the art of blogging: my favorite tips

Blogging has played a huge role in the evolution of my creative business. What began back in 2005 as a way to document my journey as an artist, has grown into something I never could have imagined! I currently have millions of readers all over the world, my blog has enabled me to generate income for my creative business and many of my posts and projects have "gone viral" or been picked up by a variety of media outlets. Needless to say I've learned a lot about the art of blogging and while I am not an expert, I do have all kinds of tips and valuable information to share!

My latest class The Art of Blogging is in full swing and while I can't give everything away, I thought it would be fun to put together a "mini lesson" here on my blog. So I have gathered 6 of my favorite blogging tips and instead of writing it all down (too lazy) I've put it into video. Try and imagine we are sitting down together for a conversation all about blogging!

Just a word of warning: this video is 28 minutes long and I talk a lot and share A LOT of information. So if you don't have the time or the patience to watch me blab, feel free to skip 

to the bloopers at the end or read the summary below :)

blogging tips from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

Summary:

1. DEFINE WHO YOU ARE: Take some time to really reflect on who you are what sets you apart from other people. Ask yourself a few questions- 

• Why do you blog?
• What are your blogging goals?
• What unique experiences, talents, gifts, passion, and knowledge do you have to share?
• How can you use those uniques things in your blog content? 
• What kind of people do you want to read your blog?

2. LOOK INTO YOUR LIFE FOR INSPIRATION: Your life is the best place to look for inspiration and ideas for blogging content. Start taking notice of the things that you do and write them down. They don't have to be special or extraordinary, they simply have to be things from your life. Once you have a big list, you can then go back and really take time to think about how you could turn some of those things into blog content. 

3. LOOK FOR TREND NOT IDEAS: If you need to use the internet for inspiration don't get caught up in copying or using someone's ideas- instead try looking for trends that you can use a starting point and then add your twist. 

4. TAKE GREAT PHOTOS: Photography is what will really make your content stand out! 

• Make a little time to learn and experiment with taking photos. 
• Play with light, angles and creative ways to document your content. 
• Keep a camera on hand at all times. You never know when you might stumble on something special!

5. GREAT CONTENT IS THE BEST KIND OF MARKETING: Use social media to market your blog but try to find ways to come up with content that will keep readers coming back for more!

6. TAKE TIME TO GET ORGANIZED: A big part of planning and creating great blog content is staying organized.Treat the blogging process like a job with goals, steps, planning and a schedule:

• Make a list
• Keep a blogging calendar
• Stick to a schedule
• Create content in advance