Today is the third post in a series of 5 posts about blogging: why to start, how to start, how to get readers, how to build community and how to monetize your blog.

A lot of you are terrified that no one will ever read your blog.  Believe me, someone will read it BUT only if they your blog exists! Today I’ll give you 10 ways to grow your blog’s traffic.  Following these tips from the beginning is the best way to ensure your blog’s readership will continue to grow.

1. Guest Post on other Blogs.

The BEST way to get people to your site is to get in front of new (and relevant) audiences.  You can easily do this by writing entertaining and informative guest posts for other bloggers.  A lot of people I’ve talked to with large blog followings say they got to where they are thanks to guest posting.  For example, check out my friend Matt Cheuvront’s blog tour.  Impressive, right!?

Make a focused effort of reaching out to a few bloggers per week when they were new on the scene.  If you’re emailing a more established/high traffic blog, I suggest having your post already written.  Make it as easy for the blogger as possible!  Put a link to your blog in your bio at the end of each guest post so people can visit your site.  A lot of bloggers are happy to publish guest writers because it diversifies their content and perspective.  In many cases, they’re just happy not to have to write a post themselves for a day!

2. Make sure you have a large, clearly-defined, easy-to-find RSS button.

That obnoxiously huge orange button pictured in this post is what I’m talking about.  With so many people reading blogs on the go via their smartphones, tablets and readers, you must make it as easy as possible for people to access your content.  Personally, I rarely go into a browswer and type in a blog’s URL. Rather, I go to my Google Reader and read all my favorite blogs’ newest posts from one screen. Lots of people do this- don’t miss out.  If I can’t subscribe to a blog’s content, I usually leave the site immediately.

Are any of you wondering what the heck RSS is?  It stands for “Really Simple Syndication.”  The easiest comparison is to think about your Facebook feed.  RSS constantly puts all the newest updates in one place for easy access.  Even if you don’t personally use RSS buttons, you’d be surprised at how many people do.  This is a must have!

How do I get an RSS button on my site? You’ll need to “burn a feed” first.  Do that by going to feedburner.com.  This (oddly silent) 1 minute video will show you just how to burn a feed.

Once you’ve followed all the instructions in this video and have copied the code for the big orange icon, you’ll need to add it to your site which is super easy! All you have to do is login to your WordPress “Dashboard” (the back end of your site) and then:

• Go to the “Appearance” menu on the lower left side of the screen and click “Widgets”
• Drag the box that says “text” into the right hand side of your screen
• Click on the box that says text
• Then paste that code in there and click save
• Refresh your site and you should have an RSS button!

3. Include the link to your blog in your personal email signature.

4. Comment on other Blogs.

5.  Join Twitter

6.  Share Your Posts with your Social Networks (if appropriate)

7. Read Seth Godin’s article on “How to get Traffic to your Blog”

8. Submit your blog to directories like Alltop.com and Technorati.com

9. Make it easy for people to share your posts by adding the “Sexy Bookmarks” plugin to your site.

Sexy Bookmarks adds social media buttons to every post and makes it super easy for people to “like” it on facebook, tweet the article and bookmark your article on sites like Stumbleupon, Digg, Delicious & Reddit.  Anytime you’re sharing content with a network, you have the power of scalability and the tiny minute chance that your article could “go viral” as more people share it with one another.

How do I add plugins?  It’s easier than you’d think.  It requires you to download the plugin and activate it.  There are hundreds of great instructional YouTube videos out there.  Whatever you do, don’t fear this task so much that you don’t do it!  Social media buttons will be a huge factor in growing your blog’s traffic!

10. Write Strategically.

There are 2 big reasons people read blogs: to solve a problem or to be entertained.  Think about what people might be Googling in order to find your site then incorporate those phrases into your posts or write posts that revolve around answering those Google searches.

Here are some different types of articles you can create that will give people reasons to come to your site:

• Break a news story or write about a hot topic in the news
• Give your opinion- controversy often drives traffic big time
• Interview a blogger, author or industry-rockstar
• Write about the season, big events going on & holidays
• Create a list of your favorite blogs (the other bloggers will appreciate the links and may even link back to you which is huge!)
• Teach someone how to do something
• “Top 10 Reasons Why…”
• “5 ways to…”
• Hold a contest
• Review other sites
• Review books
• Post videos (of you and/or of others)
• Put lots of pictures in your posts

Today is the first of a series of 5 posts about blogging: why to start, how to start, how to get readers, how to build community and how to monetize your blog.

