaaay upped her page views using these easy tips. Yay for increased traffic to old posts!
Traditional Publishing vs. Self Publishing. I have really been committed to traditional publishing for my first book, but this post (and several others) have me thinking that maybe it’s time to self-publish. Good stuff.
Free Writing Webinars from Leigh at the Creative Revolution. Also, she’s hosting a writing retreat in Nicaragua. (Yes please!) Leigh is forever putting helpful information out into the world for those of us who are trying to make a living as writers. Thank you!
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr. I have been slowly working my way through this brilliant book. Mary Karr is is the queen of memoir. Her (THREE!) memoirs are some of my favorite books in the world. Reading about how she pulled those stories out of her brain and edited them to bits is making me pay closer attention to the world and tell my own stories better. Here’s a great quote from the book:
“Literature makes us better noticers of life; we get to practice on life itself; which in turn makes us better readers of detail in literature; which in turn makes us better readers of life.” ? Mary Karr, The Art of Memoir
I would love to hear what you’ve found lately that is inspiring or helpful for you in blogging (and in life)!
What adventures are you taking in blogging in 2016?
I’ll be back next month with a new column about blogging, after I finish editing all my photos of Paris!
There are few things that bore me more than email newsletters.
Seriously.
Unroll.me has saved my life from the tedium of having my inbox constantly interrupted with the inane announcements that fill most email newsletters. Just in case you don’t know about it, Unroll.me is a brilliant service that a) helps you efficiently unsubscribe from everything you don’t want and b) rolls up the rest of your subscriptions so that you only get them once a day.
When I read my Unroll.me roundup, I delete almost all of it at barely a glance. I don’t even bother opening most of the emails, and when I do open one, I am usually irritated that I bothered.
Because they are so boring.
15% off sales. Lists of things I MUST have. Articles that EVERYONE ELSE has read. Places that I MUST TRAVEL THIS YEAR.
DELETE. DELETE. DELETE.
So, friends, I ask you…
WHY should we even bother having an email newsletter for our blogs?
Do we just hope that everyone else is not like me and they read rather than delete most of their emails? (I doubt it.)
Even if only 2% of the people who receive it open it and read it, should we just be glad that those 2% are reading? (Maybe.)
Do some of us have the ability to convert an email newsletter into sales if we are using our blogs to sell products? (Perhaps.)
Do we continue to try to collect our blog readers’ email addresses in the hopes that one day we will write a book and when that happens we will be able to email them all and beg them to buy it? (Just me???)
Actually, I am not sure why we are supposed to have an email newsletter. I think that maybe the answer to that question is as individual as each of our blogs. When I asked myself this morning why I have an email newsletter, in addition to the above and rather unlikely scenario, this is what I came up with:
When someone subscribes to my blog via email, they are saying to me: Hey, I like what you do! Keep doing it. Oh, and I don’t want to miss it when you do some more.
And I like that kind of feedback. I am delighted if someone reads something I write, and likes it. And wants to read more. It feels good. And it encourages me to keep writing.
Sidenote: However, it doesn’t happen very often so I have to find other encouragement to keep writing. If I was relying on email subscriptions for my motivation to write, well, let’s just say I would never write anything. Ditto comments and social media likes/shares.
So, that’s my reason for having an email newsletter. It’s probably not the greatest, but for what it’s worth, it seems like a good enough reason to keep having one.
What’s your reason for having an email newsletter?
I think it’s a good idea to come up with an answer to that question before you go any further.
But I’ll move on.
How do I get more subscribers to my email newsletter?
Let’s talk about how to build that list. Get those subscribers.
Here’s what I have surmised are the best ways to get email subscribers.
Pop-ups and Opt-ins.
Personally I have not used either of these methods because I really, really want people to subscribe to me out of a sheer sense of delight in reading my blog. (I live in a fantasy world.) Not because I interrupt them with a pop-up or because I dupe them with a free PDF of Camping Menus or Travel Tips. In my head, I am afraid that if I dupe people with these methods into typing their email addresses into a box, that they will be inclined to quickly unsubscribe when they have the option the next time they receive an email from me. (Because again, Unroll.me.)
But people use these methods because they work. And depending on the goals you have for your newsletter, you might want to grow that email base, so you should probably use them too.
Pop-ups and Opt-ins are relatively easy to add to your blog via plugins. Of course, if you want to use an Opt-in (something you offer for free in exchange for someone subscribing to your blog), you have to write it first. But after you have your Opt-in material, you can easily distribute it with the help of a pop-up.
Sidenote: You can actually listen to a podcast where the man who invented the pop-up now apologizes for ruining the internet with this annoying feature. It’s pretty funny.
Ok, now that you have all those email subscribers, what do you do with them?
Of course, that depends on what your goals are in the first place. See again: Why should I have an email newsletter?
But, as far as your future email missives to your readers go, I have some suggestions. These are not proven to work. They are based solely on my personal preferences, so you can take them with a grain of salt. But if you’ve gone to the trouble of creating pop-ups and opt-ins and collecting email addresses, I feel that at this point, you don’t want to lose those same subscribers by having a boring email newsletter.
Also, I have been playing around with a newsletter for my blog for a couple of years now. I use Mailchimp to send a little hello out into about 90 inboxes about once a month, and I am just beginning to get a feel for what makes people decide to hit the eject button. I still only have a 50% open rate (Mailchimp’s fancy statistics are free), but I keep trying to hit my email stride.
So here are my top tips for keeping your newsletter NOT BORING.
Keep it short.
I am a fan of Longform. And I am a big believer in blog posts being as long as you want them. (OBVIOUSLY! As I drone on and on here…) But emails should be short. Very to. the. point. Lately, I have even been experimenting with leaving photos out of my emails. Just one less thing for people to have to wait to load. However, if I do use a photo, I use only one. Not a collage my last 18 Instagrams. Simple is best.
Be consistent, but don’t overload.
I vote for once a month. Or less. Be succinct. Choose the best of your blog posts to highlight and let your readers wander around to the rest of them once they are on your website. Don’t include a bunch of partial feeds. I don’t want to read the first paragraphs of four different articles. Just tell me about the best one. Oh, and maybe tell me a little bit about you. It’s been a minute since I subscribed and maybe I can’t remember who you are. But briefly. (Remember, keep it short.)
Keep it delightful.
Every time you land in someone’s inbox, they are giving you their attention, even if it is only for a second. I want to be the email that is a “Daymaker.” I know I am just one person writing my heart out in one little corner of the internet, but I still want to use my words to bring light and love and joy into the lives of whoever reads them.
So when I sit down to craft something that is going to land in someone’s inbox, I am going for delight. One thing that helps me is that sometimes I pretend I am just writing a quick email to a very dear friend. Of course, I don’t want to bore my friend!
So go forth and write email newsletters friends! (If you want to.)
Oh, and if you want to subscribe to my blog or email newsletter, well, you can do that right here.
(See what I did there? Tricksy.)
I think it would be super valuable for all of us if you were willing to share in the comments a few words about your experience with or questions about email newsletters. Do you have one? Does it work? What service do you use to write it? How do you get your followers? How do you keep your followers? Tell us all about it. Collectively, we probably know LOADS about email newsletters!
Ricci Ellis is an Arkansas native who has some serious love for the natural state. She loves big hair, monograms, blogging, caramel frappes from McDonald’s and being the “cool” Aunt among other things. She has one spoiled rotten puppy girl, Sophie. You can catch up with her on her Arkansas lifestyle and beauty blog, 
