MY 2016 BLOG GOALS
As I mentioned in my new years resolutions post here, this year as always, I’ll be setting myself some blog specific goals for myself in 2016.
When I started my blog back in 2011 it was purely a hobby, but as the years have gone on it’s become so much more than that, it’s my pride and joy, a brand, a business and something I channel all of much passion & efforts into. Whilst I do have a full time career too (i’m a communications strategy consultant), I do work super super hard on my blog to produce content that you enjoy or feel inspired by, to create imagery & visuals that bring my editorials to life, and to post daily so that you always have something new waiting for you, so that one day perhaps, when the time is right to take the risk & make the sacrifice, this could be my sole career.
And so with the drive, passion & dedication I’ve always had with my little blog (without it I don’t know how I would have blogged everyday for over 4 years), i’ll be jumping into 2o16 full of ambition & motivation to make this year, be the year my little blog flourishes into something even bigger & better.
MY GOALS & BLOGGING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2016
#1 ATTEND EVENTS
Juggling a full time career and a full time blog means I often struggle for time. In 2015 work took even more of my time up than usual, and it meant I missed so many meeting, work, events and travel opportunities. In 2016 I want to prioritise more of my time to the blogging business, and that means starting with ensuring I attend more of the events i’m invited to. I know the importance of events not just for the fun but also for the networking opportunity, and so If I want my blog to flourish this year, events & meetings will be key.
#2 JOIN THE COMMUNITY
When I started blogging I absolutely loved the community, talking to you all on a daily basis, sharing my life & stories, having your support for the content I produce, and in turn me sharing my love for you all back. Whilst I still engage with you all when I can, I want to do more, I want to get to know you more & I want to spend more time meeting you all, talking with you all and sharing the experience & this crazy journey with you. So in 2016 I want to get more involved in the community, in real life at events, parties & perhaps for work, but also online too.
#3 COLLABORATE
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible brands this year, I’ve ben signed to a network which felt like a huge achievement and i’m proud of the work and content i’ve produced as part of these collaborations. in 2016 I really want to push this even further. I’ve never been one to proactively seek blogging work (I simply don’t have time) but If I want to grow this little www dot in the future, then it’s probably about time I started. I really hope 2016 will be the year my portfolio grows considerably, and that i’ll continue to work with some of the best British and Global brands.
#4 CREATIVITY & PHOTOGRAPHY
One of the things I love so much about blogging and about producing content for mediamarmade is the photography and the creativity involved in creating an editorial. For the first few years of blogging my creativity was quite consistent, but last year I really tried to up my game, create features that were more unique, upgrade my photography style so it felt more exciting, editorial like & generally just more enjoyable for you guys to read. In 2016 I want to push this even further and really up my creativity here on mediamarmalade.com but also on my social channels, in particular my instagram which is one area i’d really love to see grow in 2016 (so please do follow along if you haven’t already).
#5 QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
My final resolution or goal is something I’ve genuinely been thinking about for the last couple of years, and ties in quite nicely with my push towards creativity & more unique quality editorials, and that’s quality over quantity. Since I started my blog i’ve ensured that everyday there’s new content waiting for you on here, but not only has that put enormous pressure on myself to produce content daily (whilst working full time too) but it’s also meant that sometimes my content doesn’t get the airtime perhaps it deserves, as a new post quickly replaces it. So with my ambition of making every post on here something super special, I have been debating changing up my content frequency, perhaps blogging 5 days a week instead of 7, and in turn ensuring every post is unique, original, creative & hopefully super enjoyable for you guys.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this one? Do you enjoy the daily features, or do you think quality over quantity might be a good idea in 2016?
In 2016 I really want my blog & brand to grow even more, to flourish & my hard work and dedication to create content daily to really pay off. I’d love more people to discover my content, i’d love more brands to get involved, and i’d love all of you incredible people to stick along for the journey.
I’d love to know what you think of media marmalade, what content you enjoy, what content you want to see more of? And of course I’d love to hear about your own blogging journey & goals for the year ahead too?
Cafebiblioart says
First of all, good luck! It seems you want to embark on a challenging journey this year! It takes guts :) Secondly, I cannot believe you managed to juggle a career and blogging full time, I am currently still at university, but I find it nearly impossible to actually write for my blog so yeah, wow. I am really impressed by that fact because you actually do a good job with your blog which I am sure that not many can do. As for my blogging resolutions for this year – I just want to increase my number of followers at least a bit, get more engagement on my blog and improve the quantity and quality of my posts.
Happy new year!
melissa says
Thanks so much lovely. Sometimes I can’t believe I’ve managed it either, haha! Well done to you for juggling studies and blogging too, it’s no easy feat.
Best of luck with your goals and thanks again for the lovely message. Xx
Lucy says
Whilst my blog is nowhere near as ‘big’ as yours, I can most certainly resonate with these resolutions. I think engagement is SO key and I’m working on my friend’s business to boost the amount of engagement he experiences on the social media side, so I hope I pick up some new tricks for my own blog! I always wonder how on earth you post as frequently as you do! If posting 5 days a week instead of 7 is easier for you, and allows your posts to shine a little more, go for it!! I’m sure we’ll all still be happy to read : )
She’s So Lucy
melissa says
Hi Lucy, thanks so much for your comment, it really means a lot. I’ve still not decided on the 7 versus 5 days yet, but thanks so much for saying you’ll stick by either way :) sounds like you’ve got some fantastic skills on the social media / engagement side of things, definitely ideal for blogging too :)
Happy new year and thanks again xx
Brigid Bartlett says
Great post. x
http://overthebridgebee.blogspot.co.uk/
Arabella says
Great goals – I really like the community one. You have a great blog, I look forward to what you post in 2016!