A lot of people ask me why/how I started blogging.  Let’s rewind 3 years. Like many young professionals, I was feeling lost and discouraged about life after college.  I figured blogging would allow me to exercise the creative part of my brain after my hours as a commercial banker.  I’d also get to write; something I had always enjoyed doing but never really did during college as a finance major or after college as a commercial banker.  In addition, I wanted to connect with other young professionals who were feeling the way I did.  When I started this blog at age 24, I never realized it would do so many things for me both professionally and personally.

For example, I never intended for Ms. Career Girl to introduce me to a CEO who hired me to work in a management role I had little official employment history in (marketing) but very much wanted to work in.  Nor did I expect it introduce me to a whole new world which led me to take Internet Marketing classes at University of SanFrancisco and become totally obsessed with social media.  I definitely didn’t expect it to introduce me to journalists and publishers who wanted to give me exposure, or to change my whole career path.  And although I’ve always had a little fear of being laid off, I definitely didn’t start this blog thinking Ms. Career Girl would be my savior after losing my job.

And on a personal note, this blog helped me get through so much over the last 3 years: a breakup with an x-boyfriend who I lived with, 5 moves, credit card debt, 3 jobs, a career transition, a layoff and even some bouts of depression. Oy!

I don’t think blogging is for everyone, but honestly, it has been one of the highlights of my life and has opened SO MANY DOORS for me over the past 3 years.

Here are some common objections I get about blogging:

But I am a terrible writer!

That’s nice but believe it or not, blogging doesn’t require the skills of those who author a Pulitzer prize-winning novel!  The reason so many people read blogs is because blogs are often written very casually.  Great blogs are authentic, which often times means that people write the way they talk.  In addition, so many blogs aren’t based around long articles (like this one often is).  Many are snippets of writing with mostly pictures and videos.  The pictures and videos don’t even have to be of you, but about topics that are interesting! Being a “good writer” doesn’t necessarily mean being a good blogger.

I’m just not into social media.

Ok, then maybe blogging ISN’T for you!  Just remember that there were once skeptics who said computers and email were a fad that would go away. Or, that learning the technology was such a pain that they’d rather just do things manually.  Pause: Imagine your life without a computer and email!!  Beware of doubting social media and the power of blogging because it is here to stay.  Year after year companies and PR firms are dedicating more and more of their marketing & advertising budgets to bloggers. The more consumers are inundated with traditional advertisements, the less we take them seriously.  Instead, studies show that consumers research and gain influence on purchasing decisions from those in their social networks, especially bloggers.  Don’t believe me?  Then watch this short video, the numbers don’t lie: Social Media Revolution 2011.

I don’t understand how blogging works – the technology intimidates me.

Now this I can relate to.  I knew nothing about blogging when I started either and I especially didn’t know much about technology or social media.  Trust me, they’ve made it so darn easy to blog.  I use WordPress and highly recommend it.  You can get started for free in minutes at WordPress.com. If you need extra help, stay tuned this week and I’ll provide some screen shots & tutorials on how to use WordPress.

Who would read my blog?, What would I even say or write about?, or I wouldn’t know how to get my first reader.

You’d be surprised.  There seems to be a “tribe” or niche for everyone out there.  While you may feel you’re the only one who loves collecting snow globes or reading about the history of kithchen appliances, there’s probably a whole slew of readers out there who would be interested in these topics.  Don’t forget, there are also companies out there who would be interested in reaching these communities too. More info on how to get your first readers is on its way to you this week!

If you’re feeling a bit dissatisfied in your life, have a passion, want a project, need to do something for yourself or just like exercising the creative half of your brain, consider starting a blog.  You never know what your blog will lead you to whether it’s a new job, a new career path, a fall back plan in the event of a layoff, personal satisfaction, media attention, a side income, a significant other or just plain happiness.

And if in doubt?  JUST DO IT.  Everyone feels totally weird when they write their first blog post, and maybe even their second, third and fourth too. You’d be surprised at how empowering blogging can be!

 Are you a blogger?  Why did you start?  

What opportunities and personal growth have you gained thanks to your blog?

