Hi. Are you sick of these goal-related posts yet?
Hopefully I’m not boring you, but if I am, you can rest assured that this will be my last of this topic for a while.
From one day to the next, I question my blog. One day I love it and have pipe dreams of growing it into “the next big thing” (or at least a tiny revenue-generator), and the next day, I tell myself “why does anybody really care what I think?” and “this is so meaningless.”
But then I remember how much I love reading other blogs—particularly the ones where the author’s personality shines through and controversial, yet thought-provoking, topics are eloquently tackled. I’ve shared why I love and need to blog, so maybe—just maybe—I can offer a little something to the ever-growing blog world.
Because I’m aching for some changes and improvements, I’ve come up with 5 blogging goals for 2016.
1. Become self-hosted
This is something I’ve wanted to do for ages, but pregnancy and the early days of motherhood put it way on the back-burner.
Now I feel like I’m finding my groove again, and with self-hosting, I’ll have more freedom to make improvements. I’m finally learning how to promote myself (not in a tacky way, hopefully) with social media, and I think purchasing hosting and my own domain will pay off in the end. I’m not looking to get rich off my blog, but advertising, affiliate links, and other perks of self-hosting will possibly bring in a few bucks to at least offset my costs.
2. Organize
I purchased my very first Plum Paper planner, and I’m so excited to put it to use (in all aspects of my life: work, family, and the blog). I’ve never really had an editorial calendar, unless you count the random sheets I sometimes print (and inevitably lose) for jotting down ideas, so I’m hoping this will help serve as one.
I also plan to re-organize the blog itself. I’m thinking about choosing certain days to focus on certain topics (for instance—fitness/family/life on Monday, food/recipes/reviews on Wednesday, and general Thinking Out Loud on Thursdays) so I may regroup some pages to reflect that.
3. Bring back the foodie
I’ve pondered the idea of abandoning the label “foodiecology,” but I’ve yet to come up with an alternative that fits. Regardless, I feel like I’ve rediscovered my “foodie passion.” Since I’m at a new place in my life, I’d like to share simple recipes, toddler-approved snacks/meals, and continue doing restaurant reviews since I enjoy being a “cheerleader” for local business. Ideally, I’d post a recipe or food-related post once a week (see above schedule). Along with sharing more food, I want to improve my food photography.
4. Find my first paid opportunity
Since my blog has such a small audience, companies are not interested in paying for my content. I’ve received free products for a majority of my reviews/promotions, but even if a company did wish to pay me, I couldn’t accept. Because I run a WordPress.com-hosted (keyword: free) blog, I am not allowed to run a sponsored post without risking having my blog shut down (same goes for affiliate links).
I’ve joined some blogging communities and even written two guest posts, but I’d love to find some freelance opportunities (I’ve thought about submitting articles to Scary Mommy and am on the search for other websites) or develop a relationship with a brand.
5. Above all, continue to blog for me
As I’ve said before, blogging was a much-needed creative outlet for me during a time when I desperately needed it. I’ve made some mistakes (I probably should go back and delete some boring “filler” posts from my early days), but I feel like I’m authentic. I’m most proud of my serious and thoughtful posts even though they don’t always generate a lot of traffic or discussion. Even though I’m trying to be savvy enough to grow this blog and earn a little spending (or daycare!) money, I don’t want to lose myself and become one of those overly-promoted “cookie cutter” blogs or get stressed out.
I’ve actually found myself gravitating more to the smaller “hobby” bloggers with whom I relate personally and less so to the money-making “industry” bloggers, and I’ve had a couple of my readers tell me they feel the same.
[linking up for thinking out loud]
- In an effort to stay true to myself and you readers, what would you like to see more of on the blog?
- What qualities keep a blog in your reader—and when do you know it’s time to say adios?
- If you blog, what are some of your goals for 2016??
- This one is for the techies (or free-to-self-hosters who’ve come before me): Any tips to make the switch from free to self-hosted less panic-inducing? Any recommendations (hosting companies, tutorials, etc.)?
