Blogging 101

We’ve had some readers express interest in learning about blogging so we’ve decided to make it a weekly series on Mommies with Cents! If you are interested in learning how to start your own blog or to cultivate and grow the one you have, we welcome you to join us!

We’ve talked about how to gain readers here, here and here but now lets talk about keeping readers.  The most important thing you can do to keep the readers you already have is to keep your content fresh.  The topic or genre of your blog determines how often you need to post new content.  Since our blog is mostly time sensitive bargains, deals and freebies we aim to post at least 8 posts per day.  Many other bloggers in our genre post quite a bit more and some post less but almost all of the successful ones post daily- 7 days a week!  If your blog focuses on a topic like gardening or cooking you’ll likely be able to post something every few days and still keep your readers but it’s important  not to have a lot of time lapse without an update or readers will stop checking in.  If you’ll be out for awhile you can post a little note saying when you’ll return so readers don’t think you’ve abandoned them.

When Mindy and I started out we had no idea what we were doing. We learned as we went and even though it’s been a few years, there is still so much to learn! We are learning new things all of the time and it’s so much fun! We’ve had help along the way and we want to pay it forward. If you have a question you’d like to see answered here, we invite you to fill out the form below.

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We’ve had some readers express interest in learning about blogging so we’ve decided to make it a weekly series on Mommies with Cents! If you are interested in learning how to start your own blog or to cultivate and grow the one you have, we welcome you to join us!

Today’s question is: How do you gain readers? (see part 1 here and part 2 here)

The good news is there are lots of ways to gain readers. That bad news? They all take a time commitment and effort. We’ll take a couple of weeks to cover different ways to help you gain readers.

In parts 1 and 2 we covered guest posting on other blogs to broaden your reach and being social with other bloggers, and on Twitter and Facebook to gain readers. This week our suggestion is to think outside of the box.  Just because your blog is online doesn’t mean you can’t connect with people in the real world.  Have some business cards made up (get 250 free business cards and pay only the cost of shipping) and hand them to moms at playgroups, families at church or post them on bulletin boards around your community.  One year I handed out our business card with a lolly pop attached to Trick or Treaters on Halloween.

Mindy and I also have our website address in big vinyl letters on the back window of our mini vans.  I’m not sure if it has brought in any traffic but it couldn’t hurt.  That’s nearly free advertising!

Mindy had a great idea to have tee-shirts made up with our website address on them.  She was going to wear one while at the airport.  It’s a busy place and there can be a lot of sitting around, people watching…who knows?  We could gain a few loyal readers that never would have found us otherwise! Tees can be made on the cheap here.  They can be worn anytime you know you’ll be around a crowd or even when you are out doing your grocery shopping.  Speaking of shopping, why not get a personalized reusable shopping tote bag too?

Do you have any tips on how to gain readers? we are always learning and would love to hear your suggestions! Next week we’ll go over another method for gaining readers so check back! For more tips, see all of our posts in our Blogging 101 Series.

When Mindy and I started out we had no idea what we were doing. We learned as we went and even though it’s been a few years, there is still so much to learn! We are learning new things all of the time and it’s so much fun! We’ve had help along the way and we want to pay it forward. If you have a question you’d like to see answered here, we invite you to fill out the form below.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

We’ve had some readers express interest in learning about blogging so we’ve decided to make it a weekly series on Mommies with Cents! If you are interested in learning how to start your own blog or to cultivate and grow the one you have, we welcome you to join us!

Today’s question is: How do you gain readers? (see part 1 here)

The good news is there are lots of ways to gain readers. That bad news? They all take a time commitment and effort. We’ll take a couple of weeks to cover different ways to help you gain readers.

Last week we talked about being social with other bloggers, and on Twitter and Facebook to gain readers.  This week our suggestion is to guest post on other blogs.  Have no idea what I’m talking about?  Let me explain.  A guest post is an article written by you.  It can be a tutorial or an article on a topic you are well versed in (or anything really, as long as the content is suitable for the blog you are submitting it to).  It is shared with another blogger to be posted on their blog with a link back to your own.  Guest posts are great for a number of reasons.  As you will soon find out if you haven’t already, blogging is a lot of work.  It’s important not to leave your blog dormant for days at a time or readers will lose interest and think you’ve abandoned them.

