I’ve only been blogging for a little over a year and it’s crazy how much my little baby has grown. I know a year sounds fast, but there was a lot of work that went on behind the scenes that kept me on track and helped me reach my goals. One of those goals was to travel more. The growth my blog experienced allowed me to travel to my happy place (Playa del Carmen, Mexico) twice this year. I went to Playa for the first time in July for a month and then went back in October for almost 2 ½ months. 

If you’re wondering if you can start a blog in 2020 and travel the world…the answer is YES! It all starts with making the decision to go after it. Once you decide to do it, you’d be amazed at how quickly things can change once you decide and start putting in the work. 

After I’d decided I was going to go all in with the blog, I took a look at where my blog was currently and where I wanted to be and I realized there was a lot I had to learn in order for it to grow the way I’d envisioned. 

Here’s my list of the top 5 blogging investments that helped my blog grow: 

1. A Website that you can easily update  

So I’m sure if you’ve been following me for a bit, you’ve heard me mention Showit. But seriously guys, it’s been a game-changer for me and my blog. I love it because it’s super easy to make updates and customize your website without having to code anything. AND…it works with WordPress. If you want to read more about Showit, I wrote a blog post about why I switched and I mention a ton of reasons why it’s great for bloggers.  

>>READ THE POST HERE<<

2. Email marketing (THIS IS KEY!) 

If you have a website (or even if you don’t), growing your email list is so important. Think about it this way, have you gone shopping within the past month or so? If so, do you remember the first question the person asked you when you were at the checkout counter? 9 times out of 10 it was probably your email or phone number. 

If you’re serious about turning your blog into a money-making machine, I highly suggest adding email marketing to your blogging strategy for 2020. It’s the perfect way to stay in contact with your blogging audience and provide value to them via their email. When I look at my engagement rate on my email vs. social media, the engagement on my emails are always higher and often convert more. 

If you’re looking for an email marketing software to add to your blog, I recommend ConvertKit. I use their email services and love them!  

>>CHECK OUT CONVERTKIT HERE<<

3. Coaching/Mentoring 

Invest in coaching/mentoring. This is something that really helped me also. I signed up for Marie Forleo’s B-school program in 2018, but I recommit to going through the live portion every year when it’s offered. I love programs like b-school that give their customers lifetime access so you can go back and revisit the content. Other programs I’ve revisited are The Wellness Business Bootcamp (by Elizabeth Rider) and I’ve also signed for a ton of other free webinars. I also blogging consulting services, which can be found on my “work with me” page. 

4. Join a community and attend events 

This one is HUGE for me also. Investing in events and meeting other people who are in the same industry or who aren’t but also work online is so important, especially in the beginning when you’re just starting. Having a community of like-minded people who not only understand the blogging journey but also what it’s like to start something from scratch was super helpful for me. Creating or joining a tribe will keep you motivated and help you reach your goals. Going to events will also help your biz grow as you will meet like-minded people and also learn new blogging tips. 

5. Travel 

Invest in travel, seriously! If you’re feeling adventurous and want to plan an international getaway, do it. But if an international getaway isn’t in the cards for you right now, no worries. You can even take a road trip to a nearby city. You’d be surprised how changing up your environment can inspire your creativity.

6. Webinar 

Invest in webinars. I hosted my first webinar this fall and it was all about teaching my audience how to start a profitable blog. It was something I wanted to do for a while and to be honest, I let fear get in the way and never did it….until this fall. During the webinar, I announced to everyone that I was launching a new program. After the webinar (and several emails to my list later) my marketing strategy converted and I had new people join my new program. Not only did my webinar convert, but so did my email marketing strategy. This is why I am a huge fan of email marketing. 

Let me know in the comments if you found this helpful and if you’ll be using any of these things for your blog in 2020. 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.