Today, I want to share with you 4 goal setting tips for content creators and bloggers!
2021 was a year of growth, both personally and professionally. Looking back at this year, I feel so grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to purchase my first home, to find a new job, to get to donate bone marrow through Be the Match, and for mine and my family’s health. I am beyond grateful for the chance to connect with all of you and to reach all of my goals when it comes to Hello Emily Erin.
Today, I want to shed some light on tactics I used to prepare myself and my business for this year. Ready to jump into goal setting?
Looking Back
But first, let’s rewind. Back in 2019, I almost gave up blogging for good. I was discouraged because I wasn’t seeing growth. Creating content felt like a chore. I didn’t have a clear style or idea of the type of content I wanted to create. After 3 years as an influencer, I felt like I totally hit a wall. I didn’t know my niche or audience. Nor was I gaining followers. I was COMPLETELY uninspired and ready to give up. Luckily, I gave myself an ultimatum. I set goals for 2020 and decided that if I wasn’t making progress or taking steps to achieve them, I would quit Instagram for good in 2020.
Luckily GOAL SETTING WORKS! I felt empowered to take control of my personal brand.
My biggest goal in 2020 was to make five figures through brand collaborations, a.k.a. $10,000. Guess what? I made it happen by SEPTEMBER!
What’s even crazier is that I almost doubled it.
What’s even crazier than that is it only took me three months to double my earnings for the ENTIRE YEAR!
I learned that moving forward, I needed to reach EVEN HIGHER.
In 2021, I set a goal to reach $30K in brand collaborations. I was able to reach this goal by the summer so I knew I needed to reassess.
At that point, I bumped up my goal amount to $50K.
And guess what? I hit it!
In fact, I beat it. I’ve contracted over $54K in brand collaborations
And moving towards 2022, I want to set goals to set me up for great success. I was able to make this happen the last two years
Here are my 4 tips for setting achievable goals when it comes to content creation and blogging!
Create S.M.A.R.T Goals
One of my biggest takeaways from my business master’s program was the idea of S.M.A.R.T goals. S.M.A.R.T is an acronym standing for:
- Specfic: questions like: why? how? who will help? where will I do this? etc.
- Measurable: what metrics will you use to demonstrate success?
- Achievable: is this actually possible? are you aiming high but still being realistic?
- Relevant/Realistic: does this align with other goals? does this make sense for my career? do I have the resources? etc.
- Time based: setting a timeline with benchmarks that you can achieve along the way
I use SMART goals at work, in my personal life, and for blogging and content creation! For more information about SMART goals, check out this article from MindTools!
This graphic from Indeed is good one to save for your reference:
A SMART goal for my personal business might look like: To achieve my goal of educating my audience on Instagram and providing value, I will educate myself about the influencer marketing industry and share a blog post and Instagram post dedicated to specific tips each Tuesday.
Don’t Focus Too Much on Vanity Metrics aka Your Follower Count
When I started blogging in 2017, my entire FOCUS was on my follower count. I know it is easy to fall into the trap of “Brands won’t work with me unless I have 10K.” When I first started, I would do whatever it took to get more followers (except buying them, thankfully I never did that). I didn’t care who my followers were, what their interests were, or anything about them. Up until this year, 2020, I continued to focus on my follower count. And then, something happened at the start of this year. I decided to stop worrying about my follower count and to focus more on things THAT MATTERED.
What do I mean by this? Well, I began focusing on more strategic metrics, such as my engagement rate or pageviews on my blog. It doesn’t mean that I stopped caring about my follower count entirely, but rather that I got more intentional with it. I took steps to boost my engagement rate, such as removing ghost followers. I shifted my focus to creating valuable content that my audience would care to engage with each week. By providing engaging content and boosting my engagement rate, my posts were seen by more individuals. And guess what? I gained followers! So, set your sights on metrics that will help you reach your goals long-term instead of vanity metrics such as followers or likes.
Moving Forward
One of my personal goals is to continue to boost my engagement rate. This year, I’ve seen success by creating valuable content that people want to save and share with others. I’ve also drawn success from posting consistently and with intention. I’m able to check up on this goal with free tools like Social Blade, which monitors stats like engagement rate, average likes and comments, and followers gained.
