How to Grow Your Blog: See Vanessa Craft

Oh my goodness, I'm such a goof. Serisously, I made a BIG mistake. In all the craziness of going on this mega trip I took with my kids, I messed up on the scheduling of my How to Grow Your Blog series and I left out one of my favorite girls: Vanessa from See Vanessa Craft!!!

Yikes.

I'll let her take it away & hopes she forgives me! :)

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Hi guys! I'm Vanessa from See Vanessa Craft, where you can find my crafty ramblings (among other things). I'm usually working on at least 20 projects all at once and my craft room typically looks like a tornado blew through it. When I'm not crafting, you can usually find me chasing after my 2 year old dinosaur-addict son. I'm super excited to be posting at Destination Craft Today, thanks so much for the invite Kathryn! I started blogging back in 2008, basically before it was cool to blog, and have learned a lot of lessons along the way. My favorite thing about blogging has been the people I have met through it and the connections I have made. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would meet some of my favorite friends online, I would have thought you were nuts. But these ladies get me and I'm so grateful to have them in my life, some even in my real non-computer life now. At least once a week, I get an email from a reader asking how to grow their blog. I'll let you in on a little secret, make internet friends. Sure, they can help bring in the numbers, but more importantly they will be the reason why you continue blogging years down the road when you feel like you just want to quit. And there will be days when you feel like you want to quit the blogging world. Your friends will keep you inspired and maybe they'll even help pick up the slack a little with a guest post or two. You'll do the same for them. So, how do you make these awesome blog buddies you ask? Here are some of the ways I've found my internet BFFs:  
1. Guest Blogging. Do what Kathryn is doing here. Start up a series and connect with bloggers who's blogs you've personally enjoyed reading. I also try to rarely say no to writing a guest post for someone else. This is a great way to start building your network and who knows, you might just find a good friend or two in the mix. 
2. Unplug. That's right, turn off that computer and start networking in person! Whether it's at a giant blog conference or a small meetup for local bloggers, it's important to get your face out there. Plus, you might just find yourself in a room full of other blogging nerds who are just like you and carry on an hour long conversation about instagram without getting bored. 
3. Instagram (and Twitter too). I feel like you get to see a more personal side to bloggers through instagram and twitter, allowing you to get to know someone better. I've connected with more people through these venues than anywhere else.  
4. Facebook Pages. I've met so many awesome blogging friends through private blogging-related facebook pages. If you haven't been invited to one yet, start your own private facebook page and start inviting your favorite bloggers! You can usually find a local blogging page on facebook, so don't forget to request to join!  
5. Visit Other Blogs. Don't let your friendship be one sided. Give as much as you receive. I'm making more of an effort to try and comment on someone's blog when they've commented on mine. 

At SNAP with Poofy Cheeks & C. Jane Create