 Nine Months Down, Three to GoEver wonder how other bloggers are doing? I do. I constantly crave to know the secrets and progress of another for this unique trade. I’ve been blogging for a couple years now, but I launched this travel blog in November last year. Since then, the experience has been a combination of frustration and joy. I’m not extremely proud of my progress but, I think we all tend to tell ourselves we aren’t qualified. Here’s a rundown of my year and what type of goals I’m implementing for these last few months. Why I decided write this post… I kept saying once this is over I’ll be able to focus better on my blog. Um hello Lo’ didn’t know distractions EVER disappear. Part of this reflection + goals post is to learn how to kick these time sucking demons in the butt and work with purpose. Let’s get started. Nine Months Down: Tips + Reflection Following First off…this is where I’m at. My main focuses for social media are Pinterest and Instagram. I picked these two because they're both photo oriented and it doesn't feel like work when I'm using them. I did also create a new Facebook so I wouldn't miss out on what blogging groups could teach me. I have a Facebook "page" but I haven't had a desire to scavenge for likes on there. Anyone else feel this way? Oh, I also hate twitter. Moving on…here is my following update. Pinterest Followers First Month: 200 Current: 674 One Year Goal: 1,000 Instagram Followers First Month: 1,100 Current: 1,231 One Year Goal: 1,350 I made a decision with my Instagram to turn my personal account into my blogging one. This isn’t for everyone, but I was on the road to delete my Instagram anyway, so why not do some profile maintenance and call it good? That part worked well. What didn’t? I’m having a rough time finding quality followers who don’t duck out after a few days. I am excited about the growth I've seen on my Pinterest. I have to thank Taylor Stanford’s “30 Days to Blog Success” for the increase! www.subscribepage.com/30daysebook Here’s my update on views and unique visitors. Weekly Views Current: 853 One Year Goal: 1,000 Unique Visitors Current: 250 One Year Goal: 350 Finding Inspo + Creating Quality Content Recently, I’ve spent a good amount of time praying over my blog posts. I do this because He’s the one who gave me inspiration in the first place. Before I dive in with my human understanding, I look to Him during some quiet time and say “How can I seek your kingdom with this post Lord?” Peep the latest tattoo. :) The majority of the time I’m blown away by what I gather and can’t imagine the quality of a post without His help. Goal: Be more direct and ask in advance where I should put my focus for the following week. Tip: Being a blogger means a lot of inside time, because ugh sun glares. During the warmer months I do my devotions + silent time outside so I can get some time in the sun and be productive. Comments I received my first authentic (that wasn’t my mom’s) comment on June 11th this year. Yeah I know, that was seven months after my launch date. Guys I hate to say it but, that’s how long it took me to find out about Facebook Groups. Actually, let me rephrase that. It took me that long because I deactivated my Facebook and refused to re-activate it. So finally, I caved, made another one, and joined in on the power of Facebook groups. Facebook Groups I’ve realized these groups work best if you log on in the morning and participate. This is usually when the administrator of the group will post what is allowed in discussion for the day. If you wait closer to the afternoon, the chance of your link getting lost in a big thread is very likely. As of now, I only participate in one group every week. Other bloggers participate in five or more and if that works for you, great. I’ve noticed I can enjoy my blog a little more if I ease into new routines. Tip: Know when to leave a Facebook Group. I noticed it was time when a group moved from a couple hundred girls, to thousands of bloggers of every kind. I started to see less info. for my niche and I wasn’t a fan of doing the follow for follow when I couldn’t even tell if they were an actual blogger. *Hope to write a post soon about which groups I participate in. I'm currently trying out a few!  Three Months to Go: Goals Start an Email List Guys, I really really really don’t want to do this. I’ve put it off for a year though and know I need to crack down. I’m just that girl that subscribes to blogs and automatically hates getting blogger info. in my inbox. Delete. Delete. Delete. I don’t want to be that girl you hate in your inbox. Yet, everyone says this is necessary. Write an Affiliate Post Out of the research I’ve done, this looks like the best way to make some money. I haven’t prioritized this because my experience with Amazon Associates was a bit overwhelming. However, I’m ready to sit down and figure out what I wasn’t understanding or sign up for another affiliate if need be. Pick Someone to Guest Post for I find this one a little nerve-wrecking. What if I produce something they don’t like? Well, I’m gonna suck it up, write something cool, and go for it. Tiny goals that take between 15 – 30 minutes: Focus on each tab. What can you improve?
When + Where to Write: Post dates- Wednesday night at 9 p.m. and Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Anywhere but home—coffee shop, library, or a friend’s kitchen. Tip: 1. Put your phone in the other room. If you’re playing music, keep it out of arms reach. 2. Pin when you wake up or before you fall asleep. The more activity, the more traffic you’ll drive to your blog. Plus, how much effort does it take to scroll on your phone? 3. Posts take time. Don't rush your content, but arrange time to consider and get it precise. Routine: Here’s the deal guys. I like to say I love routine. Although, lately I’ve noticed that I’m quite the opposite. I like to start routines and then break them. Pretty weird. Therefore, I want to come up with a morning and nightly routine since I work at a restaurant and work either shift. States: A state for each month left! Can you guess where I'm headed next? Indulge: Start bullet journaling again and incorporate my blog schedule + following results. I finally have time to do it, plus I enjoy it!  At the beginning of this process, I wasn't ever sure I'd be able to give my blog the time it needed. I managed to find around two hours a week for it last spring and it broke my heart to see things left undone. This fall I can finally jump into this world full-time and pursue adventures I was holding off for so long. I hope this post inspires you to drop everything you don't love and create more time for things you can't get enough of. *Is there anything I missed that you want covered? *Can you relate with any of these struggles/ tiny victories? *Is there a valuable post you’ve read on creating/meeting blogging goals? Share it with me below!
1 Comment
Momma
8/28/2017 04:42:33 am
Beautiful writing. I can relate to tiny victories, every day. Leave a Reply. |
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