We were really encouraged by the feedback we received on our recent post, 5 Things to Stop Doing Now to Make Your Blog more Successful. It made us think. What other actions detract from photographers’ blogging success? Are there additional dangerous pitfalls that cause blogs to fail? In that spirit, we wanted to share 5 MORE things to Stop Doing to Make your Blog Successful!

1: Stop Viewing Blogging as “Work”

The cool part about photography is, how you capture the image is more important than what you actually capture. An engagement session can be beautiful in a grocery store parking lot with the right light and the right angles.

Even though photography pays your bills, do you see it as “work?” Many photographers consider their work ART.

Thinking about blogging as work, or as a dreaded chore will not set you up for success. Your blog will be better received if you see it as an art form, just like your images. Your blog is an extension of your brand. It’s an extension of you, as a photographer. Your blog is just another way to showcase your portfolio. By viewing it as a way to showcase your art and tell stories to your target clients, instead of thinking of it as “just another marketing chore,” your blog will be received in a more favorable way.

Your customers want you just as much as they want your images. Think of your blog as a way to communicate with them instead of as “work!”

2: Stop Getting Distracted

When busy season hits, your blog is often the first thing to be pushed aside. Your blog is never going to call you up and ask where its latest post is. Try not to be distracted by other business tasks and make sure blogging is a priority.

Here’s the reality: blogging infrequently is almost as bad as not blogging at all. If you only blog three months of the year, no matter how amazing those posts are, the other months you DON’T blog are what will damage your SEO.

Search engines love consistent content, so make sure you don’t let your blog drop on your priority list. There is so much to gain by staying consistent, so don’t get distracted.

Here are a few tricks for staying on track with your blogging, both during the busy season and when life just gets busy: 4 Tricks to Blogging Through the Busy Season.

3: Stop Ignoring the Vision You Have For Your Future

Don’t let anyone tell you who your Perfect Client should be. Don’t let society tell you what your photography business should look like, what you SHOULD shoot or who you should cater to.

Your brand, your blog, your business, and your future are all within your control.

“You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands – your own.” — Mark Victor Hansen

Remember, your blog is an extension of your brand. It is an amazing way to update the public face of your company. Moreover, it’s a way for your customers to connect with you and to understand your vision. Whether you specialize in tattooed brides and edgy, unique couples (like Mike Allebach), or fit, fun-loving couples with outdoor, mountain weddings (Like Jason & Gina) you should embrace the vision you have for your brand and your future.  When you carry that vision to your blog, it helps you to connect with more of your ideal customers.

4: Stop Playing By the “Rules”

“There is nothing that is a more certain sign of insanity than to do the same thing over and over and expect the results to be different.”  — Albert Einstein

Listen, if there were a formula for how to run the perfect photography business, everyone would be successful. The beauty of any art is in the differences. Blogging as well has its own set of rules. And sometimes… The best thing to do is break them. The world of the internet is ever evolving, and the rules evolve around with it. Don’t feel like you can’t take chances.

Remember that above anything else, your blog should speak to your customers. More than SEO checks, more than google robots, write your content for your customers. Try new things. If they don’t work, try different things.

Not only is doing the same thing again and again crazy, it’s also boring.

For more information on how to innovate your photography business, take a look at “Fight the Insanity.”

5: Stop Procrastinating

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” — Karen Lamb

In order to make your blog successful, you have to blog. Have you blogged today? There is no better time to start than today. The thing about blogging that’s really important to remember is that the more you do it, the more effective it gets. Not only do the words come faster, but search engines start to see your posts. You start to establish authority as an expert. Your customers can rely on your content. The more you blog, the more work your blog can do towards being a part of your marketing strategy.

It’s easy to procrastinate. It’s easy to push it off. But you’re only delaying the benefits that blogging regularly and consistently can offer to your business.

And if you need help starting, we’d love to help. We love blogging and would be happy to help you get started today.