You’ve weighed the pros and cons and have made the choice to remain at home with your kids. Even though you know the job of raising children is the most important one in the whole world, part of you still wants to be able to make a financial contribution to the household finances because, let’s face it, living on one income can be trying at times. Better yet, you are passionate about becoming an entrepreneur. The possibilities of blogging for stay-at-home moms is calling to you.
Numerous sources exist on the technical details of starting a website, such as choosing a web host and blogging platform, as well as registering a domain name. Depending on how you see your branding efforts potentially playing out, it wouldn’t hurt to snap up a variety of related domain names as well. For example, The Fashionable Housewife website has branched out to include The Fashionable Bambino, The Fashionable Gal, The Fashionable Plate, and The Fashionable Philosopher.
Do Your Homework, Blog Your Passion
Just because you are home 24/7 with your children, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to start a mommy blog. Your family life may or may not play a role in your online endeavors. Author AK Turner has managed to combine her love of travel with her family in her Vagabonding with Kids series. Or perhaps you have a passion for animals or photography.
You may also want to use your expertise in the career you are leaving behind to become a consultant. The sky is the limit. Just know you are taking a crash course in running a business, and failures are inevitably part of that process.
Not all niches will do well in blogs and look around at the competition. There are a lot of cooking and cleaning blogs, so unless you have a unique take on one or both, you may want to steer clear of that niche and choose another one.
On the same token, don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. If you see something you can do better, go for it. Even in a crowded niche, you can stand out if you blog regularly and well with a unique take.
Start Small and Hone Your Niche
Blogging for stay-at-home moms is usually a labor of love. Thousands of blogs are abandoned every year due to lack of planning and consistent effort. Post amazing content a minimum of once a week in three to five rotating topic categories. While it’s possible to write a general diary-like blog of your day-to-day family adventures, a narrower focus can often snag more traffic.
Maybe you love to cook and want to focus on meals that can be prepared with children. Or you might want to become a life or career coach. Product reviews are always a possibility but choose your path wisely while still knowing it’s bound to change.
Set goals for yourself as well, but ones that are achievable.
Build Your Platform and Engage Your Audience
WordPress might be the blogging platform you have decided to build your site upon, and a Facebook business page or associated group may be the social media platform you are having the most luck with, but your overall platform is much more than just that. The impact you are making can be determined by proof of audience engagement such as how many subscribers are on your email list, the number of blog comments left, site traffic, and testimonials.
It’s necessary to be active in online communities related to your niche. Visibility is key. At the same time, carve out a chunk of time each day to devote to building your platform and stick with it. Otherwise, this can become too time-consuming and you won’t have time to produce great content.
Write Posts for Other Related Sites
One of the best ways to grow your audience and gain more traffic is to write posts for other blogs in the niche you have chosen. It’s fine to write unpaid guest posts from time to time, but not just as a favor. Strategically pick successful blogs that will link back to your site. Over time, you can also start writing posts that pay for sites for moms or for research countless other lists of sites that pay writers for posts. It should go without saying but take the time to learn how to make an effective article pitch.
Outsource as Needed
While blogging for stay-at-home moms often starts out as a hobby, it often grows into a business that brings in varying amounts of money. As such, there will come a time when it may be necessary to hire a web designer or developer, a virtual assistant to help with social media marketing or even content writers. To truly become an empire is rarely done by going it alone in business.
Finally, not enough can be said about putting thought into designing your home office to help maximize the chance of success. Any endeavor needs to be treated seriously in order to gain momentum and become a success. Take the time to get dressed and ready for work even if you aren’t going to leave the house that day.
Being a mom is demanding, but always demand the best for yourself as well. Put your best foot forward in the blogging world and good things will come to you.
Blogging can be a great outlet for stay at home moms, and it can even be turned into a way to make some extra money. What challenges or successes have you had when it comes to blogging for stay-at-home moms?
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