So I have a confession to make: sometimes blogging is HARD WORK. Okay, okay, not just sometimes…all the effing time.
Let’s break it down shall we?
– thinking of a name for your blog
– developing a brand for you and your blog
– designing a logo/aesthetic for your blog
– thinking up innovative ideas for content
– creating said content (writing post, going on photoshoots, video shoots, etc.)
– publishing each piece of content
– marketing each piece of content (again and again and again…)
It’s exhausting! But, like, completely rewarding. And I’m not complaining. I’m not. Swear. Cross my heart. But after 7 years of running Hamptons to Hollywood (OMG WHAT!?), I’ve learned a thing or two. And the cardinal rule of being a successful blogger in my humble opinion, is to stay organized and remain consistent.
So, what’s a blogger’s best friend you may ask? A content calendar. Hands down.
Now, all bloggers are tech-y and mercilessly talented at creating digital content, but sometimes it’s oh-so-nice to take a step away from the keyboard and actually WRITE. You know, like with a pen – or pencil! – and paper. Whenever I write something down by hand, even if it’s just to make a To-Do List, I feel a certain autonomy that I don’t always have when I’m pecking away at my keyboard into WordPress.
My solution that I’m newly obsessed with? A real, in the flesh, hold in your hands, content planner. I grabbed mine from Purple Trail and I’m actually obsessed.
It’s a place where I can record my social analytics, track how a post or how my website traffic is doing, and then using that info, plan all of my next ideas for content out seamlessly. “Informed Blogging”, I like to call it. But the best part is, it comes as a book, so after the year is over, you’ll have a tangible diary of how your website or blog performed for that year. Then, in subsequent years, you can watch as your blog grows and grows. I SO WISH I would have had one of these things when I launched Hamptons to Hollywood in 2011. I would have the most amazing library by now!
Anyway, my suggestion is that all new and/or aspiring bloggers grab one of these, record all your ideas, and launch your blog into the internet space for 2019.
It’ll be worth it, I promise.
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