Want to learn more about turning your idea into a profitable blog or small business?  Consider taking our WordPress Setup Camp or joining a Ladies Launch Pad Incubator. Both classes are taught via Skype and in-person (Chicago).

It’s another blog swap day! Today’s guest post is by Srinivas Rao, a personal development blogger at The Skool of Life. Srini obsesses over riding waves and finding life lessons through the sport of surfing. He is also the co-founder and host of BlogcastFM, a podcast for bloggers.  Also, check out the post I wrote about lessons I’ve learned since graduating college over at The Skool of Life today.

While you might think that perfection is success, upon closer inspection you’ll find that success is the byproduct of one imperfect failure after another. Perfection on the other hand is a word we’ve made up, we’ve given meaning to it, other people have agreed with our meaning and as a result, our fear of not being perfect keeps us from beginning the journey to success.

Last week Nicole’s post about entrepreneurial perfectionism syndrome really resonated with me. I come from a background where you are continually taught that the end goal is perfection. If I brought home an A-, I was asked why I didn’t get an A+. Our reports cards were never put on the fridge. It was just expected that we brought home A’s. But, nobody ever asked the more important question. Did you actually learn anything?

The constant mentality of compare and compete was a driving force behind how many kids in my community were raised. The fatal flaw in this however is that there will always be someone better and someone worse. In the game of life you really shouldn’t compete with anybody other than yourself. The fact of the matter is that YOU WILL NEVER BE PERFECT. But, who cares? It doesn’t matter one bit. The fallacy of perfection actually sets you up for failure.

How Set Yourself up for Massive Success

One of the most useful things I learned in Tony Robbins Personal Power II course was the idea of making it easy for yourself to feel successful. Let’s take a look at a blog as an example. Let’s say you measure the success of your blog by the amount of traffic and you decide that some arbitrary number makes you successful. Well, anytime you don’t hit that arbitrary number you give yourself the message that you are a failure. Now, what if we said “anytime I wrote a blog post, I’m successful.” It’s a minor difference, but what happens is now you are setting yourself up to feel successful and as a result you will hit a success cycle. Make it easy for yourself to feel successful. Don’t let this be confused with having low standards. This is about conditioning your mind to feel good and one small success leads to a bigger one, which leads to a bigger one, which leads to the snowball effect.

As a result of this snowball effect, your subconscious starts to get a very different message. It’s a series of successful events instead of series of failures. Try it for 30 days and you’ll be amazed how much more you accomplish and how much better you feel doing it.

Welcome to Ms. Career Girl’s shortest blog post ever. 

I had some really interesting conversations this weekend that really got me thinking. I’m sure you’ll hear more about these soon. 

Here’s one fragment for you to chew on for today.

What would you do if you were given $1,000,000 right now? (Tax free, no strings attached)

• How would this money change your life?  Your career? 
• Would it change the types of people you date?
• Would you move? 
• Would you feel more confident?
• What’s the first thing you would buy?
• Would you give any away?

Money is a really interesting (and psychological) thing.  I’m very curious about your responses.

Take 5 minutes to watch the awesome video below, made by boxofcrayons.biz (@boxofcrayons). I promise it will rejuvenate your mind and your attitude.

In Review, The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun:

1. Get Focused: stop hiding who you really are.

2. Get Focused: start being intensely selfish.

3. Be Creative: stop following the rules.

4. Be Creative: start scaring yourself.

5. Use Your Wisdom: stop taking it all so damn seriously.

6. Use Your Wisdom: start getting rid of the crap (habits, memories, attitudes, people).

7. Take Action: stop being busy.

8. Take Action: start something. Don’t wait any longer for permission to do what you want to do.

Keep this post handy on your desktop or in an inspiration folder. There’s no doubt you will want to come back to this post when you are feeling stuck and review these simple yet powerful concepts.

This post is dedicated to NSE, a person who has always lived by these rules and is the definition of fun and success wrapped up into one.

Here are some random thoughts about what I was reminded of this week:

1. A bit of positive news builds a heck of a lot of momentum. This week I talked to ForbesWoman.com and mscareergirl was officially accepted into their blog network. For me this is a huge honor, and hopefully the start of lots more business-related writing.