Lets say you are planning on taking a family vacation.  Depending on the type of blog you have and your commitment, you probably won’t be blogging much from the road.  You can schedule posts ahead of time so your blog is on a sort of auto pilot but scheduling a weeks worth of posts ahead of time is a big task.  We probably get at least one email a week from fellow bloggers asking for guest post submissions to help them with content so they can take a little time off.  Even if you aren’t asked directly, you can email a few of your favorite bloggers and offer to submit a guest post to them.  Chances are, they’ll be grateful as long as the post is thought out and well written.  Some bloggers will require that the content has not been published elsewhere, either on your own blog or as a guest post on another blog, but many won’t mind if it has been.

It doesn’t hurt to write a short bio to include with your guest post and makes it easier on the blogger you are submitting it to.  Include a link to your blog and a short blurb about who you are.

Why is submitting a guest post beneficial to you?  Your content will reach new potential readers.  If they like what they see, they’ll hope over and check out your blog.  As you can see, guest posts can benefit both the writer and the blogger who publishes it.  Reach out and meet some new bloggers in the process!

Do you have any tips on how to gain readers? we are always learning and would love to hear your suggestions! Next week we’ll go over another method for gaining readers so check back! For more tips, see all of our posts in our Blogging 101 Series.

When Mindy and I started out we had no idea what we were doing. We learned as we went and even though it’s been a few years, there is still so much to learn! We are learning new things all of the time and it’s so much fun! We’ve had help along the way and we want to pay it forward. If you have a question you’d like to see answered here, we invite you to fill out the form below.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

We’ve had some readers express interest in learning about blogging so we’ve decided to make it a weekly series on Mommies with Cents! If you are interested in learning how to start your own blog or to cultivate and grow the one you have, we welcome you to join us!

Today’s question is:  How do you gain readers?

The good news is there are lots of ways to gain readers.  That bad news?  They all take a time commitment and effort.  We’ll take a couple of weeks to cover different ways to help you gain readers.

A great way to gain readers is by being involved in online communities and being social.  Engage with readers and other bloggers on Twitter and Facebook.  Start a dialog or interact with them.  Follow or fan people that interest you- they are likely to follow or fan you back.  Visit other blogs and leave comments. Building relationships will establish a solid readership of people who will visit your blog again and again.

Admittedly, this isn’t one of our strong suits.  Mindy and I have three small children each making time something we severely lack.  We tend to do these things in bursts when we have time.  Unfortunately, that isn’t often.  It’s fun to be social though and an easy way to gain and keep readers.

Do you have any tips on how to gain readers?  we are always learning and would love to hear your suggestions!  Next week we’ll go over another method for gaining readers so check back!  For more tips, see all of our posts in our Blogging 101 Series.

When Mindy and I started out we had no idea what we were doing. We learned as we went and even though it’s been a few years, there is still so much to learn! We are learning new things all of the time and it’s so much fun! We’ve had help along the way and we want to pay it forward. If you have a question you’d like to see answered here, we invite you to fill out the form below.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

We’ve had some readers express interest in learning about blogging so we’ve decided to make it a weekly series on Mommies with Cents! If you are interested in learning how to start your own blog or to cultivate and grow the one you have, we welcome you to join us!

Today’s question is: Where do you find your blog stats?

When you start working with PR representatives and prospective advertisers you’ll probably be asked to provide from statistics.  The best thing to do is provide this information in a media kit but that’s a lesson we’ll cover later.  Here’s some helpful (hopefully!) information to get you started:

