When people asked why I started to blog, I used to say it was for work. My Mommyology really began as a social experiment. My business was getting into the digital marketing and social media scene, and I thought if I were to seriously help out, I needed to understand what each aspect was all about.
Actually, my first blog wasn’t My Mommyology. It had a different name. And I put in maybe one or two posts before I stopped it altogether. It didn’t even have an avatar (It’s been 4 years, I need to start using big blogging words! Haha!).
I stopped the (first) blog because I had difficulty keeping to a single theme. The title only reflected one aspect of my life, or who I was, and I found that it had an endpoint. I realized early on I had to dig deeper and put more of “me” into it. If I wanted this blog to stand out in the blogosphere, then it had to have a unique, distinct point of view (how very brand marketing no?). However it also had to stay true to itself and last the test of time (yes, I was thinking long-term). What was the essence of my blog going to be? And it was then when My Mommyology came to be.
In the beginning my only followers were my mom and probably my husband (if only because he was worried about what I was going to say about him.) 😉 The small base slowly grew to family and friends who were interested in what I had to say.
Then we went to Manila and my blog took on a whole new level. I met the SoMoms who’ve become lifelong friends and one of the best support groups a woman could ever ask for.
I met Coach Pia and learned through the #betterme sessions. And I also got invited to all sorts of launches. I was fortunate enough to receive gifts and engagements from brands I liked, loved and curious about.
It was in Manila when I realized how “active” the blogging world was with respect to developing marketing campaigns. We even had a session at Co.Lab with different personalities in the industry of blogging. It was hosted by Rone of Mothering Earthlings.
In the nice shared office space that is tucked away at the heart of Pasig, she gathered together: the #SoMoms, Denise (of Indigo Baby Shop), Arianne (if I’m being honest I forget the name of her business!), Ros Juan (social media expert and owner of CommunePH ) and Trina of DIYCorporateMom, (who is also one of the big bosses at a top multinational). We talked about blogging from all perspectives: the blogger, the online business entrepreneur, the corporate marketeer, and the reading audience.
Many big words came out — Credibility. Authenticity. Blogging Integrity. Statistics. Blogging as a profession. Community. And lots of valuable insights were shared between the parties (Thank you CoLab and Mothering Earthlings for hosting such an enlightening session!)
Now many moons later, I still keep going back to this: Our blogs are read because of the insight and the unique voice one brings to the table. It’s what builds credibility, authenticity and eventually, even the stats. People nowadays believe word-of-mouth more than they do paid advertisements, which is why corporations are investing more marketing budget in digital, even if it’s a more soft-sell, long-term approach.
It doesn’t happen overnight and is often a very slow process. Stats go up and down. And so in an effort to turn a passion into a profession, there’s the temptation to just “accept” all kinds of engagements and attend all sorts of events. The short-term will produce gains, but it may hurt your blog’s total “essence” in the long-run. Eli of The Painter’s Wife once said that the blog is your brand. And a brand makes an impression that lasts, so you do have to take care of it.
What we forget to realize is that each blog has a community that banks on the authenticity of the writer. Some are smaller or bigger than others, but it’s in this community where the magic happens. People who have common interests and concerns will naturally gravitate towards those with similar / relevant concerns. It’s only but natural as people are multi-faceted… and are entitled to change their minds and opinions about all things in life all the time (hence, we follow multiple blogs). But if you focus on the little or big community you have, you can build a deeper rapport and therefore will be more relevant more of the time. That will then have a ripple effect (as I have seen with some of my seasoned blogger friends on their blogs!).
To get to that point though requires patience. And consistency. And clarity. If you know the whole purpose of why the blog came to be in the first place, then it’s easier to do.
In the last four years, I realized that the posts that “hit home” the most within the community are the ones closest to my heart. They were written with the purest intentions and no hidden agenda. Maybe that’s the lesson there after all.
If you’ve watched the movie Begin Again (and if you haven’t – go watch it! Now!), it pretty much sums up the essence of what I’m trying to say. If there is a clarity of purpose (I sound like my former boss! Yikes!) behind the blog, then everything else will follow… eventually. We just need to give it time and keep it close to the heart.
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To the (small) intimate community that follows My Mommyology, the friends and family that think the blog is worth the read, I’m forever grateful. I hope the blog and the lessons learned become close to your heart as they are to mine. Happy Four Years to us! 😉