How Do I Monetise My Non-Consumer Driven Blog?

Kat

Laura Power

April 1, 2014

Hi Kat, I'm a blogger and I have a conundrum. I hope you can help. Lately I've been finding that when I write about anything life-advice related I get a huge response, and people really enjoy the discussion topics. In comparison if I post about something more trivial, like interiors, fashion or beauty it seems a bit like filler content to me. They get a bit of a response, but nothing compared to the meatier stuff.

Do it for the Love

Kat

Shell De Mar

March 25, 2014

Have you noticed that when some people get really popular/ famous online, or just super busy with clients, that the work you initially fell in love with seems to suffer? The really groundbreaking updates appear less and less often, and the watered down 'client pleasing' stuff takes the forefront?

The Three Mistakes You’re Making with your Website

Kat

March 21, 2014

Design and usability trends for websites move on so quickly these days that it can be difficult to keep up. You might spent thousands on a new custom designed and coded beauty, only for it to be out of date in a few months time! Which is why you need to make sure you understand the fundamentals of a well functioning website before you do anything else.

Getting Through a Slump: How to Blog When You Just Don’t Feel Like it

Kat

Urban Outfitters spring 2014 lookbook “Wild at Heart”

March 17, 2014

Even the most blog-obsessed among us go through periods of "just not feeling like it". Maybe you're going through a particularly difficult time in your personal life, or you're just not being inspired by anything. It happens and it's perfectly normal so don't beat yourself up about it! We're all only human after all, and no-one is at their fighting weight the whole time.

The 50 Dos and Don’ts of Running Your Own Business

Kat

Made U Look

March 14, 2014

When you run your own small business there are oodles of people who'll want to offer you well meaning advice. There are also books and websites a-plenty packed full of information. So needless to say it can all be very overwhelming! In my opinion though, these are the 50 definitive dos and don'ts to follow if you're an entrepreneur.

What is Your Purpose?

Kat

Made U Look

March 7, 2014

You are not how many Twitter followers you have, Facebook likes you've gained or the emails sitting in your inbox. You are not more important when you're busy or in-demand. You are not the money in your bank, the expensive clothes in your wardrobe, the house in the right area or the fancy car in the driveway.

Digital Detox

Kat

Made U Look

March 4, 2014

Feeling overwhelmed because of your dependence to all things digital is, undoubtedly, the curse of the modern era. And we're all guilty of it. I don't know about you, but when I look at my personal dependency it's particularly scary.

How To Land your Dream Job

Kat

FX Media

February 21, 2014

The Blogcademy, the blogging and business workshop I co-run, recently advertised for an events coordinator. I've never hired anyone before (I don't think my husband counts, he was a bit of a shoo-in!) or had to go through job applications, so this was actually a massive learning experience for me too.

Five Simple Strategies to Keep on Top of your Small Business Finances

Kat

FX Media

February 18, 2014

I'm about as un-mathematically minded as they come. Just the thought of balance sheets, invoices and bookkeeping brings me out in a cold sweat. So no-one is more surprised than me that today I'm writing an article about managing small business finances!

Does Your Business Have A Secret Recipe?

Kat

Emma Case

February 11, 2014

Do you ever wonder what it is that makes one blog memorable and recognisable and another seem like they're going through an identity crisis every other week? Do you ever look at a photograph and instantly know who took it? Or see a dress and immediately know who the designer was?

What I Wish I’d Known When I Started My Business

Kat

February 4, 2014

I was lying in bed one Saturday night, mulling over everything I had to get done that coming week, and my thoughts suddenly shifted to how different my life was when I was just starting my blog and business. I pondered, if I knew then what I know now, would I ever have even have registered my domain? Or would it have all just felt too big, too scary and too unattainable to even try? I didn't really have a plan or any goals for my blog when I started out, I simply wanted to write about weddings, but if I did, would it have made a difference to how things panned out?

Navigating Online Cliques

Kat

January 31, 2014

Dear Kat I'm a new blogger (hoping to launch my site soon) and I'm really struggling with getting my name out there... well, it's not even that really, I'm struggling to get any kind of response from people. You see, I've emailed a bunch of people in the industry that I admire, sometimes to ask for a little advice, but mostly to just introduce myself and say hello... but no one is replying to me. I'm starting to feel invisible! It's so difficult to get a new blog or business off the ground as it is and I already feel like giving up. I feel like there are all these different cliques of people and I don't fit in anywhere. I feel like everyone else is already in the club and I'm standing on the outside on my own. It just seems like they don’t want anyone else to join. What am I doing wrong?

How to Increase Your Organic Reach on Facebook

Kat

Lisa Jane

January 28, 2014

There has been a lot of talk recently from small business owners who are having trouble reaching all of their Facebook fans with their updates. While I'm not planning to get into a debate about why this might be, today I thought I'd share some ways in which you can make sure your posts reach as many of your fans as possible.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a Lot Like Blogging

Kat

January 24, 2014

A little while back I discovered this making of documentary about Raiders of the Lost Ark. I studied film at University and one of all time favourite things is to see behind the scenes of movies that I'm obsessed with (random factoid: I actually wrote an essay about the sound used in this film!)

How to Host a Workshop or Live Event

Kat

Janneke Storm

January 21, 2014

Last year I attended, spoke at and organised more live events than ever before. While hard work, they are also incredibly rewarding and so much fun to do. I'm thrilled that doing them is such a huge part of my business now. The Blogcademy in particular has changed my life so much! The first live events I hosted were parties for blog readers and people in the wedding industry, I then moved on to doing small afternoon-long, in-person blogging workshops before launching The Blogcademy with Gala and Shauna in 2012. Needless to say I've learnt a lot of lessons about what does and does not work when putting on events.

The Magic Wand

Lisa Devlin

Devlin Photos

January 17, 2014

The New Year… already? How did that happen? Have you noticed a dramatic increase in enquiries now that the festivities are over with? If you have done your marketing homework like I suggested in this Green Room article on getting your New Year marketing in place, then you might be all set up with a prime ad in a juicy spot on a blog and are just scooping up all those panic bookers, right?

The Blogcademy: New Dates in London & DC and a Palm Springs Live Broadcast!

Kat

January 16, 2014

Shed Inbox Guilt! 8 Email Templates for Wedding Suppliers

Kat

January 14, 2014

I have long preached about the virtues of using email templates. Although I'd love to be able to reply to every email I get personally, when you get upwards of 200 of them a day like I do, it's simply not practical or possible. Email templates are a life saver. They will free you from the shackles of your inbox and enable you to reply to messages more efficiently and with less guilt. Of course not every single email you receive can be replied to with a template, but having a stock of them in your arsenal will make your email-life a whole lot easier.

50 Easy Marketing Ideas for Wedding Professionals

Kat

Emma Case

January 10, 2014

Being the very best at what you do is awesome, but if no one knows you exist then no one is going to book you! January is the busiest month of the whole year for wedding enquiries, so here are some marketing ideas that anyone can employ while more brides and grooms than ever are shopping around for their wedding suppliers.

New Year, New Productivity

Kat

January 7, 2014

Time management and productivity tips are littered all over the internet. In fact it might be one of the most searched for topics, but it's still something people always ask me about. 'Getting shit done' isn't rocket science though and just like anything difficult, there's no magic bullet answer or one trick that will transform you into a productivity wizard. While getting sucked into social media, crap on the telly or Pinterest are all key factors, it is your overall mindset that really needs to change if you're going to be your most productive self.