Everything a Savvy Fashion Blogger Needs to Know

So lets say you've got your fabulous Blog up and running and you're not quite sure when to launch it out into the world and you keep waiting because you either think it doesn't have enough posts on it or maybe you need to change some things on it or... STOP!

A Blog is an ongoing work, always changing and moving. Just like technology! Am I right?! Especially if it's a Fashion Blog. Fashion and its trends are always changing. Your Blog is always going to be changing because you are always going to be working on it.

Did you ever go to somebody's website and there's a little sign they have on one of there pages that say "under construction" or "pardon my dust?"

Well, your Blog is an ever-changing, always under construction piece of work, always gathering information and forever updating. It's beautiful! Because information and trends change constantly, especially in Fashion.

Your Desk

Yep, on Mondays your bed is probably going to be your desk. Let's face it, the rest of the week goes pretty well, but Mondays are the soup, okay?

Not to mention all of the other things and people in your life. Your job, husband, if you have one, and if you do then you might have kids too, but the job you have doesn't always give you good days, and when you finally get home you are dog tired and you have to make dinner because, let's face it, you don't have money to order take out. Then after you get everything done you're gonna Blog?! YES! You are! Because you have two jobs now, but you can't relax because you need to build your Blog!

I know that this sounds overwhelming and it's not all that glamorous at first. In fact, building and maintaining a Blog is a lot of work. Even after you've had it for a while you still have to constantly be changing, rearranging, moving things back and forth, it's not pretty but it can be worth it in the long run. It's never a get rich scheme by a long shot. There are a lot of advantages, though, and one thing leads to another. There's always perks when you least expect them from someone that you advertised for. Maybe sending you a gratis sample of their product or brand. You never know!

Get Yourself Out There!

Yes, you do need to get your Blog out there, but first, you need to get yourself out there. Because it's your Blog and it's part of you. If your Blog is stagnating and going nowhere, then that means that you are doing the same. You are both connected, joined at the hip.

A lot of the work I do on my Blog is pictures and getting out and talking to people. Yes, you can get a lot on the internet, shopping, pictures, anything you want, research. But, nobody gets very far in their stamina by sitting on your bed, or in a chair, all day, into the night. I mean, it just gets old and it will not last.

Get out there, go shopping! Who cares if you don't have any money. It doesn't cost a cent to go to a fabric store or a department store in the Mall and feel the fabric of clothes or bracelets. Bring your camera or take some pictures with your phone and use them on your Blog.

I use an Amazon tablet to take my pictures for my Blog, but make sure that you always take pictures to stay on topic so that you can keep the traffic going. You'd be surprised at what that can do to get the people sharing right and left about something they saw on your Blog. Hey, you've got traffic! It works.

Grocery Stores

Believe it or not, grocery stores are a good source for pictures for your Blog. Food or anything to do with it is always good media to have on your Blog. It's part of the reason I get so many clicks and traffic. It doesn't have to be a recipe or anything, just a mention of a product or maybe a child holding a bag of M&Ms that tells a story just by looking at it. But get permission first before taking pictures of someone's child because we don't want to freak anybody out, okay?

But all of this is free, less the gas you spend to get there. Beats cramped hands and your legs going to sleep and it gets you out of the house and into the fresh air while you're working; dream job, right?!

Bridal Shops

Go to a few Bridal Shops and ask if you can look around and take a few pictures. Tell them you are a fashion writer and you're doing an article on the different kinds of wedding gowns. I know it sounds kind of lame when you say "I'm a Blogger." They look at you like you've got two heads, but if you say you are a fashion writer, you are still telling the truth and they would be more apt to trust you to look around so they can go on their merry way. While you're looking around and taking your pictures, look at some of the fabrics and gowns, feel the beads or the stones and pearls if they have them. Bridal shops also have accessories so, don't forget about these also. But, remember, always get permission, I mean, it's not Walmart.

The Touch

See, the internet is there for us, that's true! Cutting down millions of hours and getting things done faster and more effectively, even ordering food with all of the delivery mediums and pick-up mediums, everything is at your fingertips. But, there will never be a substitute for your own senses. Touching, smelling, seeing, experiencing. All of these natural things are so essential for your Blog. People overlook this all the time and it's just because of all of the technology that sometimes gets in the way of the simple things. That's why when you do your Blog, always keep a little bit of yourself in it, make it the real deal. You don't have to be glamorous, it's really not like you're sitting around in front of your jeweled laptop with your lacy high tops, sipping a margarita and putting little rhinestones on your nails. Takings pictures like that is fun! But, that's not the way it really is. I'm not saying not to use social media, because that's the next thing I'm going to talk about. I'm just saying that you need to not lose touch with your senses that help you experience stuff so you will have something to talk about and people will want to share your awesome Blog!