ARABELLA.CO.UK
melissa says
Thanks Arabella, I’m so glad you like it and I hope it’s even better in 2016. I’m definitely looking forward to spending more time engaging in the community. It’s such a great support network :) xx
Girl Abroad says
Some great goals here! Good luck in achieving them and hope you have a fab 2016 :)
Alice x
http://www.girlabroadblogs.blogspot.com
melissa says
Thanks Alice. Here’s to a happy and successful 2016 :) happy new year xx
Josie says
These are great goals! I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve them :) x
Josie | Sick Chick Chic
melissa says
Thanks Josie, fingers crossed :)
Happy new year xx
Tiffany says
I love you blog, you content is always so interesting and your photography is gorgeous. I can’t wait to read more in 2016 and congrats on getting signed :) x
Tiffany Tales – A British Beauty & Lifestyle Blog
melissa says
Wow thanks so much Tiffany. That’s such a lovely message and means so much, I’m so glad you enjoy it all and I can’t wait to produce even better content in 2016 :)
Happy new year xx
Chloe Oldham says
Firstly, congrats on a lovely year of blogging! I have enjoyed constantly scrolling through your beautiful post feed and always being pleased with the quality posts you share!
On the whole – 5 days a week posting thing, I think the quality of posts your posting doing daily blogs are lovely! But, in the end it comes down to whether you think there is more quality content you can produce and also if you think that lowering the amount of posting days will also help to give time to go to events, to travel etc.
I wish you luck, and I am very excited for more content in 2016 – whether it be daily, or less!
melissa says
Thanks so much Chloe, that’s so kind and means a lot to know you enjoy it all. I’m still debating the 5 versus 7 days a week, like you say hopefully whatever I decide will help me up my content game and get to attend more events and spend more time socialising too :)
Thanks so much for all your lovely word and support. Happy new year xx
Chloe Oldham says
Firstly, congrats on a lovely year of blogging! I have enjoyed constantly scrolling through your beautiful post feed and always being pleased with the quality posts you share!
On the whole – 5 days a week posting thing, I think the quality of posts your posting doing daily blogs are lovely! But, in the end it comes down to whether you think there is more quality content you can produce and also if you think that lowering the amount of posting days will also help to give time to go to events, to travel etc.
I wish you luck, and I am very excited for more content in 2016 – whether it be daily, or less!
Samantha Mariko says
best of luck with your new years resolutions! hope you have a great 2016 :)
http://www.samanthamariko.com
melissa says
Thanks so much Samantha :) Here’s to a fab 2016 for you too x
Nyah says
I love how all of your goals are something achievable, particularly things that you can control. At the start a lot of people make their goals things related to stats and followers, but no blogger can directly change that, so it’s a lot harder to achieve the goal, and can become quite disappointing. However, when you focus on the quality of your blog, you can control so many more aspects, make your blog a lot better, and achieve almost, if not all of your goals.
melissa says
Thanks Nyah, I really wanted to make them personal and achievable so glad you agree :) x
Donna says
Hi. I love your blog, and think your resolutions are great. I think you do a great job, and particularly love your weekend posts about blogging tips etc – they’re what brought me to your blog in the first place, and I’ve shared them with friends too. If you reduce the frequency of your posts, which is completely understandable, maybe you could do a couple of outfits in a post, rather than individual posts for your outfits. Please don’t lose the blogging tips posts though!
My blogging resolution is to get my blog to work again this year – when I tried to update and migrate it last year, it all went horribly wrong and I haven’t been able to post for a few months. I’m in the process of sorting it now, but it’s been very frustrating. One of the things I’d like to do is have one post per week of my work, and one/more with links to posts I love from other bloggers – would you be willing to let me link to your posts in those? I’d love to share your amazing blog with other people!
I’m also going to try and sell my crafts online this year, as I only managed one craft fair this year (though I will still do that too). Bit nervous about that! My dads lent me his photography lighting kit so I can take decent photos, but I’m reading lots of posts for advice – including yours!
Have a happy new year, and I look forward to reading your posts, whatever you write and however often x
melissa says
Hi Donna, thanks so much for your lovely lovely comment, i’m so glad you enjoy my blog and find the tips posts helpful, they’re some of my absolute favourites to write, so i’m glad you enjoy them too :) I’m still not sure about cutting down my days yet, so for the time being i’ll keep up the 2 – 3 blog / career tips features and mix in with outfits and lifestyle features too!!
Oh no, sounds like you’ve had a nightmare with your blog migration, I have to say when I migrated my blog to wordpress it took me months to get it all working correctly and to be honest probably a year to get it to a place i’m finally happy with. I really hope you manage to get yours working and get to write your work features, it sounds like a fab idea, as does the ‘blog love’ type posts, i’d be honoured to be featured, thank you :)
Anyway happy new year & hopefully you like the upcoming features xx
laura says
Fab post, as always, Mel!
http://www.tinytwisst.com
melissa says
Ah thanks lovely, happy new year <3 xx
Baanou says
Love all the inspo!
http://Www.baanou.com
chloe says
It was a Godsend to read this post. I struggle with maintaining a blog alongside a full time career in finance (no less) and it is difficult but I agree with the goals you have now set yourself and stand behind you on being true to what you want this year to look like. Thank you so much for sharing the thoughts currently in my own head!
Chloe xo
http://www.chloepierre.com
Amal says
Good luck on achieving your goals. I’m sure 2016 will be filled with great opportunities! ;-)
Love from Belgium,
Amal