12 Successful Blog Trends for 2012

There are quite a few trends I have noticed in the past year that we can use in 2012. Special touches that make a blog extra special no matter what kind of blog you have. We all want our unique qualities to shine through. That’s the point right? You want people to pay you a visit for your excellent content…no matter what your specialty is.

I cite some examples here, please note that I read tons of blogs and can only fit a smidgeon of my favorites in this post. These blogs fall into many & quite possibly all of these categories.

Voice.

Bloggers who share their fab personalities through unique writing have gobs of success. We each enjoy different writing styles. I love short, quick snippets of prose with sharp wit, colorful-descriptive words and a touch of sarcasm. Basically I want to giggle out loud when I read. There are many folks who write longer content, that works great too.

Short + sweet just happens to be my favorite writing style for my teeny-tiny attention span. A few blogs that shine for me…

• Bakerella – A genius when it comes to baking, art + design & everything.
• Bev Cooks – I MUST meet Bev this year. She never fails to make me laugh.
• Blooming on Bainbridge – The *happiest* blogger you will ever meet
• Confessions of a Cookbook Queen – Beyond hilarious!
• Cookies and Cups – Also beyond hilarious.
• Georgia Pellegrini – A gal with wisdom, wit, true grit and dazzling charm.
• Love Veggies and Yoga – A great friend who speaks with truth and dignity. Always.
• The Pioneer Woman – Snippets of life, passion, inspiration with lots of giggles peppered in.

Diverse Content.

A great blog goes way beyond the food and recipes for me. I love to learn more about the bloggers lifestyle, travels, wanderings, craft ideas and more. These folks hit on all of that. They always keep my entertained…

• At Home With Kim Vallé
• Camille Styles
• Cupcakes and Cashmer
• forty-sixth at grac
• Heather Cristo
• Ingredients Inc
• Jennie Steffen
• Little Brown Pe
• Oh Joy
• Sweet Paul
• Wears Many Hat
• Wenderly

Creativity.

A blog without unique style and creativity is not going to keep me running back for more. These bloggers create creative recipes and serve them up with loads of style and charm. They have distinct personalities that are exemplified in their blogs. They are masters of piping bags, icing techniques, photography, recipe development and more…

• Bake at 350
• Bakers Royale
• foodiecrush
• Mowielicious
• Picky Palate
• Sprinkle Bakes
• Sweetapolita

Photography and Food Styling.

I am a visually minded person. When I knock on the door of a blog I want to squirm with delights that thrill the senses. Amazing photography and food styling are essentials to keep me coming back for more…

• canelle et vanille
• Gourmande in the Kitchen
• Griottes
• kiss my spatula
• La Tartine Gourmande
• Matt Bites
• roost a simple life
• Tartelette
• Verses From My Kitchen
• White on Rice Couple

Recipes.

Mostly I read food blogs. Obviously.

We all need to hone in on the ingredients that thrill us. These folks are so creative in the kitchen and their passion shows in each and every recipe they create. These are diverse offerings, with very dedicated readers…

• An Edible Mosaic
• Anja’s Food 4 Thought
• Cookin’ Canuck 
• Eats Well With Others
• Oh She Glows
• Recipe Girl
• The Comfort of Cooking
• Three Many Cooks
• Whats Gaby Cooking

Tutorials

Lots of folks share great advice on all of the things we want to learn about. Here are a few of my favorites. There are also awesome YouTube offerings.

• Oh So Posh - photography
• Kevin and Amanda – photography, crafts, free fonts + lots more
• TidyMom – diy crafts & more
• Dapper Toad - art + design + crafts + sewing + more
• i am baker – baking + cakes + loads of fun!
• Sweet Sugar Belle cookie decorating
• Zoe Bakes – cakes + more

DIY.

These days bloggers tend to share way beyond their chosen niche. Food bloggers have become go-to travel experts, lifestyle activists, crafters and talented graphic designers. Many blogs not only share recipes, but amazing travel portfolios and DIY craft projects. Free downloadable printables are all the rage. (Yours truly even had some Holiday Tag printables for you this year!)

You can get some of the most spectacular DIY designs out there by your favorite bloggers. A few to check out…

• Camille Styles
• Eat. Drink. Chic
• {frolic!}
• Hostess with the Mostess
• Oh Happy Day
• Paper Sparrow
• Posh Pixels Design Studio
• Thompson Family

Workshops.

Workshops have become an essential way to get better at your craft no matter what it is. Attend workshops when you can on what you love and want to get better at.

It is fun to learn from leaders in the community and to meet fellow bloggers for reals. Lots of them travel the globe teaching skills in all sorts of things. These workshops are worth the investment and are a lot heck of a lot cheaper than a 4 year college degree.

Conferences.

It is great to sit behind the computer. Even better when you can meet other bloggers for real!

I always love seeing what people are like in person. Usually they are quite like you would picture. Other times not. Depending on what your blog focus is there are gobs of conferences around the world in all blog topics. I often learn about new ones by watching my pals on Twitter.

Guest Posts.

This is a great way to build community. Share your blog space or perhaps guest post on someone else’s. As a general rule of thumb, here is a quick tip: Don’t send mass emails promoting the content you would like to share. Create friendships, bonds and relationships.

Let the guest posts happen organically.

Diverse Social Media.

Grab it. Bloggers are spread out around the internet and well beyond. If you don’t all ready, be sure to have a Facebook Fan Page, Twitter account,  Pinterest boards and a Stumble page. Honestly, I don’t know how I ever lived without Instagram in my life!

Each person has there own unique favorites when it comes to social media. I know a lot of folks like Google +. I have not had much experience with that one. Once you have those social media platforms set up, then create communities over there. You will get lots of new fans + friends when you periodically interact on those platforms too. They are sort of like mini blogs.

Online Events

Host a one time online event one or one that becomes a series. This year Lisa from With Style and Grace and I hosted Two Peas and Their Pod virtual baby shower. That was a huge amount of fun for all the bloggers involved and a great surprise for Maria and Josh!

My Project Lunch Box series is a great example of an ongoing blog event.

My goal with this post was to inspire you to reach out, share and be your best! XOXO

Tagged as: 2011 round up, best food blogs 2011, crafts, design bloggers, DIY craft blogs, most creative blogs, recipe blogs, SEO optimization