Coffee Shop Hangouts

There's something really cool about going to your favorite coffee shop, grabbing a latte and working on your Blog. Be aware that, these days, coffee shops also have other people that come there specifically to break into your firewall and secretly steal your information, identity, bank information, social security number, etc. Get my drift? So, before you go, make sure you have some kind of security like Mcafee, Norton or AVG. I personally use AVG and you can get it for free. Mind you, it's just the basic and if you want more protection you have to pay for it but, if you are going to grace the coffee shop scene all the time it's worth it. Just don't shop online or pay any bills or do anything that requires you to use a credit or debit card because that's what these people are after, this is what they do for a living. You can't just go somewhere that they're not. Any coffee shop, these days, they are there. Very stealthy. They just look like regular people on their computers surfing or working while sipping their coffee and munching their fudge brownies. They have set up shop there and taken note of every laptop, phone or tablet in the room. Yes, there's an app for that! You can't get away from them so just be very careful, they know people like to shop so they are after credit card numbers, bank account information, just waiting for it to drop the signature and snatch it.

The Internet

Here we go! Yes, this is the fun part because on social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and too many more to name, you can put your Blog out there to share with the world. But, this kind of requires a little skill. Not something that you can't learn on your own but, it's always nice to have a little help from your friends, to pun a song phrase!

Very interesting YouTube video I found on how to share your Blog posts. There are others you can look up but this gives you an idea of how you would manually do it. There are easier ways. If you are using a platform that already has the software to make a Blog with pictures and scenery to use for your backgrounds then, chances are, they already have little buttons you just click that take you to Facebook and the like so you can instantly share your posts or articles.

Be Realistic!

Be realistic about money; you don't have any, so think of how what you eat as opposed to what you want are two different things. You want steak, but what you really have is ramen noodles. There's nothing wrong with that and you, my Blogging friend, are going to be eating a lot of it burning the midnight oil on your Blog.

But, don't just discount yourself. You have to take care of yourself. No one is going to work your Blog for you nor, would you want them to. There are things you can do to take care of yourself for very little money. Dollar stores have tons of stuff that are healthy snacks that keep you going while you are working and in the zone. Keep good snacks like peanuts, unless you are allergic to them, pretzels, and walnuts are good because they burn fat. Avocados are good, just not too ripe, you can't keep them very long. Low-fat yogurt is also good snack, but pay attention to the date on them. There are also some good frozen dinners sometimes on sale that are good and very filling. Take a multi-mineral/multi-vitamin supplement everyday because with the amount of work that you are doing, sometimes you don't realize how long you have been at it until you are about to fall over from not eating. Never forget to eat, even if it's just a little bite of something, and always drink plenty of water.

Starting and having a Blog is not a get rich quick kind of thing. It takes time. But, if you keep at it, before you know it you'll have more followers than you can handle and that's alright because that means traffic.

Found this wonderful video on YouTube that's really easy for starting a Blog if you haven't already. She takes you step by step through it, I promise you won't get overwhelmed or lost.

YouTube

Some people are afraid to put themselves out there, but this is an excellent way to bring traffic to your Blog. Of course you have to open an account and sign up for Google, but it's worth it and they lead you all the way through it, holding your hand and everything.

Now, just because you make a video doesn't mean you have to talk, face the camera or even be in it. I have a video that I made on YouTube to get traffic to my fashion Blog and I didn't have to talk or anything. Of course I used Windows movie maker to make the video, then I had to convert it so that YouTube could publish it, but they have live stream now, so it's easier than it used to be. Pan down to see one of the videos that I made for my Blog. Hey if I can do it, you can do it!

I did get frustrated a time or two but, I wanted to do it and make it work. So, it's real important that if you are going to have a Blog be sure it's about something that you are passionate about, even if you don't know that much about it. If you are passionate enough, you will do the research and learn to be able to write good posts and get yourself out there. Use YouTube anytime you can. They are an excellent medium, I use them for my articles too.

The other thing too is that you can have more than one Blog, just so long as you keep up with both of them. Sometimes it works great if both Blogs kind of intertwine with each other, like Fashion and Food. Finally, it's okay if you're shy. I'm shy too, I never like to look at myself in the mirror much when it comes to making videos and stuff, but knowing that you don't have to put your face in there, at least not right away, sure made me feel better.

In a Nutshell

There are so many more things that can't be told in one article, but this is as real as it gets. It's not as glam as it looks, not that you can't make it look that way, it's not fast money, and it's not easy work, especially if you're trying to get it out there. You have to be patient and just know that a lot of us Blogger girls are with you, and we all look like this when we realize it's 2:00 in the morning and we have to be at work in four hours and we still have Cheetos in our hair and God only knows what that sticky stuff is all over the front of our shirt.