Did I Meet My Blog Goals In 2017?

I can’t quite believe 2017 is almost over.  Where does the time go?  But since the new year is about to dawn, I thought I would go back and see how I did.  Did I meet my blog goals in 2017?

Make sure you jump back and read my post from January where I actually talk about my goals!  I just went back and read it, and I’m not as far ahead as I’d like to be.

Meet my blog goals

Here’s the breakdown of how I did trying to meet my blog goals:

Pageviews – I just made it to 1200 pageviews in the last month.  Time will tell if they stay there – though I do definitely feel like it’s all organic growth.  I’m hopeful my blog will continue to grow!  I can check this off as “Goal Met”!

Twitter – I did not quite make it to 5000 followers.  I stalled out around 4300 for a long time.  Guess it’s time to get more going on over there.  I feel like I’m getting a lot of followers who then unfollow right afterward.  I don’t fall for those though – I follow back when you fit what I’m hoping to create!  This goal still needs work.

Facebook – This is my worst growth area.  I got over 100 followers this year, but it’s still REALLY slow.  Again, I’m happy that the growth is happening organically, but it’s frustrating.  Another “Not Met” goal.

My publishing schedule – I had stated I want to stay posting twice a week with an odd 3rd post.  I’ve since adjusted that goal to 2 posts a week, but it’s okay if I only get one out.  This works better for me – sometimes my “real” life gets in the way of my creative flow.  And that’s fine.  As long as I get that one out there every week I’m perfectly happy with it!  This goal was a success.

Email subscribers – This is still a major struggle for me.  I did move my email list to MailChimp (affiliate link), though I’m entertaining moving again.  I do get organic new subscribers, but not very often.  I’ll let you know when I break 50 people on my email list!  I did get my list moved, so I’m marking this goal as “Met”!

Local Kingston posts and events – I am doing a better job sharing local events on my FB page.  I have done a few reviews and other collaborations locally.  My blog must be getting out there because I was invited to a media event for Fort Fright this fall.  I’d say I achieved this goal, but it’s also still a work in progress!

Video content – I’ve got myself more onto YouTube.  Well, I’ve got my girls on YT, and myself a smidge.  There’s still a huge learning curve for me here.  I do like doing FB lives, but I struggle with what to share in a video because everything else I do is written.  Still working on this one.

Do less book reviews – Goal Met here for sure.  I’ve scaled back to one review a month and my book pile is greatly diminished.  I still love reading the indie author books and sharing my opinions, but scaling back has helped me get more “working parents”-type content on the blog.

Have fun and learn something – Done and done!  I am ALWAYS learning on my blog.  That’s partly why I have it.  I want to share my real life experiences – good and bad – with you!  I feel like my posts are of better quality and have better SEO and relevance for my audience.  And I’m getting to review some fun things too.  Goal met here, but there’s always room to grow!

 

Did I Meet My Blog Goals in 2017?Do you find you meet these types of goals in your blog life?  I think I did okay – I did meet my blog goals.  (At least some of them!)  Sometimes it’s hard to make goals that aren’t too lofty.  Other times I’m “scared” to make goals at all because I feel like I don’t actually have any forward momentum.  I’d say my goals for the past year were realistic, but challenging.  What do you think?

~Jess

Be sure to join my mailing list to keep up with everything I have going on in my blog (and in my life!)  I love connecting with my readers. 




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20 Comments

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  2. Hi Jess, congratulations on reaching most of your blogging goals. How you find time to blog whilst working and raising a young family I don’t know, so I take my hat off to you. Facebook and subscribers are two areas I no longer focus on, I much prefer Twitter and Instagram. As long as I post two or three times a week, get around my favourite blogs and continue to enjoy blogging then I’m happy.

    Thank you for linking up with the #MMBC. And may 2018 be a happy and healthy year for you and yours.

    xx

    1. Thanks Deb – I do often feel there are no enough hours in the day (or week) but I do love this blogging business! I also think it’s important to only do it to the level you enjoy – if you try to do too much you’ll burn out. I also prefer Twitter and Insta – I get so much more engagement there. 🙂
      ~Jess

  3. Those sound like some ambitious goals, I think you’ve done really well, it is a real commitment to blog twice a week and those are some challenging followings you were after too. I hope you keep up the great work on your blog through 2018. #FabFridayPost

    1. Thanks Fiona! I’ve learned it’s not worth it to make too lofty of goals – but I love having something to shoot for. I hope I can keep up to my standards again this year.
      ~Jess

  4. You’re a champion! I’m just starting my fifth month of blogging and have already dropped my subscription e-mail account. Facebook is a hard area for me as well. You seem to have steady growth and the fact that you have organic subscribers is a huge deal! Congratulations!
    #FabFriday

    1. I started out trying to do too much in the beginning – but it’s just how the learning curve goes, I think. I have to put a bit more work into my email list, but I’m not trying so hard on FB. It’s a really hard platform to get people into – and they often don’t see your posts!
      ~Jess

  5. You have done so well and need to celebrate that more. Like everything in life, it is all about the baby steps that take us to where we want to be eventually. We all started out tiny and move on continuing to learn from what we get wrong as well as what we get right. That is living and blogging alright! #FabFridayPost

    1. So true Kate! Baby steps work the best – especially for those of us blogging as a “hobby” or side hustle. I know I don’t have a ton of time to be doing all the 1000 things blogging requires all the time, so I’m happy with my small achievements. Thanks for the comment!
      ~Jess

  6. Hi, sometimes even with the best intentions we can’t always meet our goals. I would love that many Twitter followersso well done. Have a fab 2018 #FabFridayPost

    1. Thank you Chloe! It’s true that we don’t always meet our goals. I’m not too distressed – I’ll just keep striving for them! That’s part of why I didn’t make a new blog goals post for this year. I’m still working on these ones!
      ~Jess

  7. Congratulations Jess for hitting your goals! I do admire you. I didn’t even do one. But I think you have inspired me to do one for this year. Thank you so much. I’m sure you’ll hit your goal again by the end of the year. Keep up the good work! x

    Thank you very much for linking up with us on #FabFridayPost

    1. I look forward to reading your goals Su! I think when we make goals we really need to be honest with ourselves, and then not get distressed if we don’t meet them. Thanks for the support.
      ~Jess

    1. Thanks Sarah. Balance is always tricky, but I feel I’m doing okay. It’s also a huge learning curve. I’m almost at 2 years of blogging (on WP) and I’m still tweaking things, adding plugins, and learning. I’m hopeful 2018 will be good to me. Thanks for the comment!
      ~Jess

    1. Thanks Katelynn! I did switch to MailChimp, but I’m hearing lots of good things about bother ConvertKit and Mailerlite. I’m staying where I am for now, but if my growth keeps up, or I really figure out how to grab people’s attention in emails, I may switch again!
      ~Jess

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