Tips for blogging regularly

[RebeccasSoapDeli]

When I was working part time and soaping full time, it was easier to keep up with blogging. However, after a recent bout of almost unbearable pain and being practically unable to walk - then being diagnosed with fibromyalgia which has been undiagnosed for years but only flared up to an unbearable point recently - I have had to switch things around. I now work full time for health insurance and soap part time. Because working full time wipes me out almost completely by the end of the day, I can rarely get any work down for the soaping biz expect on weekend. Do you have any advice for blogging regularly when your body doesn't want to let you?

[Former_Member]

Hi Rebecca,

Instead of answering to your question, I'm going to make you a question.
Are you marketing your soap business off line ?
With all these online widgets, gadgets, apps and other contraptions, we often disregard the off line side of things.

José

[Former_Member]

Hi Rebecca, I'm sorry to hear you're having health issues. I know all about trying to work on my business while life tries really hard to make it really hard :)

I go though periods of blogging quite a bit and then like now (pregnant, husband's away, toddler has no childcare for the summer, heat wave, you know fun stuff) I am trying just to blog once a week.

So I guess what I'm saying is that having realistic and obtainable goals is how I keep feeling on top of things. That said I am dropping other things. My blog brings my shop lots of traffic so it's a priority. Treasuries used to be but aren't anymore so I've cut down on my participation on treasury teams. I do have good results from guest posting on other blogs, but only huge ones so as much as I like supporting new blogs and the little guys I've committed to saying no to every guest post, giveaway, and interview request unless I've worked with them before or they have massive traffic that is exactly my target market until this new baby is 6 months old. I have also dropped all my local markets until next year.

Wearing myself out is not in the business plan! Good luck!

[RebeccasSoapDeli]

Thanks for the feedback cubits. I think I'm going to try to blog 3x a week and just pick a day to blog and schedule them out a bit. I am a lot less active on etsy than I used to be already. My big pushes come from my blog, facebook and pinterest so those are the things I'm focusing on.

Jose, I used to sell on the farmer's market and that was a good bit of income. However I am not physically able to do shows anymore or sell that way. My shop is online only - since I can't keep inventory high enough to do wholesale any longer - so marketing online brings me the most benefit for my time.

[Unblushing]

I'm so sorry to hear Rebecca! :[ You have such a wonderful blog, it's very obvious how much time and devotion you have for it. This must be so hard to deal with. :/

I currently work full-time and blog "part-time" although I try to blog 5 times a week still. I don't know how your full-time job is but if I ever have a lull at my day job I try to bust out a blog post. And honestly, the most of my prepping for blog posts is done on weekends. I take photos on the weekends for multiple blog posts during the week. It's hard sometimes to stay on top of it (for instance, this weekend I decided I deserved a weekend off and now I'm freaking out about what to post this week!) but you obviously have a dedication to your blog which is ultimately what it comes down to.

Just take advantage of the spare time that you do have. If you're on a roll, bust out a couple blog posts and just save them for later you know?

Good luck! xo JA

[RebeccasSoapDeli]

Thanks, Julie! I'm going to take the blog more when I feel better and schedule out approach I think so I don't feel guilty about not doing it and needing to do it when days are extra hard. Your blog is amazing too and I pin and stumble your fab posts from time to time to give you some much deserved love.

[LunasLuxe]

Rebecca I feel your pain, literally. When I am not doing well I bump old posts. Presently I am trying to get other people to share their blog posts. It doesn't need to be something written just for me. It just would be nice to have content other than what is provided by me. Especially when I am having more bad days than good it's near impossible to get through the day never mind blog.

[RebeccasSoapDeli]

Bellina, I have tried to find contributors but have had little success. I'm not sure how to go about it. I've been getting a LOT more views lately - yesterday I had over 9K uniques alone - and it would be great exposure for a new blogger or shop. Any tips on finding guest bloggers? I will consider re-posting old posts with a few updates to them. That's a great suggestion. Take care!

[LunasLuxe]

LOL I don't have any tips because I haven't had much success either. If there is anything on my blog that you'd like to trade I'd be open to that! I think I've only had a handful.

[RebeccasSoapDeli]

What's your blog address?

[LunasLuxe]

http://www.bellinacreations.blogspot.com/

I'm already following you. I love your blog! So many wonderful recipes. I just haven't gotten around to actually buckling down to make them!

[Former_Member]

Sorry to hear your situation. I hope there are things that can help.

I agree with the scheduling thing. Sometimes I have a lot to say and sometimes I don't. So, if I have a lot, I put it all down and schedule it out. If I have more come in before that schedule has completed, I just load it on to the scheduled posts. That will probably work best for your up and down days.

What kind of guest posts are you interested in? Tweaking old content sounds a lot less intense than writing new. Most of my blog is what I'm up to in the craft world and what I just made, so I don't have much "shareable" content, but interested in the topics/categories you would be looking for.

[WirequeenJewelry]

Rebecca, I had to stop doing shows because of ailments. I attended a social media conference today that addressed this same issue. Get a calender and determine for the month the 4 broad categories you want to cover. Then break each broad categories down to three areas. Write your blog posts and then go back and find pictures to represent your posts.

If you do it this way, then you can still add any hot button topic you want with a quick post.

Good luck and God Bless.

[Former_Member]

Sorry about your medical consition.
My daughter is an avid swimmer, so I spend quite some time at poolsides while she is practising... good time for me to write a blog ;-)
Feel free to check it out: http://smplianwi.blogspot.com but just started a few weeks ago, so no 9K viewers yet. Today I had 300..

[Former_Member]

I've had fibro for 9 years diagnosed, plus 5 undiagnosed, and I'm only 24 so most of my life. I have been making jewelry for about as long as fibro so... yeah I feel ya. I like the tips above about over planning everything and breaking them up into short, doable tasks. Don't forget, since fibro is super stressed based, taking time out to do things you love actually can ease or least delay pain. Whenever art starts becoming obligatory or stress inducing, a change is in order.

[RebeccasSoapDeli]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Sorry it took so long to respond but I've not been able to get online until now. Danielle, keeping my stress level down is the hardest for me but I'm trying! I've had pain since my late teens that grew especially bad through college and am only now realizing that it was the fibro then as it is now. Unfortunately I was only diagnosed with depression that masked some symptoms and made others worse. It was coming off the anti-depressents that I was finally able to get an accurate diagnosis. I've also not struggled with the depression since losing the meds and figuring out the root cause. The best of luck to you and everyone else!