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How do you blog and build a following?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Posted inBUSINESS,CHATTY TUESDAYS,PERSONAL

Hey you,

This week has been amazing – a beautiful photo shoot, unforgettable nights out with friends, my mom’s birthday (yay!) … what more could a girl ask for? It’s in moments like these that I have to remember to be so grateful for all of the amazing things in my life. I know you have so many spectacular things going on in your own life, so I dare you to really focus on being grateful this week – it will do you a world of good!

A wonderful thing to be grateful for is your creative business! No matter how big or small it may be – I know that it brings you plenty of joy, am I right? And maybe a little but of heartache .. but hey – the beauty is in the journey itself! So appreciate! :)

Speaking of journeys – how is that blog of yours doing? Are you happy with the impact it has on your business and on your profit levels?

The truth is we all want to have a blog with a huge following! Why? Because you and I? We are GAME CHANGERS. We want to inspire people and we want to change them for the better. And we want to be able to do this through our blogs!

But how do you create a blog with a following? Let’s talk about it!

If you appreciate this video please do the following:

  1. Leave a comment below letting me know how you use YOUR blog to build business!
  2. Tweet about it! 
  3. Click the “like” button below! 
  4. Pin the photo above! 
  5. Tell ALL your friends about it! 

This video took me hours to create and HOURS to upload – I have no idea why, but I do apologize that it didn’t finish uploading till Wednesday – major fail! 

Big hugs and love to you

xoxo

Posted inBUSINESS,CHATTY TUESDAYS,PERSONAL

  • http://www.sarahsyhakhoun.com Sarah Syhakhoun Photography

    Hi Alex!

    I wanted to stop in and say THANK YOU for all of your wonderful posts and videos. I have been following tons of blogs for about 5 years now and I rarely comment. It’s kind of ironic seeing as I have a blog (and have run several before I had my photography business) and I wish more people would comment on mine! I’m going to make it a point to comment on every blog I read, or at least the ones that really catch my interest.

    By the way, I love your personality, your blog, and the type of business you run. It’s very creative and inspirational, which is exactly what you are aiming for!

    Thank you for all of your help!

    - Sarah Syhakhoun

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Sarah!

    Thank YOU so much for your comment! I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that you will be commenting on other blogs more often – I am sure it will make a HUGE difference to the amount of interaction on your own blog! I love it :) Keep me updated and let me know how it goes!

    And thank you so much for all of your compliments – they really mean a lot to me and I’m so happy that you seem to “get” what I’m doing :)

    Big hugs!
    xoxo

  • http://www.courtneynicolephotography.com Courtney

    WOW, this is so funny that this is this week’s Chatty Tuesday! I just started my FIRST BLOG on WordPress (www.courtneynicolephotography.com) and I haven’t posted in 8 days (eeeek!). I am writing a vision of my blog TODAY and I want it to become a beautiful, inspiring place for my future, past, and repeat clients. I don’t want to just post about the session of the weekend, I want to provide information and INSPIRATION for a good life. :)))) I know it can happen, just need to make an action plan and ACT!

  • http://loveellebee.com Lizzie Beadon

    Okay, for the record – I wanted to hear YOUR STORY! Not ‘top 5 tips to grow a blog. Tip 1: comment on other blogs.’ Hahaha it’s okay. This will do :) love you lots

  • http://www.piperspictures.co.uk Pipers Pictures Photography

    Some brilliant points! A lot of it so simple but I tend to forget about the simple things when blogging.

    Just a thought are you thinking of creating Lightroom actions?

    Thank you for being an inspiration!

    Lucy

  • http://www.lifeinmodification.blogspot.com Camille

    I use my blog to build my biz…primarily through Pinterest and my social networks. I have a lot of work to do when it comes to networking though. I just recently set aside one day/week to ONLY NETWORK. I know that I have good content and that I could be bigger…I just need to put the networking time in.

    Cheers for another great vid, Alex!

  • Alex

    Thanks so much for posting something like this. I haven’t started my blog yet, but it is a goal come graduation from college next spring. It’s always great to here tips from someone I admire in the business :)

  • http://www.penguindesigning.com Ingrid

    Great video! Now I can focus on actually buildin the blog lol! Its there… But know I have to take care of it (or my partner photographer, i guess both! ) :) and I will try to do that homework!

