Were you like most bloggers at the beginning of the year who drafted carefully laid out plans about how 2012 was going to be your year? How is it going so far? I hope it’s better than ever, but if it’s not here are some easy ways to make up for lost time and get in gear again.

GET YOUR CONTENT UNDER CONTROL: Have you decided the type of content you will write or are you blogging about any and everything under the sun? Over my blogging career (I’ve been blogging for eight years) I’ve found that the more targeted your content the better results you will see. That certainly doesn’t mean you have to be relegated to a specific niche, but you do have to be a consistent writer with a consistent voice so your readers know what to expect when they visit your blog.

If you are a food blogger, for example, but every now and then you creep in a review about travel with no tie-in to food then that may be problematic. Or, the more your blog becomes a hodgepodge of everything the harder it then becomes to land return visitors and consistent readers.

If you haven’t already this year, grab a notepad and jot down the type of content you want to write – not content that will net you the most stuff – but the content you love and figure out how your blog’s voice will be consistent.

HAVE YOU COMPROMISED TOO MUCH? Some bloggers start off the year vowing they will not host giveaways all of the time or that they will make reviews lean on their personal blogs, or that they will blog four times a week instead of just two. Has the lure of things made it more difficult for you to concentrate on growing your blog to the heights you’re looking for? Have you been distracted from making sure to write as much content as you can? Then it’s audit time!

Go through all of your posts from the beginning of the year and see which posts fared the best. Which one received the most feedback? Which ones attracted the most eyeballs? Which posts fell flat? Can you figure out why? Which blog posts have a lot of potential and need to be worked on and expanded. Did you have a series of posts that did really well? If you worked with brands which ones resonated most with your audience?

Taking the time to look back through your posts may surprise you. The great news is you will have a better working knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. This will help you keep your content tight.

ARE YOU SPREAD TOO THIN? One of the things I see a lot is once bloggers reach a certain level of success and begin writing for other brands and media sites or getting side jobs as social media consultants they begin to neglect their own blog. Always remember to love on your blog as much as you can because at the end of the day you’ll always have your blog. You may not always have fantastic, well-paid writing gigs or a side job, but your blog will always be there for you. Besides, more than likely, it was your blog that got you noticed in the first place so don’t neglect it just because you have other things to do.

HAVE YOU ATTENDED A CONFERENCE THIS YEAR? Conferences may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the more conferences you attend the more you feel a part of the mom blogging community. Or, at least that’s the way I have felt after attending my first conference four years ago.

Attending conferences are, yes, expensive and they take time away from your family. But, never underestimate how much conferences will help you grow as a blogger. Simply being around other moms re-energizes you and gets your creative juices going. There are still conferences you can attend this year. If you have never been to a conference before try the smaller ones first before going to the biggies.

HAVE YOU MET YOUR EARNINGS GOALS? Some bloggers determine at the beginning of the year how much money they would like to earn by the end of the year. Are you on track with your earnings or are you behind?

If you are behind try figuring out innovative ways you can get back on target with your earnings goals whether that is carefully working in sponsored content – not too much, though. Make sure to maintain editorial balance. You can sell more ad space on your blog or start a newsletter and begin selling advertising there. If your social media handles are influential you can also work with brands to spread the word about their promotions on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Youtube. Again, make sure to do this sparingly as you do not want to anger your followers.

Maybe you want to start another blog with a partner. This may be a great way to earn more money as you can work with someone to grow an audience as well as land more paid work. You may also consider becoming a consultant on projects you feel match your abilities. This is the time to get creative if you want to earn more money.

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR BLOG? You may not be the type of blogger who is looking to earn money through your blog or land jobs or work with brands on your blog. That doesn’t mean you can’t be happy with your work. Even if your blog is your personal journal are you pleased with the content you’ve delivered so far this year?

I know. Sometimes it’s hard to reassess your goals and reshape them instead of abandoning them altogether. But if you can take an honest look at your work and perhaps even redefine your goals you will be content and proud of yourself when the year ends. Good luck!

Jennifer James

Jennifer James is the founder and editor of Mom Blog magazine and the Mom Bloggers Club Network, a global social network of over 19,000 mom/mum bloggers. Jennifer is also the founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, an international coalition of 1000+ mothers who care about the world's most pressing issues and use social media and blogging for good. Jennifer has been featured by Fast Company, NPR, Forbes, CNN, Parenting, and ABC News among many other news outlets and currently writes about global development for the Gates Foundation and Huffington Post and social good for Babble. When she gets a chance she still comes back to her roots writing about technology and chronicles the mom blogging community. You can contact her at jjames [at] mombloggersclub.com.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

Share/Bookmark