I'm pretty sure you know the feeling.
This feeling of frustration to see some growth- any growth on your blog.
You feel like you've tried every possible strategy. But things aren't moving as fast as you'd like.
You just don't seem to be getting the ROI for your efforts.
Forget money. You're not even getting shares, subscribers, recognition or engagement.
If only you could get out of this deep rut you seem to have fallen in to. If only you knew why you weren't making as much progress.
#1 You've employed too many cooks to spoil the broth
The same goes when you have too many goals you want to focus on. You have this unrelenting itch to want to be everywhere and do everything.
If you think that your energy and resources are split 50-50 when you work on 2 different tasks, you're wrong.
According to an article in Psychology Today by Dr. Susan Weinschenk, "it takes more time to get tasks completed if you switch between them, than if you do them one at a time".
Pick 2-3 goals a quarter depending on how ambitious you are.
Decide on what specific actions you are going to take to achieve each goal? And here's the key thing: Focus on actions that you can directly influence.
It's important to be clear about what you want to achieve and how you're going to do it.
#2 You need 173 comments to decide on a logo
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for getting input from your peers. But most of the time, here's how it unfolds:
- You get a great idea for an opt-in or product
- You get thoughts and feedback from Facebook groups.
- The response is split 50-50. There isn't a resounding 'YES go for it' that you were
- expecting.
- You keep collecting all these responses for 2-3 weeks.
- You lose your initial motivation.
- Your idea and mojo disintegrates
Not sure of a product idea, besides sharing it with your mastermind group, resist asking the world.
Notice how you're laser focused when you have to get something done in 2 days as opposed to 2 weeks?
Parkinson's law states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
Always set a launch date. You will move through hoops to get it done. Get a minimum viable product down and beta-test it on a platform like Gumroad.
Even if you end up being wrong or you don't get the results that you had originally hoped for, taking action and making mistakes along the way is more beneficial than not moving at all.
#3 You just picked up jogging but signed up for a competitive marathon next week
There's so much pressure to monetize when you're just taking baby steps on your blogging journey.
No, you shouldn't be stuck in the content wheel forever but it's also important to understand your audience well enough to deliver a good product that they want (not something you think they need)
#4 You have don't have a clear why or direction
Would you board a plane knowing that your pilot didn't have the itinerary or map needed to navigate the plane to your destination?
Of course not.
That would just be silly.
This is why it's so important to have what's called 'big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAG)' This is a term introduced by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.
But you can apply these to blogging and and online business too. These goals usually have a time-frame of 5, 10, 15 years.
It keeps you from worrying over mindless statistics. Now stats, are important. But if you're fussing over your page views and comments when you're just 3 months old, you're taking your mind away from things that actually grow your blog.
#5 Your posts make your readers scratch their heads
There's a disconnect between your audience and the content you're creating.
Now, not everyone who visits your site is going to be of the same experience level. You're going to get readers of different personas.
A persona is a reader profile that you've crafted. And that person is as good as real. They exist among your readers.
And what connects each of these personas is their desires and aspirations towards that 'change' that you're helping them achieve. And every piece of content on your blog should sell a change.
To do that you need to be dialled into their needs. Think about these questions:
- What objectives or personal goals does she have?
- What is preventing your ideal reader from achieving the desired change?
- What mistakes is she making and what can she do about it?
- What mental block does she have to overcome?
Imagine charging towards your goals with laser focus
Imagine knowing what you want despite all the distractions pulling you in a million different directions.
You might stick out like a sore thumb because you've refused to conform.
You've refused to dabble in 5 different social media platforms. You're working towards a larger vision.
The path you've chosen would be wildly different from the rest.
But this is what's going to grow your blog in leaps and bounds.
Meera is a certified email marketing specialist, freelance writer and contributor at Addicted 2 Success and Marketing Profs. She helps ambitious bloggers and solopreneurs craft a strategic online presence. Want to make an impact online? Click here to get started.
A version of this article was previously published on MeeraKothand.Com