2. Writing lists are only so helpful. It’s apparent that I only do what I want to do on my list.  My laundry has been sitting in heaps waiting to be folded for 3 days, my house is a disaster, and my fridge is low on inventory.  Although these were big items on my list, I could not have cared less.

3. The power of focus is pretty amazing. And no, I haven’t focused on cleaning at all this week, but I’ve made a lot of progress on planning for Ms. Career Girl’s improvements and growth.  This happens before and after my day job.  Working on this passion is what gets me out of bed every morning, drives my energy and my happiness every day. 

4. Without passion, women will never achieve focus.  If we don’t care about something, good luck focusing on it.  Especially for spacey ADHD types like me.

5. We suck when it comes to doing things we aren’t good at. I notice this in myself at work and in my friends/family. We ask our co-workers a few extra times if we are doing something correctly, we stall, we procrastinate, we complain to those at home, we get stressed out, we make it way harder than it is, we want to escape. This will definitely be a career barrier if we don’t overcome it.

6. Asking for/saying what you want (or stating how you feel) is so much easier than worrying about being polite, delaying the inevitable, or bottling up energy. That in itself crosses a lot off the to-do list, saves time and rids toxic energy. In my opinion, this is one thing career women need to do more of! I have several examples of this from the week which I’m not going to get into.  And- sidenote- I’ve noticed that being direct keeps getting easier and easier…you should definitely try it!

7. “Shoot for the moon and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Think and dream really REALLY big.  It is really REALLY fun!

If the statistics are true, more people than ever before want to star their own business someday. Of those people, I bet 90% of them have no clue what type of business they want to start. Today’s post provides a process that should help you start gaining clarity on what Your Company, Inc. looks like.

Before we begin, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Defining your business mission is not an easy or quick process. For many it takes years. The important part is that you keep on searching and keep trying new things until something feels right. Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged and quit. (Kind of like dating, weird.)

2. Remember that your business will probably change and evolve several times before it settles and starts making money. This is normal and ok. You are not a ditz if this happens.

3. Get over the fact that there is a recession going on and stop using it as an excuse. Many great companies were started in the midst of a recession, check out this article for proof.
The books that helped me focus my brainstorming process the most were ones I read in the last year: Ladies Who Launch and Escape Corporate America. Here are some ways to start putting your dreams into action based on these books.

Step 1: Fantasize

In your handy entrepreneur notebook (which I hope you have purchased by now) jot down the answers to the following questions. Put down the first things that come to mind, even if your thoughts seem odd. These questions are not necessarily easy, so come back to them over time as needed.
• What did you love doing as a child?
• If money were no object, what would you do?
• What do your friends and family say about you? (Sarah is so great at connecting people, Tara is so organized, Corrine hosts the best events) Sometimes what your friends and family say about you are things that you didn’t notice in yourself. Pay attention to these compliments and write them down.
• Outline your perfect workday. Yes, I said perfect. Yoga, manicures, lunch with Oprah, driving your Range Rover, and playing with your new puppy can all be included.
• Who are your career idols?

Step 2: Research

• Write down a list of all of your interests. Yes, this includes any secret interests you have such as bowling and color-coding your underwear drawer. Once you get that list, start googling and twitter searching the interests to prove to yourself that there are way more careers and small businesses out there than you imagined.
• Now write down your skills and talents. They can be conventional skills such as your ability to build a website or your mastery of Quicknooks, or they can be unconventional. “Soft” skills are just as important when you have your own business. Start drawing parallels between your interests list and your skills/talents list.
• Use the skills/talents and interests list to make up your dream job title. If you could have any dream job title, what would it be? Make it fun if you wish. My new job title is “Chief Executive Diva” of Ms. Career Girl. Now see if this job title exists, and if not start researching ways to make it come to life.

Step 3: Go Shopping

Hell no! I am NOT talking about a trip to Michigan Avenue here. Rather, window shop your dream job and take advantage of the dressing room. Here are some tips on how to start “shopping”:

• Start reading blogs on entrepreneurship and on things that interest you daily.
• Join Twitter or use your existing Twitter account to start connecting with people who have similar interests.
• Research your “competition” or existing “dream companies” to see what they are doing. Then, get some guts and ask someone from that company to lunch.
• If it is possible, volunteer doing something that helps you meet new people and get a little closer to your targeted industry.
• Take a class at a local college, join an incubator or get involved in your local Women’s Business Center even if you’re not sure exactly what you want to do yet. These groups will really help.
• As you get more confident, offer to guest post on a blog or start your own blog.

