Blogging goals, and goals in general are a big topic currently across social media. I’m a goal setter myself – but also without heavy expectations or hard set numbers. I’m in my seventh year of blogging, and while it has become part of my income, it still remains a fun creative outlet for me and I don’t like the pressure of numbers.
Last year, my goal was to find a better focus and improve my photography. That simple, no numbers involved. However, those two focuses, along with stumbling upon a new tool, and I was able to more than double my blog traffic.
The Two Things That Doubled My Blog Traffic in 2019
Finding my Focus
First and foremost, I focused in on something important. My blog is what I would consider a lifestyle blog because I mix topics, however, the style aspect has always been what I find the most fun. For years, I just called that aspect of my blog “fashion” then sulked when I felt like it would never be as popular as the content that comes from the extra tall gals. Because let’s be honest, the trends almost always seem to look great on tall girls. Funny thing is, the camera doesn’t always tell the truth, and it’s hard to tell whether someone is extra tall or extra short, unless they tell you. So, I started stating my height on the blog and on social media and focused my content around petite style, and what goes into finding the right fit when you’re petite. Guess what? People noticed. The petite gals like me noticed! That part of my blog started to grow in popularity on Pinterest – which takes me to the second part of what boosted my blog traffic.
Pinterest has become my very best friend and in particular the tool I mentioned above, Tailwind. For most of my blogging career I didn’t understand Pinterest or how to make it work for me, but toward the end of 2018, I signed up for Tailwind on a whim. I paid for the plus membership, joined a tribe and started scheduling my pins. Pretty much that simple.
Here’s my Pinterest process for each post:
- Create a keyword rich alt-attribute for each photo, make them all different for Google.
- Schedule pins of each photo to every relevant board on Pinterest, including a blog specific board. (Create one if you don’t already have one, trust me.) You can shuffle your schedule on tailwind so you don’t pin the same photo several times in a row.
- Share 1-2 pins from each post to a tribe, then re-share tribe members photos. Sharing is caring! Plus, it’s good for your own profile to share other’s pins.
Tailwind alone and that process done consistently has landed my blog with several thousand re-pins and in turn 100,000s views. Not every post takes off of course, but way more take off than they used to.
Ads
In addition to Tailwind, I also started using Pinterest Ads, which has had great results. I read an ebook from Redefining Mom. I don’t usually take those paid courses or read the ebooks but something told me to read this one. She has several, and if I remember right, I read through her Pin Practical ebook, I believe it was around $20. In her book she shared her strategy for creating Pinterest ads that isn’t necessarily what Pinterest would tell you to do, but it works – and won’t cost you an arm and a leg. I credit that ebook with helping me finally understand Pinterest Ads.
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2020 Goals
I’m always a work in progress and truly enjoy the pursuit of learning new things. I upgraded my camera this year, so I intend to take not only my photography to another level, but I also intend to do more with video! Have I nailed my poses yet? Nah, but I’m still working on that. I still don’t have any goals for numbers or growth, I just want to grow creatively and if that results in some numbers growth, then I’m cool with it! It’s very rewarding to feel like someone likes to read what you’ve put your time and effort into creating!
I’m thinking I’ll be writing more about blogging in the future, what kind of questions do you have for me?
-Brooke
Pin Me For Later!
Now, let’s get linking!
