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Goal Setting for Success: 5 Tips for Bloggers

5 Tips for Bloggers on how to set goals for success.

Goal-Setting-For-Success

Hi again everyone! Last week I talked about 15 Steps Every Blogger Should Take…Today!  This week I’m talking about goal setting and why you should be doing it. I am very goal-oriented. I like to make lists and set goals because I find they help me increase my motivation and ultimately my success.
Before you start setting goals for your blog willy-nilly, sit down and ask yourself a few questions…

“What is it that I want from this little old blog of mine?”

“Am I seeking fame? Fortune? Ridiculous amounts of comments or GFC followers?”

“Do I want a really low Alexa score? How low?”

“Am I trying to make friends, develop relationships, and grow?”

“Why did I start this blog and where is it going?”

Really. Take a moment, or 5 or 10 minutes, and ask yourself these questions because until you know WHY you are blogging, you don’t know what goals to set. If you are blogging to make friends then your goals will be focused on socializing and participating in parties. If you are in it for the money you are going to want to focus on impressions, sponsors, ads, etc.
The next step is to know your numbers. You may check these daily or you may not even know they exist but you should find them and write them down somewhere before writing out your goals. We have to know where we’re starting from to figure out where we’re going! You may not be active in all of these so just answer the ones where you have a social media presence…
Monthly Pageviews {Google Analytics}
Unique Visitors {Google Analytics}
Alexa Score
Facebook Fans
Subscribers
Pinterest Followers
GFC Followers
Linky Followers
Google+ Friends
Twitter Followers
Bloglovin Followers
Google PageRank
Okay. So you now know why you are blogging and what your end game is. You know where you stand with social media so let’s talk about setting goals now {finally!!}. Setting goals is actually very easy. Setting goals that will motivate and propel your blog forward require a little more thought and time. Take the time now to develop your goals and you will reap the rewards later!

1. Set very specific goals.  Generalized goals are a lot harder to achieve that specific goals. If you don’t know EXACTLY what your goal is – rewrite it until it makes sense to you.
NO: Have a successful blog.
YES:  Consistently have 10,000+ page views a day.

2. Set obtainable goals.  It’s important to set attainable, incremental goals. If you set your sights too high right from the beginning, you are only going to find disappointment and frustration along the way. Goals should be something that encourage you and once achieved, celebrated! Don’t set yourself up for failure.
NO: Earn $1 million my first year of blogging.
YES: Develop friendships with 5 bloggers.

3. Set goals that are challenging.  Setting goals that don’t require any effort or work from you are pointless. I encourage you to aim high – just remember to do it reasonably.
NO: Post once a week.
YES: Consistently post 4-5 a week.

4. Develop time-specific goals.  Goals can be broken down into days, weeks, months, and years. Figure out what works best for you. I set monthly goals, 6 month goals, and yearly goals.
NO: 5,000 Facebook fans
YES: 6 month goal: 500 Facebook fans, 1 year goal: 1500 Facebook fans, 2 year goal: 5,000 Facebook fans

5. Set goals AND develop a set of steps to get you to that goal. One technique we learned at Bloggy Boot Camp was called back-casting. It’s when you look at your end game {final goal} and work backwards. So instead of figuring out steps 1, 2, 3 – start with step 10, figure out where you would need to be before that {step 9}, and what you would need to do to get to step 9 {Step 8} and so on. Knowing where you want to end up is just as important as knowing where you stand today.
NO:  5,000 Facebook Fans
YES: 5,000 Facebook Fans
Step 1. Engage with my Facebook audience daily
Step 2. Promote my posts on Facebook
Step 3. Share and like other’s posts.

I can’t wait to hear your comments on this week’s tips 🙂  I had lots {and lots!} of emails last week from you guys about how to make money on your blog. So that will be the focus next week! Now it’s time for you to analyze your blog and set some goals!

See Part 1: 15 Steps Every Blogger Should Take…Today!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” 

 Other posts you might find helpful:

10-food-photography-tips

10 Food Photography Tips

15-steps-every-blogger-should-take-today

15 Steps Every Blogger Should Take…Today!

How-To-Create-Custom-Watermarks-in-PicMonkey-Tutorial

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Linking up here, Home Stories A2Z, Savvy Southern Style, Serenity Now, and My Repurposed Life.


Comments

  1. Karina says

    Thank you for sharing these tips with us. I just started by blog after spending countless hours reading and scrolling through many home tours and DIY projects. I’ve been so excited just to get started that I haven’t had the time to really analyze what my goals are, but it’s never too late! I’m definitely going to read your first post on 15 steps to take. Thanks!

    Reply

  3. Randi says

    Great post! I can honestly say that until now, I haven’t really even known why I blog other than wanting to share my projects. I have so much learning to do since I have no clue what an Alexa score even is…(embarrassing!) I would love to devote more time and effort into my blog so I will definitely take your tips with me as I go! Thanks again…I found you through The Kurtz Corner.

    Randi @ regalrhino.com

    Reply

  4. Lauren says

    Thanks for the post – as a new blogger, these things are important for me to start thinking about! I found your blog through the Kurtz Corner link party – I’d love for you to check mine out too!

    Lauren @ muchadoaboutsomethin.blogspot.com

    Reply

  5. Sonia says

    Very interesting read. Thank you for taking the time to compile this! PS… Can a person really make a million in a year?! I’d be interested to read how to achieve that! LOL 😉

    Reply

  9. Sarit says

    I should do that , I build my site for two years now and never thought about my goals…
    Could you please share your tips how to increase followers?
    Great blog post!

    Reply

  13. Ellora says

    Great post and so helpful! I’ve got this to do list now from last week and this week. 🙂 I can’t wait to read next weeks post. I always have lots of questions on how to make money and getting recognized for sponsors, ads, etc. Thanks for sharing! Now, off to that to do list!

    Reply

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