I came to Sweden about 3 years ago and since I have an MBA in HR, thought I’d get a job fairly quick. But alas, to work in HR meant to master the Swedish language. I tried doing that for a year and a half and was not getting any results. That may be because I am supremely lazy, stubborn and only do things that interest me. Plus, my concentration span does not last beyond 10 seconds so things bore me (movies, articles, books, Swedish classes) in a flash.
I also don’t like being idle. I wondered what to do and was like, “Bingo since I can write, let me start a blog.” So in late 2013, I paid for a domain name, got webhosting and built a blog.
Blogging has taken off in Kenya and some people have been able to monetize their blogs. It’s easy to assume that being Sharon Mundia or my personal hero, Bikozulu, is easy.
I think there’s a tendency in Kenya to decide on a business because you know someone else was successful at it, without first considering your talents or passion. Larry Madowo is making money as a journalist; let me study that. You can make money selling quail eggs; let me do that. Or this lady on Seeds of Gold was selling snails; let me do that.
If anyone thinks a blog is an easy and quick way to make money, let me paint you an accurate picture: Blogging is hard work.
There are the technical blogging details that will take you on a steep learning curve. Things you’ve never heard of before like plugins, domain name servers, propagation and SEOs.
Gaining a following is a slow process like watching trees grow. Do you know how many articles I wrote that were not read by even one person? Biko may churn out hit after hit but he told me (I’m his biggest stalker fan) that growing his fan base took him about 4 years.
You will have a love and hate relationship with your blog. I stopped posting last year. I was sick of creating content, sick of injecting so much money in the blog, sick of becoming so disciplined. I stopped. But guess what, I’m restarting the blog all over again this year. This time permanently, inshallah.
The best advice I would give someone considering blogging is:
•Tie your blog to something you naturally do. Biko is a writer; Sharon is a fashionista. If you open a food blog and can take good pictures of your food and also cook, that would work. Creating a new post should not make you hyperventilate and go to the ICU. It should be effortless.
•Treat your blog like a business from Day One. Set up your blog for success from day one. I bought my domain to avoid the hassle of moving from one page to another. You have to invest some money in it because you want people to come to your blog and be impressed.
•Churn out content consistently. Not when you feel like. Create a content calendar to help you plan your posts. Before you even start blogging have a plan for your next articles. Do not publish a post on Monday and wait till Monday to be like, “What will I post today?” Life happens, things take over and soon we’ll just read your, “Sorry I did not do my homework” posts. which are annoying and show how unreliable you are.
•Be realistic about your posting schedule. Blogging is like going to the gym, you may think you will go at 5 am daily but reality hits. Decide on a posting schedule you will realistically adhere to.
What brand will want to work with you if you blog inconsistently, do not take your blog seriously and are wishy washy like the wind? None. If you write, edit your work. Grammar errors are a big no no. Use correct English, this new language like “ticha” for teacher is from hell itself. Take good pictures, make sure your site is easy to navigate, easy to read and minimalistic. Realize that you have an international audience.
Nyakarima King is the blogger behind www.asummerbunny.com, and has an author website at www.nyakarimaking.com. Follow her on twitter at @nyakarimaking and like her “A Summer Bunny” Facebook page.