Keep Your Eye On The Prize But Don’t Lose Sight Of The Joy Of Pet Blogging

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

It's all about blogging, blogging, blogging, tracking your followers and likers and the number of re-tweets
you garner, right? Well, not so much. Yes, you want to make certain that your pet blogging is reaping the rewards you'd hoped for, but for every pet blogger the "rewards" are different. There are pet bloggers that blog for the sheer joy of sharing their love of their pet in particular or pets in general and then there are pet bloggers that blog for the opportunity to become known to make money or to be known as the expert in their niche. Whatever your reason for blogging, make certain you don't lose sight of the joy that you get from the task. 

If, like most of us, you are blogging as a way to make money or connections, here are five things you want to avoid when you're blogging and using social media: 

1. Don’t get bogged down in too many social
   media sites. Choose the sites that make the most sense. If you’re a pet
   blogger, then the BlogPaws Community should be a jumping in point to
   communicate with like-minded pet bloggers. Regardless of whether you use
   Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ or Instagram, make a commitment
   and build a following and post with regularity. Having a diluted presence
   on multiple sites won’t likely help you build a fan base.
2. Speaking of followers… don’t get
   stuck on the numbers. Yes, someone can say they have 20,000 Twitter
   followers but are they quality followers? Are they retweeting you? Are
   they in your niche? Will they be the followers that you will market your
   site or your blog posts to? Numbers may look nice on paper but they aren’t
   everything – it’s engagement that matters most.
3. Do you
   have a social media strategy? While posting frequently is great, if you don’t
   have a strategy, chances are you’re not getting the engagement you’d hoped
   for. A social media strategy includes which sites you will post to in
   addition to the type of content you post to each. You need to balance your
   posts with “sales pitches” and those that show your expertise and
   engagement in your niche.
4. Keep
   track of what works. If you write a blog post that garners you myriad
   comments, is that something you can replicate? What was it about that post
   that appeared to resonate with your readers? Do you have a trusted circle
   of friends that you can run post ideas past to gauge interest? Are you
   keeping up with industry trends? Blogging or posting social media updates
   about what is happening today will help your site and your posts rank
   higher.
5. Blog
   about what you love. If your blogging becomes a chore and is an uphill
   grind, it will show in your writing. Blogging for, and about, pets should
   bring you joy. If it isn’t, take a step back and try and determine what’s
   changed. Have you lost your focus? Do you feel you’ve run out of things to
   say? Do you need to tighten or rethink your social media strategy? Reach
   out to your circle of pet loving friends and ask for help!

What social media tips can you offer? What do
you love the most about being a pet blogger?