1. Can you tell our readers about
yourself and your blog? And how did you first get into blogging?
I was always fascinated with media and wanted to work in Print Media.
Being from a conservative family I had to choose a profession like teaching or
office job. So I went on to graduate in English and while pursuing Post
graduation in English my father spotted an Advertisement in Malayala Manorama inviting
candidates for an entrance exam for Post Graduate Diploma In Journalism and
Mass Communication. He was a little sadden because sometime back I got an
interview call for the 1st batch at Satyajith Ray Film Institute,
Kolkata and, in those days, 20 yrs back, in 1997, my family couldn’t visualize
sending a girl to study films.
I cleared the entrance test for First batch of students of Journalism at
Kottayam Press Club and during the verbal interview by well-known journalists, one of them said that I got aptitude for journalism. Those words gave me
confidence. Even though I never took up active journalism, I continued writing
in some form or the other. I did freelance content writing and became the
co-author and editor of an IELTS book.
I worked as content writer for Trade India and Assistant Editor of
Consumer Voice Magazine. Up to now I actively campaign for consumer causes.
In 2013 a friend suggested to “start blogging and generate income”. Coincidentally
that was the time I was undergoing treatment due to complication after an accident
by falling from a rickshaw. The accident
changed my view about lifestyle. Until then I was juggling family, household
chores and office, caring very little about health. After the accident Doctor
recommended morning walks as mandatory. So I started blogging about my morning
walks and other lifestyle issues so that others mend their lifestyle before it
is too late.
My first readers were my friends, relatives and colleagues who
encouraged me to continue blogging.
2. What do you think is the best
service a blogger can provide to his readers?
A blogger provides unbiased, credible, interesting and original content
to the readers. They visit your blog because they trust you and believe that
relying on your opinion will help them take the right decision. For instance,
if you blog about shopping tips, readers completely follow your opinion while
shopping.
3. What do you think is the best
strategy that worked well for you to get more traffic to your blog?
Starting a FB page helped a lot in driving traffic to the website. FB
keeps evolving with new strategies to promote the page and website.
4. Who has impacted you most in
blogging and how?
Association with former colleagues impacted a lot in my blogging. After
associating with Consumers India I took up the campaign to ‘Stop Lead Poisoning
in India’. Now many prominent Lead activists in India are supporting to make
this campaign a success.
5. How do you motivate yourself to keep
the blog up and running?
My motivation is my readers. Either through a comment or a phone call
they let me know how informative and useful a blog was. For instance many
readers say that they came to know about the hazards of Lead from
lifestyletodaynews.com
6. What is the biggest difference in
your life post-blogging?
My website is now part of the family. When friends and family inquire
about the welfare of all family members they inevitably ask about the website too.
My job profile also has upgraded from a Editor and Writer to a Digital
Strategist, because now I deal a whole lot of aspect to drive and retain
traffic to the website.
7. How active are you on a weekly
basis? How often do you communicate with your followers?
Almost three hours daily I spend with the website. I communicate with my
follower’s at least twice in a week.
8. A lot of people think that blogging
is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money from the blog
or doing brand collaborations?
Nothing comes easy in life, and as another blogger says, most of the
time blogging is a “labour of love”. These days there are various options to
generate income from blogging. If you produce quality content and get the SEO
right, you can get advertisement affiliations from Google Adsense, ClickBank, Commission
Junction, etc. Try getting Google Adsense affiliation at the earliest because
that serves as a authentic verification for others to associate with your
website.
9. How important is the role of
influencers in brand promotions? How is your experience of engaging with brands
and problems, if any?
In olden days, word of mouth was considered the best marketing
technique. I would say, in this age of social media, using the service of a
blogger as influencers is the best marketing technique. A blogger has a
readymade set of readers with whom he or she shares an almost personal relationship
and the readers trust every post he shares. Hence such bloggers are essential
to promote a brand.
I promote brands and causes only when I am convinced that the readers
will get some information to improve their lifestyle by reading the promotional
post. Upto now all promotional works were hassle-free.
10.
Do you promote your blog? What promotional techniques work best for you
and why?
I promote my blog using social media like Twitter, FB and Google
Plus. FB brings in the most traffic to
the website. Blogging post related to a trending issue on the Social Media is a
good way to drive traffic to the website; of course the post should be relevant
to your website.
11. Can you tell me
about few sources from where you get products for review on your site?
There are some communities which helps me in getting products for review. My association with Blogmint opened the vistas of
blogging. I got associated with fellow bloggers and also got many projects that
generate income.
Thankyou Blogmint
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