Challenge Conquered! Reflections on 31 Days of May

Challenge Conquered! Reflections on 31 Days of May

And this is it! Our last blog in the 31 Days of May Challenge 2011 and we're proud to report that we did it. 31 days and at least one blog every single day. I know I sound like I'm bragging, but, hey, maybe a little self-congratulations is called for since I'm sort of amazed that we made it.

So, here's what I learned this month:

1. Blogging every day breaks the work up so it's not as overwhelming. Since our business is still fairly new, we are really working on our web presence and have set a personal goal of 10 blogs a week. When I don't do one every single day, I was finding myself needing to do 6 or 7 blogs on the weekend, which is not conducive to putting in as much effort as it deserves.

2. I never run out of great things to write about. I tend to focus on news and events in our area, as well as places and things of interest. Thank goodness we live in a region that is so incredibly interesting and beautiful. I've really learned that what may seem "everyday" or mundane to me, can be of great interest to folks in a different type of setting.

3. I must plan blogs ahead. We also have the personal goal of including at least one photo in each blog so I've gotten in the habit of having my camera with me every single place I go. That way I'm not making special trips to get a photo for my blog. When I'm heading to a Little League game I can take a photo of that cute Mexican restaurant that is just down the street. Also, if I end up with a day and no blog idea, I choose a great photo and build a blog around that.

4. I schedule blogging time. I have to plan a time every day to do my blogging. When I wasn't doing the challenge, I would just fit it in whenever I found myself with a little extra time, which is also why I ended up skipping some days. Now I look at my work at school, my kids' activities, any meetings or appointments I have, even when I'll make dinner and then plan when I will fit it in.

5. Active Rain works! Lo and behold... it does what they say it will. Because we're getting so much out there and each of my blogs have links to other places, our company is coming up in more and more searches. It might be that a blog on a new listing appears in Google before our website, but there's our link to our website right there. I don't have a great success story to tell about a huge commission I got because of Active Rain, but I can say that it's been a big selling point with new and potential clients. Once listed with us, a seller does a search for his property and he's thrilled to see a couple sites appear.

6. I take blogging seriously enough to do it every single day, but I don't take it so seriously that it's too much of a chore. If I'm having a really hard, busy day I allow myself to just post a photo with a little commentary. Every single blog doesn't have to be "the great American novel." I don't have to teach something in every blog.

So here I am just finishing the May challenge and I'm already planning to do the next one. I urge anyone who hasn't tried it to just do it!