A Luxuriant Life

Lifestyle Blog

Books You Need To Read!

Hey there! Today, I am sharing my four favorite books with you! I have been spending more time at home as we are now working remotely which means, more time for reading! If you don’t already know, I love to read! I love self-help and self-improvement books the most because there’s always a lesson to learn and a new way to cope in life. Books in this genre can help you see things in a different way. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own thoughts and daily patterns. Sometimes, a different perspective is necessary. I am a huge fan of having books on Audible as well as I can listen to them while I’m getting ready or, when I’m in the car. I hope that one of these books creates a positive influence on you in some way. Do you have any favorite books you would like to share? Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Common Mistakes That Bloggers and Online Brands Make

There are some common mistakes you should avoid when growing your brand, blog, and social media platforms.

One of my favorite things about this post is that it’s relevant to any blogger or brand that is brand new or has been in business for a while. I feel it’s important to consider what not to do when trying to grow your blog, business, or other platforms.

Comparing Your Journey against Others

Comparison is the thief of joy! It’s so easy to compare yourself to other people especially with you’re in the same niche. Comparing your body, finances, house, looks, family, and material things will keep you from focusing on what really matters, you! Half the people online are taking photos in spaces that aren’t even real. They could be renting spaces or taking pictures in their “always spotless” living room after they spent two days cleaning it. No one’s house is that spotless or clean! Bloggers will most likely show you the best or cleanest room in the house. Don’t be fooled! If you’re working full time and barely have enough time to shower, bathe the kids, or dress them in matching outfits, understand that another blogger may be a stay at home mom or in some cases a nanny at home who can help. A photo is just a quick snap of someone’s real life, don’t let it affect you to the core.  If anything, use it for motivation to do something greater. You never know what someone’s life is really like!

Fake or Dishonest Engagement

What is fake or dishonest engagement? Well, that could mean several things. The whole follow, then unfollow is very dishonest! There are so many apps that let you see people who follow you and then unfollow you. Follow people that you want to engage with or share similar interests. You don’t want to be known as the person who is only interested in just likes, comments, and follows. You want people to be genuinely interested in your content because fake engagement will eventually result in low interest, sales/commission, and ultimately spam. Don’t get caught up in the numbers, focus on your content, marketing, email lists, and continued engagement with your real followers. Be authentic in your presentation, content, and engagement with others.

Refusing to Set Goals

Whether you’re blogging or hoping to increase your engagement on other platforms, you need to set some goals. Setting goals and creating methods to achieve them can bring you more success in the long run. Maybe your goals are to gain more followers or post more during the week. Another goal may be to be a full-time blogger or YouTuber and setting daily, weekly, and monthly milestones can get you there a lot faster.

No Niche or Target Audience

Not having a defined niche or target audience can create a bit of confusion especially when it comes to creating content, marketing, sales and providing services. If you are unsure about what you are blogging about or promoting, you may also be undecided about who will buy your products or services. An example would be creating, marketing, and selling organic baby food on a blog with content that focuses on luxury purses.

You Don’t Have An Email List

Not capturing your viewers is one way to lose a potential connection with a follower or subscriber on another platform. Just remember not to spam them with multiple emails. Make them short, sweet, and to the point. When I start getting multiple emails a day from the same source I immediately unsubscribe. Please don’t be that person who fills up the inbox.

Don’t be a perfectionist or obsess too much

I am the ultimate perfectionist. I see everything that is wrong and I immediately try to fix all the errors. While that may work in some areas of my life, it’s kind of hard to be that way in the blogging world. There will always be a typo, or may you forget to fix your chipped nail polish. Think to yourself, is it really that big of a deal? If something is off, and you bring attention to it, you just made everyone aware. Most people aren’t that detail-oriented anyway. I like when bloggers show their messy kitchens or their kids with spaghetti sauce all over their face. It’s real and relatable. Mistakes make us better people and provide opportunities to learn and grow. Not everyone starting in the blogging world gets it right the first time. Many of us had to learn from other experienced bloggers and business coaches.      

As always, thank you so much for stopping by! Be sure to subscribe and sign up for emails so that you can get first dibs on information from me! Feel free to share and save this post, and follow my account for more information on how to start and maintain your blog. 

XOXO


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How To Grow Your Blog in 2020

5 SIMPLE THINGS TO GROW YOUR BLOG IN 2020

Find a Niche

So what is a niche? A niche is the main focus of your blog’s content which is directed to a targeted market. For example, if you’re a mom blog, your niche may be focused on children’s clothes, baby food, registry items, favorite maternity clothes, parenting tips, baby accessories, educational toys, or nursery designs. Your target market would be parents or more specifically moms with kids of all ages. You can get super specific and narrow it down to moms with newborns. Your content and blog posts will reflect the same ideas I listed about and any photos or videos will reflect the niche and relate to your target market. Starting a blog about becoming a new mom probably won’t include reviews of Harley Davidson motorcycles or your grandmother’s recipe for pound cake. 

Be Yourself!

It’s only natural as a blogger to be inspired by other influencers. Find ways to make your content your own! Don’t copy and paste someone else’s post or caption word for word. Being an imposter won’t get you very far and will decrease your uniqueness which is something you want to keep.

Engage With Your Audience

Think about all of the platforms that you use to share your blog posts, photos, updates, and videos. Whether you use Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, or a personal blog remember to like other people’s posts and comment as well. Share the love! Joining Facebook groups with other bloggers with similar interests is a great way to create relationships through networking. Be sure to sign up for my emails so that you can get first dibs on new posts, blog templates, courses, and collaborations! My favorite part of blogging in A Luxuriant Life is networking online and talking to other influencers who are fun and share similar goals for their personal and professional lives.

Focus On Quality

I know how tempting this can be when you’re a new blogger. You may think to yourself if I do 1000 blog posts my blog will skyrocket and I’ll get millions of viewers, likes, comments, and shares. This isn’t necessarily true. I think it’s important to narrow down your niche and post relevant content which may consist of nice photos and written content. I’m not saying you have to spend thousands of dollars on a professional photographer. There are plenty of ways to take photos with your iPhone with the use of editing apps which are often free. I have invested in different kinds of lights such as ring lights for my makeup area and phone. I have four different tripod stands from Amazon which are perfect for different types of pictures or filming, and all of the options are extremely affordable. Some of my favorite editing apps are Lightroom, Moldiv, and Beauty Plus!

Use Hashtags

Using hashtags is a great strategy for sharing your content with a larger audience. I have played around with hashtags for two of my businesses and I can see the difference in my engagement. All major platforms allow hashtags but have different requirements for how many you can use for each post. Forget about the algorithm stuff you’ve heard in the past, hashtags should remain a permanent part of your posting habits. You’ll see people who will encourage you to use less, well, that just means that your post will have fewer viewers too. The same can be said for when you use hashtags that have millions of followers. Your content is going to be pushed to the bottom. A rule of thumb is to plan ahead and make sure you’re tagging a variety of large and small hashtags and ALWAYS use your blog name in at least one! Remember to keep your hashtags relevant to what your posts are about. For example, don’t use #ilovemydogs if your post or blog is about Louis Vuitton handbags.

I wanted to thank you so much for stopping by today and reading my post. I have so much more I wanted to share with you. Be sure to sign up for my emails so that you can get first dibs on new posts, freebies, content, and collaborations with other awesome bloggers! XOXO

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