I’m A Blogging Success Because… Week #34

Success comes in all shapes and sizes doesn’t it? It can be an award you’ve waited your whole life to get. It could be recognition for something or from someone that matters. Or it could be something as small as your child saying I love you. We don’t celebrate success, in whatever form enough in my opinion and over the past few months and years with the madness that is blogging awards and the ridiculously regular bashing of bloggers by non-bloggers and newspapers, I have come to realise that everyone is a success in their own right. So, we find ourselves here and with me opening up the doors to Mummy in a Tutu for my first ever guest post series. This series is here for any and all bloggers to talk about success; their success or the success of someone else that they want to recognise. Welcome to I’m a blogging success because… Let’s hand over to Vicky from The Mummy Bubble!

Plucking up the courage to launch my blog The Mummy Bubble took me a long time.

I worried about whether I would have enough material and ideas to write even halfway decent posts and if anyone would actually read it after all that effort.

When you look at the amazing blogs out there already and consider the effort it takes to get a website going, it’s easy to be overwhelmed at the thought of putting yourself out there. 

In the end after another week of doing nothing but chase after my two young children I decided that I needed to just bite the bullet. 

I wanted to do something that would be just for me. Even though I write all about life with small children, it is an escape from that parenting bubble. 

It’s a chance for me to get my thoughts – positive and negative – down in writing. It’s something I can take pride in and, more importantly, it’s something I enjoy. 

Figuring out social media 

But it’s been a really steep learning curve and stuff I thought I understood, like Facebook and Twitter, I’ve discovered that I actually know very little about. 

Then there’s Pinterest, Instagram and Bloglovin. I had to figure out how to make all these things work for me.

How do you make a pinnable image? How do you get the little Pinterest symbols in the corner of your images so they can be pinned easier? How often should you post on Instagram? What works for the audience? How do I drive traffic to my website from these places?

These are all questions I’ve asked myself along with many, many more and I’ve still not figured most of them out, but I’m enjoying trying.

I’ve made some shocking mistakes but I think, or hope, I’m improving every week.

Finding an audience 

If stats are to be believed at least, I am going in the right direction.

I’ve gone from 400 views in the first month to 8,700 views so far this month. 

The trouble is I find there’s always so much more that I could be doing, and so little time to do it in.

There are so many brilliant blogging tips out there from the likes of Aby at You Baby Me Mummy and Zoe from The Tale of Mummyhood, that my head is full of ideas but I just can’t find the hours to do them all.

Taking away more than I put in

I put in a lot of hours into the blog every single day. I haven’t had a day off from blogging in some way – whether it be writing a post, engaging on social media or replying to comments – since I launched nearly four months ago.

However, I’m doing it because I love it and I’m learning so much every single day.

Yes I’m putting a lot into it, but I’m taking away invaluable skills too. Social media, website design and management, building an audience and photography. 

These are all things that are transferable to my career as a journalist. 

Plus I think any employer who sees that I’ve managed to get a website going and build an audience, however small, would see it as a big tick in the box. 

But more than anything I’ve learned running a blog is not easy. It’s hard work and a big commitment if you want to create quality content consistently.

Plus when you’re a parent and a blogger, you’re doing it all while trying to juggle a family. It’s not easy. 

So with all that in mind, and considering I’ve certainly not come close to hitting the “big time” in the blogging world, why am I a blogging success?

I’m a success because I got off of my bum and did it. I launched a blog and have learned new, useful skills to take me forward in my career, even if the blog ends tomorrow. 

Anyone reading this and thinking about taking the plunge, do give it a go. What have you got to lose? 

If you’d like to read more from Vicky, head over to her Website: http://www.themummybubble.co.uk

Or find her on: Twitter: www.twitter.com/themummybubble Facebook: www.facebook.com/themummybubbleblog

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themummybubbleblog/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/themummybubble/

If you would like to take part in this series then please email me on [email protected] with your piece and all your social media links and subject it Blogging Success. I hope you join me again next week to help celebrate more blogging success. We currently have no more submissions for I’m a Blogging Success Because so this could well be our last week. Thank you to anyone who took part. It has been amazing!

Dont for get to check out Week 16, Week 17 & Week 18!