Finding Your Balance
- 1. Finding Your Balance BLOG SUCCESS WITHOUT A FULL-TIME COMMITMENT
- 2. BLOGGERS HAVE BEEN KICKING ASS LATELY.
- 3. BLOGS HAVE BECOME BRANDS & BUSINESSES.
- 4. HOWEVER THAT’S NOT EVERYONE’S PATH (AND IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE)
- 5. HI, I’M CAIT. I HAVE A BLOG AND A JOB AND ALSO A DOG PRETTY & FUN DIGITAL STRATEGY CALLIE
- 6. COMMUNICATIONS MAJOR AT SMALL LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE NO ONE’S EVER HEARD OF. PR INTERNSHIPS TURNED FOCUS ON DIGITAL MARKETING AT AN AD AGENCY IN NYC. ADVERTISING IS A CRAZY WORLD - UNPREDICTABLE. LONG HOURS. LOTS OF STRESS (BUT ALSO LOTS OF FUN)
- 7. LAUNCHED PRETTY & FUN IN 2011 AS A WAY TO GET MY WRITING FIX AND PUT MY JOURNALISM DEGREE TO GOOD USE. NO REAL GOALS OR ASPIRATIONS FOR THE BLOG. IT WAS JUST SOMETHING I ENJOYED SO I STUCK WITH IT AND FIGURED THINGS OUT ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE BLOG WORLD AT THAT TIME.
- 8. LATER THAT SAME YEAR, A JOB OPPORTUNITY PRESETNTED ITSELF I MADE THE 800-MILE MOVE FROM THE EAST COAST TO CHICAGO. AND TO BE HONEST, I REALLY SUCKED AT BALANCE FOR AWHILE. I WORKED TOO MUCH. I DIDN’T SOCIALIZE. I HAD NO INTEREST IN DATING. I COULD ONLY BLOG + WORK BECAUSE I HAD NO OTHER LIFE.
- 9. KEY THINGS HAVE BEEN HELPFUL: 1. DEFINING SUCCESS 2. BEING STRATEGIC 3. GETTING SHIT DONE
- 11. HAVE A VISION AND A POINT OF VIEW.
- 12. HAVE A VISION & A POINT OF VIEW. - SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT WHAT IS YOUR BLOG ABOUT. WHAT TOPICS ARE MOST INTERESTING TO YOU? HOW CAN YOU BE DIFFERENT OR PUT A DIFFERENT SPIN ON THEM? - SUMMARIZE THE LARGER STORY YOUR CONTENT IS PART OF - WRITE A MISSION STATEMENT AND MEMORIZE IT – USE IT AS YOUR “ELEVATOR PITCH” TO DESCRIBE YOUR BLOG
- 13. KNOW WHY YOU’re DOING IT.
- 14. KNOW WHY YOU’RE DOING IT. - SET CLEAR GOALS FOR YOURSELF AND DEFINE WHY YOU’RE BLOGGING & WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO GET OUT OF IT - FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS AROUND YOUR OWN WHY – LET THIS BE YOUR GUIDE - PROUDLY TELL PEOPLE NOT ONLY ABOUT YOUR BLOG BUT WHAT MOTIVATES YOU
- 15. SET GOALS – BIG AND SMALL.
- 16. SET GOALS – BIG & SMALL. - GRAB A POST-IT & BRAINSTORM OUT THE THINGS YOU’D LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH BLOGGING THIS YEAR - PLACE IT SOMEWHERE YOU SEE IT EVERYDAY, LIKE AT YOUR DESK OR ON YOUR FRIDGE - REFLECT NOT ONLY ON WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE, BUT THE STEPS YOU’LL NEED TO GET THERE
- 17. STICK TO YOUR OWN PATH.
- 18. STICK TO YOUR OWN PATH. - Focus on your own goals and avoid comparing yourself & your blog to others - Use your mission statement as your guide and make sure everything connects to your broader story - Take inspiration from others but never imitate!
- 19. KEEP IT REAL.
- 20. KEEP IT REAL. - Be yourself! Showcase your personality and share your true voice - Remain authentic no matter how successful your blog gets. Stay humble & real - Connect with others. Admit to your flaws. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
- 22. PRIORITIZE.
- 23. PRIORITIZE. - Let your goals guide what’s most important to you and your blog - Be honest with yourself about what’s actually a “must” and what can wait - make a list of regular blog activities (content, comments, emails, events, etc.) and rank ‘em
- 24. SAY NO.
- 25. SAY NO. - AVOID over-commitment! Don’t be afraid to say no and don’t feel the need to apologize about it - Turn no’s into other opportunities – suggest an alternative if something isn’t quite right - Only say yes to the things that will help you achieve your goals
- 26. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS & LEARN FROM IT.
- 27. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS & LEARN FROM IT. - Be a nerd about your analytics. Know what works best on your blog and across social media - Study data over time to identify key trends and optimize around these - Test new things and see what happens! Data is pretty cool stuff
- 28. FOCUS ON YOUR AWESOME.
- 29. FOCUS ON YOUR AWESOME. - Don’t try to do everything and please everyone – focus in on what data tells you works best - Stick with the content and platforms that resonate best with your audience & clearly tell your story - Build from the awesome to create new ideas based on insights
- 30. 03. GETTING SHIT DONE
- 32. DEVELOP A ROUTINE. - Batch tasks together to get them done more efficiently to save time - Dedicate specific times to blog-related tasks – make them a habit - Write blog posts in advance & use scheduling tools to push them live + promote via social media
- 33. PLAN AHEAD.
- 34. PLAN AHEAD. - Brainstorm out tons of blog post ideas at once. Keep a note on your phone of post ideas - Use google calendar to create an editorial calendar for your blog & loosely plan content out a month in advance - Develop reoccuring blog post series to make post planning easier
- 35. KNOW WHEN TO BRING IN HELP.
- 36. KNOW WHEN TO BRING IN HELP. - Don’t be afraid to invest in your blog! Your own time still equals money - Photographers are amazing for fashion bloggers & can shoot multiple looks in one day for several different posts - Site design & branding are important – hire a pro & save yourself the headache
- 37. OVER-ORGANIZE.
- 38. OVER-ORGANIZE. - To do lists and google docs are your best friends – be sure to keep track of all upcoming deadlines & deliverables - Break down larger projects into each step that will be required to complete + what’s needed - Plan ahead and avoid surprises or last minute scrambling as much as possible
- 39. DON’T FORGET THE LITTLE THINGS.
- 40. DON’T FORGET THE LITTLE THINGS. - Stay engaged with your readers - answer all questions via social media + respond to comments - Say thank you! Send follow up notes to sponsors and PR partners - Don’t get an ego & always remember to have fun!
- 41. IF YOU REMEMBER ONE THING FROM THIS…
- 42. THE SECRET TO DOING IT ALL IS BELIEVING THAT YOU CAN.
- 43. QUESTIONS?