Ecommerce, CPG and consumer Insights for the Online Grocery Community

Whew! It feels like we blinked and all of the sudden it became March 2016. And time moves even more quickly when it comes to the online media landscape. Things go from trendy to the trash in no time (like those jelly sandals you HAD to have in 6th grade). So before you catch yourself getting behind, take a look to see if you're still implementing these five out-of-date blogging practices. Take our advice and go from 2000-and-late to DAMN DANIEL (if you haven’t seen that vine, you have to). 

There is nothing better than being searchable. These articles will help you to brainstorm and plan out your rise to the top of Google's search results because, for the most part, people don't go to page ten to look for a recipe. Help establish yourself as a thought leader and someone who provides trustworthy content. LET'S DO THIS!

If you ask most marketers, they'll agree that a key component of successful marketing is "fishing where the fish are." If you're trying to catch a fish, wake up early and go out to the river. If you're trying to sell diapers, go after young moms. It's not rocket science, and yet nailing down exactly where your traffic and leads come from can be tricky business.

Photography isn't something you become good at overnight (not even close) and it's not a skill that you're necessarily born with. But it IS something that helps blogs, particularly food blogs, stand out. In order for your site to grow, you've got to get those pictures circulating around the internet (thank you Pinterest). So, whether you consider yourself a beginner at photography or just want a brush up, these resources will get you reinvigorated and keep you productive during that dreaded summer traffic slump! 

Details. That's the difference between a hobby blog and one that turns into a career. Professional bloggers don't necessarily spend their time writing more content or shooting more photos. Instead, they use their time perfecting their light box set up or testing their recipe a third time to make sure they've gotten it just right.

Food blogging is a tough gig. While it often starts out of a desire to share your great recipes with friends and family, it can quickly turn into an all-consuming second job. Personally, I always feel like I can't keep up my pace. As soon as I post a new recipe, it's time to promote it all over social media, and when my shares are just about done, it's time for a new post.

Whether you are a personal blog, a small business, or just someone who enjoys to keep their Instagram looking fresh, these photo editing apps can truly take your feed to a new level.

Hold on--there are HOW many blogs? According to our pals at Food Bloggers Central, over 227 million. Don't get too scared by that figure. Remember that only a portion of that total number are food blogs and a smaller chunk are bloggers who write in your same language and/or niche. Still, as every blogger knows, it's a saturated market.

I just got back from a quick trip to visit a friend who just moved to Stockholm. When I say that I bought my tickets just days before leaving, I'm not exaggerating. My month was hectic, filled with Chicory-related events or family functions. I was drained. So I skipped town for the long weekend. And, while I expected it would be nice to see a friend and do some traveling, I was surprised to find that the greatest vacation of all was from my blog.

Living two lives (one as a blogger, the other as a startup marketer) helps me to question both roles constantly. Blogging informs my work marketing Chicory to bloggers in countless ways--from knowing what's an appropriate RPM for a blog of a certain size, to understanding the ins and outs of Wordpress. Lately, I've allowed my worlds to inform each other in the opposite direction.

If you host your blog on Wordpress you know that plugins are king. There are OVER 46,000 of them to choose from. Guys, that’s crazy. I can barely choose what I want to order for dinner from Seamless. So, let's declutter and come to some decisions together. I’m here to give you the five plugins that you should definitely have running on your site that'll give the most valuable experience to your readers.