Set the Bar Higher
As I mentioned earlier, I set a goal to reach $30k in revenue from influencer marketing campaigns in 2021. Not only did I beat this goal, but I’ve been able to nearly double it, contracting over $54K in brand collaborations this year alone.
As you know, I was realllllllly discouraged in 2019. I was seriously so ready to give up. Instead, I made the choice to give myself an ultimatum and set some goals for 2020. I decided that if I was not making progress towards my goals, 2020 would be my last year as an influencer. A bit harsh, but this was what worked for me.
Since I was in a negative headspace, it was really hard for me to envision myself achieving those goals. 2020 came around and I really shifted my mindset and attitude. I made my work as a content creator and blogger a priority. Once I reframed my mind, my goals were achievable! And, like I mentioned, I was able to reach my goal by September, with plenty of time left in the year. This signals to me that next year, I need to set the bar HIGHER. My goal for 2022 is to DOUBLE my income from brand collaborations!
Keep in mind that part of S.M.A.R.T goals is to ensure that your goal is achievable, so SHOOT FOR THE MOON, but make sure you can take steps to get there along the way.
Mindset is EVERYTHING
Like I mentioned, when I was goal setting in 2019, I was in a negative headspace. Back in 2019, I was doing the bare minimum for my brand. I was missing deadlines and shooting at dusk when the light was poor, giving myself about 5 minutes to get the shot. I was turning in content late and posting without adhering to the brand’s guidelines, as I “didn’t have time” to check the contract.
Luckily, I decided to come into 2020 with a positive mind and an openness to succeed. I focused my time and efforts on creating quality content. Since I have a corporate job, nights and weekends are DEDICATED to writing blog posts, pitching brands, answering emails, and so much more. I could make the excuse that I don’t have time, but that would get me nowhere. Believe me, you know I’ve tried it!
I brought this mindset into 2021 and it served me incredibly well. I plan to continue this open, positive mindset into every year I work as a content creator and blogger.
Attitude and mindset are EVERYTHING! I try to remind myself every day of how lucky I am to pursue my passion. How lucky I am to connect with so many of you, from all corners of the world. To provide tips in hopes that someone will learn from my mistakes in the past and find success in this crazy world of social media marketing. I truly am so grateful for this opportunity and never take it for granted. Can you imagine if I had given up? I would’ve never partnered with some of my favorite brands or connected with any of you!
2020 Goals
Okay, so let’s see how I did. Below are my 2020 goals:
- Make over 10K in brand collaborations in 2020 ✓
- Overhaul my website and feel proud of it ✓
- Develop stronger relationships with my partners ✓
- Invest in a camera and create quality content ✓
- Find my niche and brand mission ✓
2021 Goals
Now let’s assess 2021:
- Contract an average of $3K per month in brand collaborations ✓
- Post 3 unique photo series throughout the year ✓
- Expand into a new social media channel (any guesses what that could be?!) -/+/✓
I was able to achieve all of these goals! But I will say I had something else in mind for the last goal. I was originally planning on creating a Youtube account. But early in 2021, Clubhouse was hugely popular so I focused on that. After that, I started turning my focus to IG Reels. So, yes, its okay to adjust and re-assess your goals! Just make sure you are not making excuses for yourself along the way. Keep your vision in mind throughout the way!
I hope that this post helps you to begin goal setting for 2022! I am excited to begin my 2022 goal setting and to take you all along on that journey with me. Looking forward to a new year and new opportunities!
Are you a new blogger or content creator looking for more resources? Check out these recent posts:
- 4 Best Practices For Holiday Campaigns
- How to Maintain Relationships with Brands
- Pitching to PR Contacts (+ How To Find Them)
- Boost Your Instagram Story Engagement
- How to Get Noticed By Brands for Collaborations
- Pitching to Brands as an Influencer (+ real email templates that I actually sent!)
- The Tea on Instagram Giveaways
- Influencer Marketing Platforms to Help You Make Money
