Beauty Blogging; the good, the bad and the ugly.
Writing the Blog for Tuscany Spa has been fun. Interesting. And frustrating as all heck.
A client once asked if I had to be such a "Virgo", such a perfectionist. After a moment of thought I replied "Why yes! Yes I do!"
This trait makes me a bit of a pain in the .... neck. I want everything I do to meet my exacting standards.
But sheesh, its not like I am performing brain surgery here.
During a Diagnostic Facial, my clients eyes widen at all the insider information I share. They're pleased but worry they will need to memorize all I've told them.
This blogs purpose is to create a written "document" based on that 20 years of beauty biz knowledge. This gives our clients a database of beauty and wellness information. They can review the info at their leisure.
That's the plan.
The reality is that there's a specific technique to blogging, and blogging well. And I have spent the last 2 years researching different bloggers, writing instructors and how-to sites to make my blog the best it can be.
Ok. What I really want is to make this blog PERFECT. But, as the cliché states, I am my own worst critic. It isn't perfect. Perfection is an impossible goal. And I'm never going to think it's good enough.
So the big lesson I have learned: just do the best I can then put it out there. If I don't try, I won't learn. We don't learn how to fly by staring at a plane? I won't learn how to blog by staring at my tablet. (Even if it is an awesome Asus tablet.)
And it's better to having created something decent, yet imperfect, than to create nothing at all.
A better beauty blog? 7 ways to improve it.
- It must be PeRfeCt.
My perfectionism is a bit of a hassle. I have to double check every word and sentence for spelling, grammatical errors and simplicity. I'm also trying to NOT sound like a robot.
Funny how stilted my written "voice" tends to be. Writing in my spoken voice is a new skill I'm attempting to acquire. Of course phrases like "attempting to acquire" don't help.:)
I use Evernote to write out my posts then copy and paste them into the blog. I can write without internet access. Save it for later. Cut and paste ideas, links, references from the internet.
And with Evernote Ican group the posts under Categories and then subcategories. I have offline access so can update it any time. Then I copy it over to the blog for the next phase.
- It must be PerFeCtly Colorful
Adding in images to break up the long lines of words helps the post look less intimidating and dull. Naturally it takes me hours to create a simple image.
So far I really like CANVA for image creation. Lots of templates and easy to use. Just don't use a touch screen with Canva; that's a no go.
The images on this post were made with Canva. Picked one of their photos, added text, change the color filter. Voila!
- Break it up, there is a lot to see here.
I have scoured the internet for how-to blog tips. One of the best tips? Break up the writing into smaller bite size pieces.
That way the post is not so daunting.
Today there is so much info to read that giving readers an easy to scan post is appreciated. The way we read newspapers is to skim the headlines. Then if the info is useful to we can read it thoroughly.
I have broken this post into smaller paragraphs and short sentences. This way a information-heavy post, such as this one, doesn't look like a bottle of ink attacked the screen.
- Become an editor extraordinaire
Another suggestion is to edit; then edit again. Simplify ideas, shorten sentences and take "it" out of it as often as possible.
My dad loves to say my posts should be: like a woman's skirt: short enough to catch the attention but long enough to cover the essentials.
Although that phrase works just as well my way: Be like a man's kilt, short enough to catch the attention but long enough to cover the essentials.
In the past I have had my sister act as editor, she did a great job. With the recent birth of my niece, sister is a bit overwhelmed and unavailable. So it's up to me.
But mz perfectionist here is gets so bogged down editing, the posts take longer to actually get published. I have to hit the "Aw Futz it" stage and just hit publish.
If you catch an error, feel free to let me know. I obviously missed it before I hit my "Futz It" stage.
- Connect to the past
Linking a current post to a past one is strongly recommended.
If a previous post started a conversation, or explained a piece of information, then linking it to a current post helps illuminate the idea.
(yes, I am a geek that uses the $10 words like "illuminate" in my daily conversation. ;))
But if my current writing wasn't created from a previous post, then I forget to link them. Even if I touched on a different area of the same topic. This leads me to the next tip.
- Keep a file of previous posts
A spreadsheet is a great way to keep a file of all previously published posts.
I haven't completed my google spreadsheet yet. My spreadsheet has previous posts published, date, title, topic and link. Or it will have.
I strongly suggest to create a spreadsheet with this info. Keep it updated as each post is published. This makes it easier and quicker to add links. I use Google Spreadsheets. it's free, customizable and you download your info and access it while offline.
My spreadsheet is not yet complete, nor up-to-date, so it takes me a while to locate, copy and add the link. This is a huge time waster. Don't make my mistake, get it set up ASAP. As I write these words I realize I have a spreadsheet to finish ... SOON.
- Sign off with a CTA
CTA stands for CALL TO ACTION. Basically after a post, I need to figure out what I want the reader to do. Leave a comment, buy a product, book a service, share the post or image on social media. Then simply ask for it.
I have a few regular readers *Waves to readers*. They speak to me in person or on social media rather than commenting on the posts. Thanks for the feedback. It is good to know you read the post. Your ideas or thoughts on the topic are helpful.
- HAHAHA - Keep smiling
Have fun. Keep a sense of humor about the process. The day I stop enjoying writing this blog will be day I end it. The blog, not myself. I plan to live to a ridiculously old age.
It's a constant struggle to reel-in my perfectionistic tendencies. I over-think the process. But these challenges keep me "moving and on-my-Feet".
Staying in the same spot isn't fun. And I plan to become the fun, frisky sexy senior citizen living La-Vida-Loca.
To accomplish that goal I keep trying something new, pushing myself to be my best self.
Along with wearing lots of sunscreen, exercising, using good skincare, and getting facial peels.
Learning about blogging is fun.
But the whole purpose is still to share beauty and wellness information. And create a written version of verbal consultations and client conversations.
So my question to you:
What do you think I should post next? Was it something I shared during a facial? Or a question you have? Let me know. Plus what beauty and wellness blogs do you recommend?
And if you are a blogger, share your blog link in the comments so I can follow you too.
Michelle G. Lathe, L.E.
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