Blogging is one of those things where you can become so immersed in the world of blogging that you start to think in terms of blog posts. When that happens it’s time to consider if you can go from blog to business.

When you start to see photos you take from the perspective of “how can I edit this to be a blog post header”. Or when your approach to social media changes and you no longer just put out a Facebook status update without carefully considering your audience. If you never just put a picture on Instagram without carefully considering your hashtags. Oh, and you actually know how to use Twitter. If all these things apply to you it’s definitely time to consider how you can take your blog and turn it into a business.

Blog Vs Reality

When you step out of your blogging bubble and have to interact with the real world, it can be something of a, dare I say it, ‘culture shock’. †

Most of the people we spend time with in the real world just take photos for pleasure.

No, really! It’s true.

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They just eat their food without taking a photo of it first, and they go on Facebook to share their daily lives with their friends and family. Just to keep in touch with people living far away who they actually know. And they never really considering who is going to critique their private thoughts!

To these people, the word ‘reach’ is about stretching to touch something a bit further away from them than they would like.

We, as bloggers, speak a different language. One of hashtags, influencers, reach, links, organic followers, page views, stats, audience, sharing and the ever elusive SEO!

I know, right?!

Do you know that in the real world, people don’t speak of such things, well, not in the same way that we do.

They don’t even know what you are on about. And you are the strange one, not them!

Seeing the world in a different way is not a bad thing though, especially when you are in the position to actually help people.

Formulating A Plan

Recently a friend of mine was talking about how she wanted to start her own clothing line. When I spoke to her about her strategy etc. and I started using some of the words above, she had no idea what I was talking about!

I have also been considering how I can use the knowledge I have gained over the course of blogging. What I can actually do with it?

I approached my friend and offered to ‘coach’ her through the social media side of things in the run up to her launch. She was as excited by this as I was. I got to use her project as a ‘guinea-pig’ and she would benefit from my knowledge. You can check it out here.

It was awesome!

Whilst all that was going on, I had a very pushy, well-meaning blogger friend call me up and tell me to do exact what it was I was quietly doing. Love you really Chanene!

Now, as a serial procrastinator I need people to push me to actually do something to make my ‘great ideas’ a reality. Otherwise my self-doubt will eventually talk me out of whatever it is.

Of course my husband is super supportive of this as well … the new venture and other people pushing me too! Or maybe it’s the prospect of me actually making some money, finally, after six years of being a SAHM!

So, What Am I Doing?

Well, I have taken the plunge! 24 hours in and I’m almost regretting it. But it’s like ripping a plaster off (that’s a band-aid to you Americans) – just do it!

Part 1: Social Media Coaching

The first part of my plan is to be a “Social Media Coach“. I want to teach people how to use social media effectively to help themselves. There are many people out there who are happy to pay others to run their marketing strategy and their Facebook business pages themselves. But I want to empower small businesses with the knowledge of how to do it for themselves.

Part 2: Online Editing

The other aspect of the business will be to offer my copy-editing service to creatives and bloggers – to edit their work. There are so many creative people out there who don’t always get their thoughts written down correctly or clearly. By combining editing, with SEO knowledge I can help them to rank better on Google.

There is a huge benefit to getting an independent person to review and edit your work.

Helping Others to Help Themselves!

The thing that ties both of these aspects together is that I really want to help people. I want to share what I have learnt. I want to help them project the best version of their own creativity to the world. To empower people whilst allowing them to keep control of their own brand and identity, one hashtag and grammar check at a time.

Blog To Business – does that mean it’s out with the old?

I don’t think I will ever stop blogging. This started off as my own creative release and sanity check and will always be that for me. I certainly won’t stop being a mom just because I am taking my blog to business level. Let’s be honest, if it wasn’t for my girls, what would I have to complain write about!?

Please do head over to Blue Media Edit to have a look at what it is that I’m doing. And please do follow me on my new social media accounts as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwJtPOZJvTx/

Blog To Business – How my blogging has allowed me to launch my freelance business.


#ablogginggoodtime