How I Turned My Blog Into A Business
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Just over three years ago, I made the life-changing decision to quit my full-time job as a chef to focus on blogging and making a living online. In this post, I am going to be looking at the ways I turned my blog into a business and how I am continuing to grow my little online empire.
Why I Wanted To Turn My Blog Into A Business
One of the reasons I quit my job as a chef as was the unsociable hours. Working every weekend and four evenings a week meant I barely saw my husband.
I also felt that working from home would be a great option for when we decided to have children (something which happened rather sooner than we had expected it to!) Working as and when I wanted without needing to pay for childcare seemed ideal as with a little one there is no way could have done the hours I was doing before.
How I Turned My Blog Into A Business
Turning my blog into a business wasn’t easy. It took a look of time and effort growing it to where it is today. When I first started blogging back in 2016, I was working full time and spending 20+ hours a week on my blog – writing posts, guest posting for other bloggers, joining in with Twitter chats and learning various aspects of running a website.
However, all of that hard work paid off and I now make the same amount blogging 30 hours a week as I did working full time as a chef, with the added bonus of no weekends or evenings and being able to work as and when I want to.
Here are some of the things I did to help grow my blog as a business and a brand:
1. Connected With Other Bloggers
It can be easy to see those working in the same industry as you, who are trying to achieve the same things as you as the competition. However, making friends with other bloggers is the way to go.
We share opportunities with each other – something that isn’t right for me may well work for one of my blogging colleagues – and help each other out with advice. Working from home can be lonely so it’s nice to speak to others that get it!
2. Attended Networking Events
I love being part of the U.K money bloggers community, where we meet each year for an annual conference and awards. Part of this is a networking event where attendees can meet and connect with brands that are looking to work with bloggers. This has brought me work in the form of sponsored content and some brands have even come back and asked to work with me again.
3. Gained Media Coverage
I was lucky enough to win the best Frugal & Thrift blog two years running through the UK Money Blogging awards. Going up for an award may seem scary but it also helps to bring confidence and credibility to your blog.
This award was judged by brands, other bloggers and journalists so really helped me feel as though as was getting my content right.
It also made me look like an expert in my field, meaning I’ve had magazines and national newspapers reach out asking for quotes, interviews and opinions on various finance topics.
This in turn helped get my name out there and I’ve had brands contact me after seeing me in the media.
4. Grew My Social Following
Growing a social following does take time. I use a social scheduler to help make sure my website content gets shared regularly but I also chat and engage on social media throughout the day – sharing snippets of my life on Insta stories and tweeting about various things as I go.
Brands like to see an engaged social media following so building a sense of community is key. It’s also a great way to build trust so when you do recommend products people we more likely to take a look and maybe even buy.
5. Started Learning SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation – this means learning how to get your blog to rank on Google, usually using specific keywords.
It’s one of those things that can take a little while to get your head around but it’s worth learning as increased traffic can mean increased advertising revenue.
6. Implemented Multiple Income Streams
While I love making money from my blog, as with any type of self-employment it can be very up and down. This is why it’s sensible to have many different income streams, so you have a range of ways to make money.
Below are some of the ways I earn money online:
- Sponsored Content and Brand Work
- Affiliate marketing
- Freelance Writing
- Advertising with an Ad Network
- Social Media Advertising
Am I An Influencer?
To be honest, I don’t see myself as an influencer, although many might argue that’s what I am.
I do think influencers, on the whole, get a bit of a bad rep – you get the odd one or two asking for freebies and there is a lot of hate from the general public who don’t understand the work involved and brand bloggers as lazy.
While I can see why small businesses don’t want to continually give out freebies I do also think that influencers can provide a lot of value when they connect with the right brands.
Building an engaged audience takes time and effort and that alone doesn’t even begin to cover all the other things bloggers do such as writing, photography, SEO, website design and much more.
Building my blog and my online business is one of the best things I have ever done and I am proud of what I have created and achieved with it.
