Do you consider yourself a blogger? If so do you make money blogging (0r hope to at least)? Do you consider your blog a business? How do you market yourself?
I’ve been blogging since Sept. 2007 and I don’t think I officially considered my blog more than a hobby until about 2 years ago. Today I look at it (and treat it) as a business. I have my own tax ID number and everything. While I still don’t make a steady income from my blog it did lead me to my current full-time job(s) as a social media and marketing coordinator. To me that is a huge success but I often wonder; what’s next for The Eco Chic as a blog (and as a business)?
I always have plans to make improvements to my blog and the way I treat it but it still remains somewhat of a hobby to me. I try not to put myself into deadlines that I know I can’t keep. I try not to take on too many projects when I’m overworked. I try to keep my projects aligned with my primary mission (helping others protect the planet as I learn ways to do this myself). I am approached almost daily with new opportunities and I have to say that I’m thankful that I can turn them down – when I want to. I’m also excited that I still get these opportunities in my inbox.
This week when I pack up and head off to the largest blogging conference in the US I have a different goal in mind that I did last year. Last year I wanted to test the waters, network, and hopefully learn a few new things. I surpassed my expectations last year and found myself in a new world as a professional blogger and social media consultant. This year I want to learn more about how I can improve my blog (aesthetically and technically) so that I can feel even more proud about this tiny little corner of the web. I have appointments with the Geek Bar team to learn about metrics and going mobile – I really wanted an in-depth WordPress session but they were all booked up! I’m also going to mingle more and connect more with new bloggers (or existing one’s I’m just now learning about).
I learned some lessons from both BlogHer 10 and from Blissdom about branding my blog (especially in a conference environment).
This year I decided upon a square business card. This was probably one of my hardest decisions but after a few weeks this is the final project. The front is very simple with my blog name and a QR code that will take the scanner to my About Me page.
The inside of the card has all of the different ways to connect with me along with a short narrative about my favorite topics (cloth diapering, the environment, and social media).
The back of the card gives credit to my fabulous print and web designer – and all around technical advisor – Melanie of Mommy Doodles Design. She’s been here to help me since the very early days when my blog looked like this –
Oh, yes – that was my blog a very long time ago before I knew anything about design! To be honest with you I still don’t know how to do it myself which is why I would be lost without Melanie.
I’ll be wearing this one day during conference hours so I can hopefully meet people who don’t see my name tag but know me by my blog. The back has my Twitter handle (@TheEcoChic) and a few other surprises I’ll reveal later. (Printed by Cafe Press, designed by Mommy Doodles Design)
I even coordinated the skin of my iPad with my blog logo and branding. With over 3,600 attendees I want to make sure I don’t miss an opportunity to meet people or strike up a conversation about our blogs. (Printed by GelaSkins, designed by Mommy Doodles Design)
Finally I have a brand new iPhone case (capsule) with the same blog branding on it. This piece was actually sent to me free of charge from the UnCommon team. I’ve had this for about 2 weeks now and it’s already sparked some conversations out in public so I’m excited about carrying this with me at BlogHer. I wish I would have put my QR code on the phone but this was the first project we actually completed and it was before my QR craze took over! The case is a very high quality resin case with the graphic actually embedded into the surface – like a tattoo for my phone. They are currently available for the iPhone 3 and iPhone 4 – my husband is already designing his case that will be sporting his favorite team colors for football season. To learn more about UnCommon please visit them on the web, Facebook, and Twitter.
I have a few other special pieces that are branded with my personal blog logo combined with my sponsors logo – but I’ll share more about those in a few more days.
What ways have you branded your blog? What’s worked for you? There are so many options out there today the possibilities are endless!
Lots of personal love and appreciation to Melanie of Mommy Doodles Design who has helped shape what you see today at The Eco Chic. Without her I’m not so sure I’d be where I am today. Melanie is a very talented graphic designer and is quickly learning the ins-and-outs of WordPress. Special thanks to Rockin’ Green for sponsoring my trip to BlogHer ’11. Rockin’ Green is a natural laundry detergent designed especially for use with cloth diapers but can also be used on regular laundry too. In addition to using Rockin’ Green for laundry there are hundreds of different uses for this soap. Be sure to sign up for 52 Weeks of Clean where they share a new tip for using Rockin’ Green around your home. For more information about Rockin’ Green visit them on the Web, Facebook, and on Twitter.
You and Melanie did a get job with the new materials. I love the iPhone case and your B cards!