1. Install a tracking code from a service such as Google Analytics or StatCounter- both sites have instructions on where and how to install the code.  These will track your visitors so you’ll know your monthly page views, unique visitors etc.
2. Alexa Rank- This is a ranking system of their own but a lot of people use it as a gauge.  It also tracks your traffic & reach
3. Google Page Rank- Another scoring system that is widely used. You are scored on a scale of 0-10. You can check your page rank here.
4. Technorati- measures a site’s standing & influence in the blogosphere based on how many sites link to you.  You need to get a “claim token” for Technorati to track this for you so you’ll have to sign up for an account.
5. Facebook- If you don’t already have a fan page, its a good idea to create one.  Make sure you sign up as a business then start building your fan base.  You’ll want to post about your blog on Facebook to gain readers.
6. Twitter- Create a Twitter account for your blog and build your followers.  You’ll want to tweet links to your blog posts to bring readers to your site.
7. Email Subscribers- Give your readers an option to subscribe to your blog via email.  We use Feedburner.  It’s free.
8. Feed Subscribers- Give your readers an option to subscribe to your blog via a feed.  You can use Feedburner for this as well.  Feedburner will track how many subscribers you have so when you are asked, you’ll know.

I realize that for some of you, we may be getting into things you don’t have set up yet or don’t understand. Topics for the future!  So stick around!

When Mindy and I started out we had no idea what we were doing. We learned as we went and even though it’s been a few years, there is still so much to learn! We are learning new things all of the time and it’s so much fun! We’ve had help along the way and we want to pay it forward. If you have a question you’d like to see answered here, we invite you to fill out the form below.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

We’ve had some readers express interest in learning about blogging so we’ve decided to make it a weekly series on Mommies with Cents! If you are interested in learning how to start your own blog or to cultivate and grow the one you have, we welcome you to join us!

Today’s lesson is: Using Google Forms for Giveaways

First, a great way to gain readers and traffic is by hosting a giveaway (see previous Blogging 101 post on how to get sponsors).  Once you have a giveaway to host, you’ll need a way to have readers enter to win.  Many blogs just have entrants leave a comment.  We used to do it that way too until we discovered Google forms.  Google forms help us eliminate some of the extra work that giveaways require.  Since the entry form is secure, we can ask entrants to leave their email and mailing addresses.  When the winner is selected, we know exactly where to send the prize to so all we have to do is email a notification.  We don’t have to wait for a response or go through the hassle of selecting an alternate if the winner doesn’t respond.  Entries on the form are already numbered so when you use random.org (or something similar) to draw your winner you won’t have to count comments which is a real pain.  Here’s how to use a google document as an entry form:

1. If you don’t already have a Gmail account, create one.  We’ll show you how Gmail helps you stay organized as a blogger in a future post but you’ll need a Gmail account to create a Google Document (correct me if I’m wrong!).  We suggest using “yourblogname” @gmail.com.  If you already have an email account for your blog, you can set up a forwarding service so your email will all go to one account.
2. Once you are signed in to your gmail account, click on “documents” in the upper left corner.  This will open into a new tab on your browser.
3. On the left click “Create New” and select “form” from the drop down menu.
4. Create your form as desired.  We recommend asking for Name & Address and Email Address.  For each item required, check the “make this a required question” box.  We also have a space for extra entries.
5. When your form is complete, click save on the top right.  Then click “more actions”.
6. If you want your own entry confirmation message, select “edit confirmation”, type what you want it to say and click “save”
7. After (or otherwise) select “embed” from the drop down menu and copy the code
8. Paste the code where you want your form to appear.  Make sure to put it in the HTML editor.  If you are using wordpress, you must publish (or schedule) the post without switching back to visual mode or it will alter the code and the form won’t work.  Just put the code in as the last step and you won’t have any problems.

We were asked how to make comments numbered but thought that this might be more useful for many of you.  To get your comments numbered, you’ll have to edit your template HTML which might be a challenge for beginning bloggers.  If you are feeling adventurous, you might try googling it for step by step directions.  Be careful though!  Editing your template is a delicate thing- be sure to back up a copy of your blog in case anything goes wrong.

(P.S. In case you were wondering what a google form looks like, that’s one right below!)

When Mindy and I started out we had no idea what we were doing. We learned as we went and even though it’s been a few years, there is still so much to learn! We are learning new things all of the time and it’s so much fun! We’ve had help along the way and we want to pay it forward. If you have a question you’d like to see answered here, we invite you to fill out the form below.

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