Tim King: What I Gained (And Lost) Doing A 30-Day Blog Challenge

My name is Tim King.  I'm an event and portrait photographer based out of San Diego, CA - and I love to travel. And when I say that I love to travel, I REALLY do. I graduated with a degree in international business & an emphasis on marketing, so my passions of marketing & photography go hand-in-hand. I took a creativeLIVE workshop with Jasmine Star back in April, and after meeting back up with her & the other students last month - I've been on a SERIOUS motivational kick! I feel like I've been catapulted into progressing in my business as a result of this 30-day blog challenge, and you'll see why below. :)

Over a year ago, a friend of mine did a 30-day spree of blog posts.  I thought it was a cool idea, and filed it in the back of my mind to do it “someday”. When I decided to really REALLY get serious about my business these past two months, I thought it would be a great time to put this idea into action. I put out a status update on Facebook tagging & challenging some of my close peers within the industry and anyone who was willing to take on the challenge, and outlined the stakes in a blog post.

Little did I know, A LOT of unexpected and surprising results would come from doing this idea.  Some have been GREAT, but some effects haven’t been the most exciting to find out.  Here’s a quick look at what I’ve experienced both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE as a result of doing this 30-day challenge:

5 POSITIVE THINGS I'VE GAINED:

1. Followers/Viewers – Just making the very announcement attracted a ton of people to my page, and with all of the challengers linking to my original post, I suspect a lot of their own followers found out about my site through their own announcement.  I should mention, A TON of traffic came through following creativeLIVE's post on their facebook page & Twitter.  My site was visited over 9,000 more times than the month prior.  My Facebook Page received about 100 more likes, and Twitter has grown equally.
2. Development of a good habit – While I think blogging every day is excessive and possibly detrimental (will get to that later), the process of creating a post each day makes it into a daily routine.  I sometimes went months without blogging, and always shrugged it off as no-one was reading (they were, and do!), this daily action made it something always on the forefront of my mind & something applicable to business – something FRESH.  My friend Erin pointed out that it’s like bootcamp – once you’re used to 7 posts a week, 2 or 3 is NOTHING.
3. Business minded! – Stemming from #2, I found myself constantly thinking about business ideas, ways I could improve my marketing, and really – facing what I NEEDED to do to get things rolling.  I started getting in touch with the people I have been planning on getting in touch with, and it made it a lot easier to get the big plan in ACTION.  It has also caused me to get in a more organized, scheduled train of thought regarding my promotional avenues.
4. Connections – A LOT of people got in touch with me through blog comments, email, and facebook as a result of certain posts – and these new connections are leading to bigger things.  Whether it be interviews, referrals, second shooting requests, or just to get to know one another, this challenge has brought an ENTIRELY NEW NETWORK to me.  It really has caught a snowball effect, and I think I’m going to keep it going.
5. Finally showing off your most recent work! – I had a ton of stuff waiting in the wings to be published, and even though it was several months after when I had originally taken the photos, clients were still happy to promote the work!  I even had a client post & tweet about an event that I hadn’t told them I had even posted!  You never know when someone is keeping tabs on what you do.  Valuable lessons learned!

5 NEGATIVE THINGS I’VE EXPERIENCED:

While it was easy to pinpoint the advantages, I talked with fellow photographers Ashley Goodwin & Erin Oveis Brant to talk about the possible drawbacks this challenge has brought us. These two kicked ass this past month, btw.

1. Dilution of content – At times it’s a struggle to come up with solid content day after day, and we all feared that our blog-followers might be turned off by “filler” posts, or ones that might not bring as great of content as the last.  It’s frustrating thinking that just after you’ve made an awesome post & have promoted it successfully, it’s now time to make the NEXT one.
2. Stress – Related to the previous issue, it’s a lot of work creating a good blog post, and at times it can be stressful on your schedule.  Late nights working on a post because you’ve been busy with family all day, or out running errands and doing one thing-to-the-next.  The last thing you want to do is think critically on tomorrow’s blog post – especially when you don’t necessarily see an immediate reward.  It was very tempting to skip posting on certain days.
3. Over-saturating – I’ve noticed my “like” count on facebook drop a few numbers after posting certain entries, not going to lie here.  But at the same time, I’ve also see that number grow substantially after others.  After doing the challenge, I’ve figured that posting the entries you believe in the most is the best way to go about promoting on social avenues.  At times, seeing posts day-after-day for the general public, it can be a little overwhelming.
4. More time on the computer – It’s not my favorite thing in the world to be working on the computer.  I enjoy life, I enjoy being outdoors and being with friends.  “Having” to do this everyday has changed my lifestyle to include 1 or 2 more hours each day sitting at the computer.  Not something I want in the long term, especially considering all that time we put into editing!
5. Feeling exposed – Erin & Ashley helped out with this one.  At times, it’s tempting to hit “delete” on a post because you might look at it as too emotional, too revealing, or maybe just too personal.  With a requirement to make a post every day of the week, it’s more likely for those posts, you will hit the “publish” button.  Not sure if those posts were a good idea or bad, and there’s no real way to tell when the majority of people visiting your blog don’t comment.  So if you’re reading this – COMMENT!  We love hearing from you.

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND – After doing the challenge for 30 days, I figured I would leave you with something to chew on, something to use, and some ideas to get you started on your own. 

1. The majority of the people visiting your blog don’t comment, but they’re reading!  It’s always a surprise to see someone who hasn’t commented or didn’t even “like” my post when I promoted it – posting my blog entry on their wall, or tweeting about it without even telling me!  It’s a tough thing to consider, but people are reading, and sometimes it just takes time for them to come around & actually get in touch with you directly.  Some never even will!  But they still read…and will expect to see new posts from you daily!
2. Remember what happened with MySpace?  Let’s say it happens with Facebook, and social networks are diluted, causing people to be all over the place.  If you have a strong following to your blog without the need to promote on social networks – your business will be just fine.  Another great reason to build up an independent following.
3. Try to promote your best posts, and let your loyal followers discover the others.  It will help them understand that coming directly to your blog is something they can trust, and not have to rely on seeing it tweeted or anything.  You also don’t want to over-saturate your following with filler posts that wont bring them much value.
4. It’s a lot of work, and it doesn’t necessarily pay-off in the short-run.  You’ll have to be long-term oriented, and dedicated to your business to keep a consistently valuable blog roll.
5. Make it engaging.  Ask questions or mention things that will spark discussion to help your audience feel the need to speak up.  Personal posts help the reader relate, and put a face behind a brand.
6. Ideas for a 30-day challenge:  Portrait-a-day, photo-walk-a-day, Problogger’s 30 days to a better blog, 30 blogs that inspire you, a 30 day process towards building a better you.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to get in touch at timkingblog.com.  I’ll also be checking the comments on this page – and I’d love to hear your feedback/ideas on this post!  Happy blogging!

~Tim King

www.timkingblog.com  |  www.facebook.com/timkingphotography