2018 Blog & Business Goals

I say this EVERY year, but where has the time gone?! I can’t believe we’re already a week into 2018.

As much as I love the clean slate of a new year, I’m all about setting goals year-round. While my goals usually include a personal component, I wanted to focus a bit more on business goals this year. Since leaving my full-time job and dedicating more time to my side hustles, I’ve been thinking a lot more about where I want to be  2018, so here it goes…

Work with a photographer
I’m lucky to have a few photographer friends, who I’ve been able to work with (quite sporadically) over the past year. Nick’s also a pretty good Instagram boyfriend, (or should I say, fiancé?) but I think it’s important to separate our personal and professional lives. This year I’d like to work with a photographer more regularly to take my content to the next-level.

Travel content
One of the reasons I started blogging was to share city guides and travel tips with you all. Living in New Zealand has been an incredible experience in itself (one I’m super grateful for…) but it’s isolated from the rest of the world and limits the number of places I can reasonably travel to. In 2017, I travelled to Japan, three Australian states, and all over NZ, but my city guides were few and far between… In 2018, there’s no excuse, I’ll be sharing all the best spots right here.

Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate
Christchurch is full of incredibly talented individuals. When Mooch Style and I hosted our bloggers meet-up, we were blown away by the number of people who attended and shared their blogging stories with us. I’d like to host another Bloggers Collective this year because well, last year was so much fun! Another goal is to collaborate with other creatives – photographers, writers and stylists because it’s such a great way to learn and stay inspired. I’ve already got a few partnerships in the works, so stay tuned.

Sponsored content
As a creative, it’s hard to resist opportunities that come knocking, especially those with desirable budgets. After all, we need to get paid. As hard as it can be to turn down opportunities that aren’t a good fit, that’s what I intend to do this year. I want to be as transparent and honest with you guys as possible because that’s what this is all built upon.

Always sign a contract
I’ve been burned a few times in the past by clients who’ve refused to sign contracts or commit to a payment schedule. I’ve talked to other friends in the blogging world and they’ve all experienced similar issues. As unregulated as our work can be, I’ll always handle myself professionally and only work with those who do, too.

Improve my blog’s SEO
This one is definitely a long-term game, but I need to focus on search engine optimisation. Despite working as a digital marketer for more than two years, my blog’s SEO ranking is abysmal, so I’ve got to dedicate some serious time to improving it or look to hire someone to help!

Blog rebrand & refresh
As much as I love my blog, this layout needs work and is overdue for a refresh. The navigation is non-existent and there’s no search function… I created this blog 5.5 years ago, and while I still love it, there’s lots I’ve outgrown. I am considering working with a designer and developer to create something a bit sleeker and user-friendly. Who have you worked with in the past?

2017 was a great year and I figured a lot out, here’s hoping 2018 is just as good!

Have you thought about your goals for the year ahead?