Just start somewhere. Consider it your new part-time job to find your strengths, passions and future business aspirations. Talk to everyone you can and try on many different “outfits,” you never know what could fit.

Once you get your “dream on,” then we can start talking about implementing the dream. And let me know if you want to be considered as the subject for part 2 of this post.

“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.” – Buddha

I came across this great quote yesterday and think it really relates to a lot of us who are still trying to figure out what career path to get on (or off of). 

I ventured out to Michigan Avenue yesterday after work to use some gift cards that I had been hanging on to since last Christmas.  I was excited that the same very sweet sales associate was helping me as last time I went to White House Black Market.  I remembered that she was from Ohio and that she was working part-time at WHBM after her day job.  We discovered that we both studied Finance at Miami of Ohio-small world!  She also started telling me about her financial analyst job at a huge well known company, life 6 months after graduating college, along with her constant questioning of her career path and future.

It was great to talk to someone who was fresh out of school going and through the same stuff that most recent grads go through.  Common side effects of being 22 include: lack of money, confusion, busy work with a fancy job title, holding 2 jobs and constant questioning.  It seems that many of us spend so much time worrying about the present and the future that we can’t enjoy being 22 (or 24, or 26…). 

It was easy for me to tell my new friend that she was doing GREAT and not to worry for the time being.  At the same time, most of us are questioning what we really want to do with our career. 

And that’s where Buddha comes in:  “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.” – Buddha

Why not make our twenties simple and just accept that this age is about discovering what work we want to do?  Accepting the uncertainty is much easier than fighting it every day.  Once we can accept this “discovery period” and stop worrying about it, our brains will actually have time to think about what career is best for us.  From there, you can spend the next several decades pursuing what you love. 

The problem lies in those who worry their way through life and never stop to discover their work.  Without the discovery period you will not be able to fully give yourself to your work.

Goodbye Thanksgiving, Hello holiday shopping.

I decided that instead of spending hundreds of dollars on ugly pajamas, sweaters or perfume that my friends and family don’t even like or want, I’m going to get creative and thrifty this year. Rather than focus on the dollar amount I spend per person, I’m going to tailor my gifts to each personality and my relationship with them.

Here are a few ideas I have that I hope you can enjoy too!

Custom Stationary/Note Cards: My Mom recently bought my sisters and me some really great, customized note cards from www.pjgreetings.com. They have little stick people that represent your features, personality and hobbies. Another great website is www.designhergals.com.

For a less expensive route, here is an example of note cards you can create from www.123print.com.

Gift Baskets: I’m a huge fan of homemade gift baskets because they are completely customizable! The contents do not need to be expensive either. For example, you could put memorabilia of inside jokes, tickets of places you’ve been, pictures, candy, a bottle of wine or batch of their favorite cookies. You could even include a “gift certificate” to take them to lunch so you can spend time with that person. You can get baskets for a few bucks at a craft store like Michael’s, then buy some confetti to fill up the basket, and top off with shrink wrap and a bow. The packaging will cost $5-10 (max).

Calendar: Each year my sister creates a calendar that is given to everyone in our extended family. She collects great pictures from that year via email and then puts them together on her Mac into a different collage for each month. This year she printed the calendar through apple.com.

Gift in a Jar: Maybe it’s the Italian in me, but I show love through feeding the people I care about. A “gift in a jar” is a recipe that is already measured out and ready to be mixed together and cooked/baked. It looks cute and is very thoughtful. This is a great co-worker or hostess gift too. Check out this website to get great recipes and ideas. The site also has free (and really cute) tags you can print out and attach to the jar with a ribbon that show the baking instructions.

Video/Slideshow: Although this gift takes more time, effort and creativity, I think this is the greatest one on the list. Making a video or slideshow of different events you and your friends/family have done together would be such a great and personalized way to keep your memories handy.

Cookbook: My family has been talking about putting together our family recipes for years, why not do it around the Holidays and give it as a gift? Ask your family and friends to email you their favorite recipes then compile and print them at your local print shop. Or, you could print the recipes on to colored note cards and put them into a cute box that they can keep in their kitchen.

If you have any other ideas, share them in the comments or email me so I can post on your idea!