Jennifer here! Trying to start a blog or online business presence are you? So happy for you! First things first: Please note that we utilize Amazon affiliate links and Sponsored Ads on our site, read more about what that means right here. The cool thing is, it costs you NOTHING to support bloggers through affiliate links. Also, please realize that this is one of the many ways bloggers can make a stream of income, but sharing this article also helps – no purchase necessary! Either way, we truly appreciate your support!

 The easiest way to do this is track your app usage with the built in “screen time” timer most phones have. The amount of time you are putting into social media apps already is a great place to start. I’d bet that most people with an interest in this have at MINIMUM 1 hour a day of social media app usage. You’ll need to transition from scrolling/consuming to actively using this time to build your own platform. This is easier than it sounds, just requires discipline. I HIGHLY recommend a dream board or intention board – but at the very least a list or Pinterest board with your tangible goals for your blog or online business/social presence. Visit this DAILY and remember that the hard work will pay off if you do it!

Do you have an existing business you’d like to get on social media? Do you have physical products you create and sell? Are you a professional who can provide bite sized content to content consumers via social media? Do you just enjoy posting random funny things? Food content? Photography content? Or something a little more niche? Determine what you enjoy creating and build a plan with that in mind.

I highly recommend a physical location as a reminder of what you want for this! Once you have found the place/places and times that will ideally be your focus zone, you’ll need to build the habit of working there. It doesn’t have to be dedicated to only blogging, but find a space in your home that you’d like to be your “spot” for working on this, and each time you’re there, allow it to continually inspire you.

Yes, it’s your “thing” but it’s actually not as much about you as it is about the people you aim to serve.You’ll need to come up with some ideas of what to post about related to what you enjoy. This content needs to be framed in a way that helps the person seeing it. Your goal should be to educate, entertain, or inspire the reader. You can share about yourself and your life, but make sure it’s helpful to the reader in your target audience. You can’t make everyone happy, so with your content you need to speak directly to the imaginary person who your account is created for, nobody else! Highly recommend the concept of having an “Avatar” for your business that you create content for. Prior to anything going live, ask yourself, “What would ____ think of this when they see it?” and then post if you think they would absolutely love it! 

There is no shortcut here, you really have to put the work in every single day. Even if it’s five minutes of responding to comments, answering DMs, or actively reaching out to others in your niche, you need to be able to treat this like a job that needs to get done. Yes, it’s fun, but it’s also WORK and if you don’t take it seriously, chances are it won’t ever be what you want it to be.

Determine what your daily non-negotiables are, and before you go scrolling the ‘gram, ask yourself if you’ve already finished the WORK you were supposed to do on there? No? The take the first five minutes of your scroll time and DO IT. Being disciplined online is hard, but holding yourself accountable gets easier and easier. Easy segway into number five, which is finding your hype team, and we hope we can be on it! (Shameless plug – catch us inspiring on the ‘gram @our.blog.life) if you’re on there…

Again – NO SHORTCUT here! In order to make significant changes in your blog/business plan to reach the goals that you set out, chances are you will need to rearrange your priorities a little… or a lot.

Make sure that every day you are present in the moment and deciding how to use your time to best meet your goals. Practice self care and self love to keep your whole self healthy, inside and out. Deal with stress and help prevent it from hitting you hard.

The opportunity to succeed online is really endless, and so it can be overwhelming with so much information out there. Even as a beginner, remember that what you have to offer is unique and valuable. By connecting with others on your journey, you’ll not only give and gain knowledge and experience, but you’ll build some of the most amazing friendships!

It’s overwhelming as heck sometimes, especially with the way that this line of business is constantly changing. What can’t change is your dedication to serve your avatar the best content you can! So if it gets hard, take a step back, go on a walk, exercise, and do the things that make you happy before getting your required tasks done. Sometimes you just need to show up though – ask yourself – what is causing me to hesitate with this? Why am I holding myself back from the tasks I need to do right now?

Meditate daily and utilize affirmations to develop and enhance your positive mindset. Surround yourself with positive people and limit time in situations with negativity.

A quick note before you go – please remember our IG DMs and email contact is always open if you have blog/biz questions! I realize that things autopost to FB, Twitter & Tumblr from here, but real talk – I don’t catch up with those more than a few times a quarter. IG DMs, comments, or email is where you’ll find me replying! Just make sure if you don’t hear from us within a few days you send another message to kick it to the top! We try really hard, but it’s kind of impossible to catch and reply to everything and manage the rest of this jam! #NotPerfect and if we don’t see you, it’s not personal! 

If you made it this far, you deserve an award!🥇 We believe in you, and are so happy you’re interested in creating or growing an online platform. We invite you to subscribe to our blog, and find us on social media, where we post daily in some form or another, with more bite sized content on this topic!

Until next time…

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