I am a recovering journalist – a term I coined back in my fundraising days. It got a few laughs. I said I was going through the 12-step program and had to make amends; hence why I was a fundraiser. I had no experience as a fundraiser but I did know how to research, how to write, how to achieve goals and how to pick up the phone and make a call to get an interview.
I knew how to start and finish.
Yet starting a blog seemed daunting.
What would I write about? What if I made mistakes? What if it sounded silly? Was it going to be SEO ready?
Wait… What?
I post on social media all the time. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes not. Sometimes it’s funny and other times serious. I make mistakes. I’m human. I appreciate the humanity of others; When they slip, when they aren’t perfect and when they are willing to own those imperfections. We are never alone in our failings!
When I jumped into Twitter – it was also daunting. I had been a lurker for quite a while, just watching from the sidelines .Then I jumped in at a convention where I had the chance to win an Apple Watch. Game on! Soon I was tweeting, retweeting and yes, I did get my first Apple Watch thanks to that convention competition. It also launched my GailNow brand.
Today I use Twitter every day. In fact I love the platform. It has connected me to some phenomenal people, ideas and learning. It is a big part of my business success too. All because I started.
I also thought blogs were passe. They are not:
- 21.1 billion WordPress posts every month.
- 80% of internet users regularly read blog posts.
- A majority of consumers feel a blog adds credibility to a website
- Marketers who focus on blogging are 1300% more likely to see positive ROI (From www.bloggingbrute.com)
Next: What to include in my blog?
I’m seldom at a loss for words, ideas, thoughts. I love… LOVE to research, I am naturally curious and yes, it’s a habit I do practice regularly.
I post daily on Twitter as @GailNow and content development is what I encourage in my clients. Content on social media you don’t own – but you do once it’s on your website.
Even now I am second guessing myself and thinking I may delay the launch of this blog. Yet what I have told clients and friends: perfection is indeed the enemy of good. I am not heavily editing this blog so there will be errors. I will likely cringe at this one day.
Yet my track record of who hired me, who booked me to speak, and who asked me to help them on a project – this blog is a way to share the process. To acknowledge imperfections but also pull back the curtain. We all agonize way too much when in fact, we connect to people best when we aren’t “on” all the time.
I am diverse in my interests and my skills. I love to learn. I have done talks on curiosity, networking, and even the branding of Robert Burns.
I was asked to give the Immortal Memory at a Burns Supper so I lept into action, researching about Burns and came across renowned Burns scholar, Murray Pittock. I contacted him on Twitter and soon we were chatting away on Skype. Not only was he a Burns expert but he also had just completed a brand study on the value of the Burns brand ( a future blog as this story continues to fascinate me)
There are indeed wonderful things that can happen when we take action. When we decide to let go of perfection, get curious and even get outside our comfort zones. And then we make connections and create stories. The power of a story to help us learn, connect and build a brand.
So welcome to the GailNow blog. Now is the time to live, to laugh- maybe even cry at times.
To succeed you must take risks and being willing to fail.
There are people who know more than me and people who know less. I have many ideas for blog topics. If I need tips for SEO, headline writing, structure, calendar planning there are amazing people on Twitter that I have found who share in their knowledge. Neil Patel has done a top level job of sharing so much. Thank you Neil.
Another is fellow redhead – Rachel Thompson – aka @badredheadmedia And another blogging brute -literally is Mike Alton aka as @bloggingbrute or @mikealton
Now is the time to start. So let the blogging games begin! So how did I overcome my fear of starting a blog? I just did it! And I realized whenever I have success it always starts with a first step.
To quote David Perell who I also first met on Twitter:
“Writing becomes a lot easier once you realize people only remember your best work.”
And if you are inspired to learned more, sign up for the GailNow newsletter.
Email me at gail@gailnow.com with any questions!
Good job, Ms. GailNow! Thoroughly entertaining!