  • http://www.lauraradnieckiblog.com Laura Radniecki

    Alex! Look at you go, girl! You are changing the world! I’ve been following your blog for a couple years now, ever since you first commented on my blog, and it’s been so fun to watch your blog grow and evolve and become very specifically honed and effective. I hope you are selling actions by the truckload! :) You’ve given me a kick in the pants to work on my own blog – which has become kind of a dumping ground for sessions, and not at all what I’d like it to be. So this slow-season is going to be blog time! Love the Chatty Tuesday videos. xoxo!

  • http://www.yellowmellearts.com melissa

    Another timely video! I also tried posting on my blog everyday only to have it trickle down to a couple of times a week. After changing my job schedule to two nights plus three half days, I thought that I’d be able to blog more! Nope, lol.

    Now it’s a bit of stress trying to find a new job, and if I do get one, then I’ll have practically no time at all! Eep! I guess I could say that I’ve lost a lot of focus. Haven’t sold anything in months (hence the job).

    It’s true though, I mostly just blog what I’d like to see. Maybe it’s better to pay attention to what other painter-bloggers are doing?

  • http://www.karisamuels.com Kari

    Love the silly, exuberant, happy you, baby!

  • http://stephanieschneider-fotografie.blogspot.de/ Stephanie Schneider Photography

    You are brilliant.. This is amazing and helpful as always.. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!! ♥

  • http://gracecate.blogspot.com Hannah

    Thank you so much for your so very helpful tips! I will be reevaluating my blog to make it higher quality and gather a following. Although I am not looking for business ends, I am looking to attract a following who share in similar interest as me. Thank you!

  • http://www.catieronquillo.com/blog Catie Ronquillo

    Hi Alex! Thanks for these videos! They have been really helpful :) I realized in my own business that my blog started to shift towards speaking to photographers, when I really should be speaking to potential clients! Now that I have rebranded, I’m taking that approach to make sure I’m talking to the right audience. :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/jessreneephoto Jessica Renee

    Hi Alex! Great blog post! I was wondering, what program do you use to edit your videos?

  • http://www.fotofroggy.com FOTOFROGGY PHOTOGRAPHY

    Thanks for this video/blog post Alex! Your tips are always so helpful and you and your work are so inspiring! I think I always need help with my networking, and your recent posts have really got me trying to improve! I will definitely make it a habit to comment more on the blogs that I read.
    Unfortunately I have not started a blog yet. I think I am scared to because I’m afraid I will not have time to post regularly, or worse yet run out of things to say, or that no one will care to read them. Right now I’m still working on improving my Facebook posts! Do you think I should start “small” with a Twitter feed before delving into a blog?
    Thanks Alex for all your timely advice!

    -Jenna
    http://www.facebook.com/Fotofroggy

  • http://amysbuttonbox.wordpress.com Amy @ Amy’s Button Box

    Great, fantastic, brilliant, inspiring post. Looking forward to getting started on my homework this weekend! Xxx Amy C

  • http://jamieraephotography.blogspot.com Jamie

    Hey Alex!
    I LOVED this video! Well done. So many awesome points here. I do agree with you, if you stop blogging-people forget about you!
    One frustration I have is how to build a blog when you have two audiences. I want to shoot weddings but I have this love for working with seniors as well. Sometimes it feels as though I need two seperate blogs.
    It seems as though a lot of photographers post a ton of personal things as well, and it seems to attract their ideal clients for them- without having to post a lot of other “wedding informational” type things. I am not sure if this is anomaly or not, but I can think of a few photographers who just seem to draw clients by being open, vulnerable, and true to themselves… on their blogs.
    Again, thank you for sharing! I shared this post in one of my forums- see, you are doing an amazing job with your blog and target audience!

  • http://www.kiraandmatt.com Kira

    Such a helpful and insightful post! Loved it. You’ve totally inspired me today. :)

  • http://info@tomekphotography.net Tomek Celarek

    Love your work Alex, you are a very talented photographer and a wonderful inspiration..

  • http://www.fionacampbelllondon/blog Fiona

    Lovely Alex

    Thank you so much for this enjoyable video. Some really useful pointers in it! Thanks for being such a brilliant person in the industry

    Fiona x

  • http://www.colleenwhitephoto.com/blog Colleen

    Hi Alex,

    I have been “stalking” your blog for a few weeks now as I get my business off the ground, you are so generous and full of inspiration! Thank you!

    My new blog is in its infant stages with a mixture of posts showing new work and talking about what I’m up to. So far I’ve been directing it to people who know me, but with the goal of turning them into paying clients, then hoping word of mouth will spread. I’m also trying to come up with a list of topics that will cause me to pop up in search engines and tie them in with building a clientele and following.

