WHY YOU SHOULD START A BLOG

Photo credit: Sam Holden 

Outfit:

Dress - Topshop

Gilet - Oasis

Lipstick - Very Victoria - Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution

Bracelet - Not on the High Street.com

Starting a blog was something that I wanted to do for about 2 years before I actually set this blog up. It was definitely a lack of confidence, the fear of putting myself out into the public eye and sharing my thoughts openly. It has been such a great journey from starting it, and despite having a busy life whilst studying my Ph.D. I don't regret adding a blog post to my to-do list. The internet is fascinating to me and the fact that we have the ability to express our opinions, set up groups, events, start petitions and just discuss what we are passionate about, shows what a massive effect the 'social web' as it is known, has on our lives.

As part of the computer generation, using the internet for the above reasons is second nature to me, but I also feel there is a great place for blogging in the lives of those who aren't as adept. I have a lot of friends and family who I actively encourage to channel their passions online through an Etsy store, blog or Youtube channel. Indeed, blogging and vlogging (Youtube videos) is even becoming a big thing with the male generation which I think is a necessary extension of the proliferation of beauty and fashion blogs amongst women. 

So here stands the obvious question; why start a blog? Here's some of my reasons which are more specifically related to fashion, but I think anyone with a passion whether it's travel, baking, sewing, art, photography have ideal reasons to start a blog.

Exposure

I recall having a conversation with a representative from Arcadia, the company that houses Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins etc, and one of their first questions to me was do you have a blog? I think now more than ever, the fashion world is ferociously competitive, and one way you can express your individually, thought, experiences and knowledge through a blog. If you are looking for a career in the fashion industry, a blog can set you up with so much unique knowledge in itself. My blog has boosted my CV, giving me something I can show to demonstrate my style and creativity. Additionally, you show you have your finger on the pulse, a benefit which goes without saying in a competitive job market. Jobs in fashion and beauty now often require candidates to have a blog, so that's all the more reason to start one. 

Learning something new

You immediately learn the basics about a website. One of my favourite modules at University was Fashion e-Commerce, where I learnt these buzzwords such as SEO and Google Analytics, but it wasn't until I started my blog that I could really see the benefit of such things and their use in marketing. Okay, it doesn't have to be complicated, but even things like how your blog is laid out takes great commitment to learn something new, how to add a graphic, widget or edit your name are all invaluable to learning about the web. Blogger.com gives you a breakdown of your views on each post, you can also pinpoint which device people have used, where the majority of your viewers are from and when you reached the most hits. This is all really interesting to learning how to ace the art of blogging, to target your audience and create the most engagement. If you find you are really passionate about the engine behind your blog/website, you might want to consider learning how to code to understanding how basic HTML coding works. Believe me, it isn't as geeky as it sounds....you could then create your own bespoke blog design. 

Create your own 'brand'

A good starting point is to pin-point your favourite bloggers, consider why you like them, what is it about their page/style/colour scheme/use of social media/tone of voice/advice they give and then hone in on what you feel you could emulate or achieve through your blog. A great place to find inspiration is through BlogLovin' a site that any blogger can sign up to and use on their blog to gain exposure across their industry. Thinking of a blog as your own 'branding' can really inspire you to think about how you want to portray yourself across your blog. If you are familiar with blogging, you will know that blogs don't often exist in isolation, so you may want to open new twitter, Instagram and snapchat pages specifally for your blog. 

Once you know what you want your image to be, you can start looking for a template design to use as your basic background and logo. If you have photoshop or InDesign skills then even better. I subscribed to a student membership of Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes Photoshop. Luckily I gained skills in how to use these programs at University, but there are plenty of Youtube tutorials, investing in design and editing software will never be a waste. 

Discover new apps 

There are some excellent non-professional apps out there if you don't want to pay for photoshop, including VSCO. One of my favourite apps I use for Instagram is UNUM, which allows you to see how your Instagram photos look together, to check the colour scheme. If you wondered how the professionals make their pages look so beautifully curated...this is how. Long gone are the days of unmatching sporadic images, unfortunately, consumers of aesthetic apps such as Pinterest and Instagram want to see the appealing side of everything. This can be quite draining, but it will ensure you gain a loyal following if you deliver content regularly and on time. 

Truly understand engagement

Followers are ever-more-fickle, and with social media channels changing their algorithms to the posts that are most popular, rather than time-based, means that the arena for blogging has become more competitive. The golden word is engagement, so not just scrolling through your feed but actually liking a post, commenting and sharing. All these things drive social media engagement, both for your channels and for others. Without commenting and sharing you won't stand a chance growing your own page.

After making my first few posts I've really learnt a lot, and I don't proclaim to have millions of hits or the best blog out there, I just hope my advice could help something, who like me a few years ago, was afraid to take the leap :)