Photo by Eugene Chystiakov from Pexels
by Marissa McDaniel
So, you decided you’re going to start a blog and you are pumped! Blogging seems like a great way to express yourself and maybe you’ll even make a little extra money with your blog. You start your blog, thinking it’s going to be super easy and fun and then it hits you.. Blogging is hard.
You start with the web hosting and before you know it you’re dabbling with web design, branding, actually writing and coming up with blog post ideas, email marketing, affiliate marketing, legal disclosures and your to-do list of blogging tasks is suddenly extending all the way down the street. At this point you’re wondering what you got yourself into. You realize you have no idea what you’re doing and you’re seriously thinking about throwing in the towel.
Believe me, I’ve been there and so have thousands of other bloggers! I’m here to tell you not to throw in the towel just yet. There is hope and there are ways to combat the overwhelming feeling that you can’t seem to shake.
Check out these 4 easy ways you can start slaying the overwhelm today!
1. Goal Setting
One of the biggest ways to combat blogging overwhelm is to create monthly or even weekly goals. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have a massive list of to-do’s but by breaking these to-do’s down into goals with a specific time frame, they can become manageable. Try setting realistic social media goals, writing goals, traffic goals and income goals. This will help you assess exactly what you should focus on, what progress you are making and what areas might need a little extra help.
2. Automation
Thankfully there are some ways you can automate your blog and social media processes. For starters, you can automate all of your social media posts with a variety of social media scheduling tools like Tailwind, Hootsuite and Buffer. With the help of scheduling tools, you can schedule your social media content for a week or even a full month in the matter of a couple hours. This is a great way to save you tons of time while creating a social media presence and increasing blog traffic.
As for email marketing, you can also create autoresponders and email sequences that will be sent out when someone purchases a product, downloads a freebie or joins your email list. This is a great way to introduce yourself to new email subscribers, to provide an offer and build trust with your audience. Autoresponders are also a great addition to sales funnels if you have any products you are aiming to sell. Once you your email marketing set up, you can create unique sequences, automations and more to create a unique experience for each subscriber.
3. Schedule
It can be so easy to get wrapped up in creating as many blog posts as possible when first starting out, but this can make the overwhelm even worse! Instead of trying to publish a ton of content, create a content calendar. If you want to publish blog posts twice a week then make it a point to publish a blog post every Tuesday and Thursday. Come up with a schedule for your blog posts and content so you know exactly what you need to be working on and when. This will also help your readers know exactly when to look for new content on your blog and can promote returning visitors.
4. Connect With Other Bloggers
Other bloggers can be a great resource! They’ve all been through the process and they understand how overwhelming blogging can be. Communicate with other bloggers, ask them how they solved certain problems or handled a certain situation. The blogging community is extremely supportive and is always willing to help out whenever they can. Not only that, but many bloggers are always looking for ways to save time and make life easier so connecting with another blogger might allow you discover a new product or tool that just might change your life.
By setting goals, automating your processes, scheduling content and connecting with other bloggers, there’s no reason you can’t slay the blogging overwhelm! These strategies will also save you time and help you create some clear blogging plans so your blog can grow and thrive.
How do you slay blogging overwhelm? Do you have other suggestions? If, so share them in the comments!
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Marissa McDaniel is the founder of Marissa McDaniel Online LLC which is a blog and online business focused on helping women ditch their 9-5’s and create a life of financial freedom. She frequently writes about blogging tips and tools, online money-making opportunities and offers her very own online course to help other bloggers create passive income streams using online courses, sales funnels and affiliate programs.
Marissa resides in the Denver, Colorado area with her boyfriend and two hiking cats. When not spending time on the lake, she’s likely reading a motivational book, eating a snack or working on her next business endeavor.