    Thank you again for all your awesome videos and ideas!
    Colleen

  • http://www.leahartmanphotography.com Lea

    Awesome as always! This comes a perfect time! I have just completely redone my blogsite and I’m really excited to start afresh with relevant content and a regular blogging schedule. I’ve been pretty hit or miss in the past. Great info!

  • http://liataharoni.com Liat

    Amazing video, Alex!! Love it. Wise words xo

  • http://www.jillmarzion.com jill

    i just started an informative blog so this was perfect timing to watch! thanks for tips – very helpful :)

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Jill!

    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment! I’m so glad that these tips have pushed you in the right direction :) Good luck with your blog!

    Big hugs!
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Thanks, Liat! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post!
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Lea!

    So happy that you found this post at such a perfect time :) Good luck with implementing these tips, let me know how it goes!

    Big hugs
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Colleen!

    I am so thrilled that you have been enjoying my posts, thanks so much for following along and leaving a comment!

    I think the hardest part when you first start a blog is keeping up with it and refusing to give up! So keep up the great work :) And just remember to try and post content that INTERESTS the people you are targeting – I think that’s the key! And yes, as you said Search Engine Optimisation is another great way to find potential clients! Good luck with it all :)

    BIG HUGS! And thank you so much for your comment – you rock!
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Fiona,

    Aww thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment! I’m so happy you enjoyed the video :) I hope it helps you in one way or another!

    Big hugs!
    xoxo

  • http://www.sarahvcreative.com Sarah Shiplee

    This was a really good video because I’m pretty shocking at blogging, tweeting and posting, mainly because I feel like a prat!
    Thanks for the vid, I’ll be thinking of you (that sounds odd..) when I’m trying to network and get my name out there!

  • Elyana

    Hi Alex,

    I have a question and it may be a bit personal. I totally understand if you don’t want to answer it, but I thought I would give it a go!

    Right now I am on the verge of trying to decide where exactly I want to go with my photography. I recently graduated college and am in the stage of “Hmm, what do I really want to do with my life?!!!!”

    I know that I want to do photography, but I am having a difficult time figuring out exactly how I want to make money with it. My biggest fear is becoming a starving artist. :/

    Anyhow, I decided to go into wedding photography, but I am not sure if it is exactly right for me. I absolutely love fine art photography and although I like photographing weddings…I am still confused if thats the route I want to take.

    My question is: Why did you decide that you no longer wanted to be a wedding photographer?? I know its a personal question, but it would be nice to hear your story.

  • http://littlekristi.blogspot.com Kristi

    You are so lovely and inspiring. I wish so bad that you could come and give a lecture at my college for all of us starving artists trying to market ourselves. I really think what you talked about in this video can be beneficial to more than just photography bloggers, it can apply to any artist, publisher, designer, manager, etc.

    Come back to the United States!!

  • http://www.carmenirisphoto.com/blog Carmen

    Hi Alex,

    You are Amazing, Smart and so Talented!! Thank you for the videos, they are AWESOME!!! :D

    You have a new Follower now!! ;)

    xox

    Carmen

  • http://www.ashley-nicole.net ashley nicole

    Thanks Alex!

    Boy do I have a lot to work on! Haha! I like how you mentioned that you originally wanted to be a Wedding Photographer but now you don’t. That’s the biggest thing I’ve struggled with…finding my identity as a photographer. I know the more I do the more I’ll learn. But I don’t know how to figure it out. ;) Like you, I at first wanted to be a Wedding Photographer but now not so much. But I can’t say that 100% either. What I do know is that I need to figure it out so I can focus on attracting the right clientel and providing my clients exactly what they need…deserve. Hopefully that makes sense. Ha.

    Anyway, I’m glad I found your blog and happy that you’re willing share your knowledge with the rest of us. :)

    - Ashley Nicole

  • http://www.beopenyoga.com Sasha

    WOW, Love This!!! Thanks Alex, so helpful.

    Much gratitude to you,
    Sash.
    xoxox

  • http://www.daniellehonea.com danielle honea

    I’m here to confirm something :) Alex you left a comment on my blog (when I was in Germany–so I didn’t see it till months later, which is a photog fail in the first place lol) Anyway!! I was like what awww I know here, and wow SHE left a message on MY blog, so cool! And so it reminds me to come by and visit. Just watched a few videos one love that glittered top-fab!! And love your “quirkiness” :)