My 2016 Blogging Achievements and 2017 Blogging Goals

It’s that time of year where everyone stops to reflect on their achievements from the year before and look to the year ahead. So I am reflecting on my blogging highlights and plans for this year. I published 230 posts in 2016, which is an average of every other day. Looking over my achievements, I achieved way more than I thought I would when I wrote my goals at the beginning of 2016. My blog is such a passion for me and as I’m self employed I also have to self motivate and plan. So here are my highlights of 2016 and my somewhat ambitious plans for 2017!

My 2016 Achievements

• Social media and domain authority:
  • Grown my Facebook page from 590 to 1450 fans (goal was 1000)
  • Grown my Twitter following from 5000 to 9250 (goal was 8000)
  • Grown my Instagram following from 890 to 2400 (goal was 2000)
  • Grown my Domain authority from 26 to 40 (goal was 30)
• Got into the Tots100 of top 100 parenting bloggers – the highest ranking I achieved has been #19, I am currently at #27. In 2015 the highest I got to was #161. There was a time I never thought this would happen so this is just super exciting.
• Become a Brand Ambassador for JCB Kids and Kerrie Davis Jewellery – this was also one of my goals.
• I travelled to Nice with my family to review apartments there. It was amazing to be able to give my family a wonderful break through my blogging.
• I now earn a regular monthly income from my blog and have in fact stopped being a Cambridge Consultant in order to focus on it and my freelance blogging work. This is a biggie and not one I thought would happen or even planned to happen when I started out blogging. It’s amazing to earn an income doing something I love flexibly around my family.

My 2017 Blogging Goals

• Learn
  • Last year was very much about building my blog up, and this year I would like to learn and improve some of my skills with. I’m a firm believer that you’re never too old to learn, so I am going to look into some courses throughout the year to improve and learn.
    I have just signed up to Aby’s from You Baby Me Mummy Blog Accelerator course, which I am looking forward to.
  • I would also like to do a Photography course and a social media course, time permitting.
• Balance
  • Streamline my processes and get more organised and productive. I am a real procrastinator, and want to look at how I can spend less time doing more.
  • Relating to the above, have a better division between work and off time.
  • Improve the balance between personal and commercial posts, I felt that my blog particularly in the run up to Christmas became too tipped towards the latter.
• Get Social
  • Become more social. As with my blog content, I was looking over my social media at Christmas and I feel like it is too commercially focussed. I used to love chatting on Twitter and have fallen out of the habit. So I want to improve my content and make it more varied.
  • Grow my Facebook page to 2500.
  • Grow my Twitter to 15,000.
  • Grown my Instagram to 5000.
  • Get to grips with Pinterest (this was on my last year goals and I didn’t manage it!).
• Video
  • To start a Youtube channel. I have been resisting video as if I’m honest I’m more about the writing! But, as this is my main source of income now I don’t think I can avoid it.
  • Start a Youtube channel.
  • Vlog monthly.
  • Create a video trailer to go with the channel.
• Blogging
  • Continue to make a regular income from my blog.
  • To collaborate and write regular guest posts. It would also be fab to work with a bigger channel such as Britmums, Baby centre or similar.
  • Sort out my broken links – I still haven’t done this and it was on my last year goals.
  • Make sure all of my touch points are professional. For example I have designed my own media pack and business cards and I want to outsource these and get them done professionally.
  • Become a brand ambassador for another brand, it would be fab if I could work with a handbag brand!
  • Grow engagement. One of the things I know I need to do on this is get back into regularly commenting on other blogs in the community.
• Email
  • Grow my email subscribers list.
  • Set up a weekly email with Mail Chimp, rather than using the standard wordpress one.

Phew! I know this is quite a big list, but I am going to break it down monthly and update you on how I’m progressing. Wish me luck!

What plans do you have for 2017?