2016 is here and I assume that you want to make it a better year than 2015. To me 2015 was a year of really connecting with myself and knowing truly what I really want.
I had some set backs and some of my loved ones transitioned over into the metaphysical world, but although it was sad at the time, it helped me find the missing pieces within myself that I found within them. If I would’ve quit, I know it wouldn’t have sit well with them. Especially my grandmother.
But I’ve been thinking things through and been doing a lot of planning. Two great things about 2015 is that I accomplished some goals and had a few epiphanies.
There have been many bloggers who have inspired me, and unknowingly have contributed indirectly to some of the ideas I have for 2016.
And just to tell you, if I commented and shared any of your blog posts, then you are who I’m talking about 😉
So with that said, I like to share with you some of my goals for 2016. I will be making some changes so that I can work even smarter than I did in 2015.
Hopefully my plans will give you some ideas on making some improvements with your blog or home business if applicable. So without further adieu, let’s get into my plan of action.
“The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to know how to live to purpose.” ~ Michel de Montaigne
If you’re a serious solopreneur/entrepreneur, then you’re constantly making new plans.
Why?
You always find errors, see places for improvement, and take notice of outdated tools and strategies that needs to be replaced.
It’s an ongoing process of stretching and expanding with your endeavors.
It all stems from new ways of thinking and perceiving the obvious and the not so obvious.
But this is what makes solo/entrepreneurship so interesting and invigorating. It makes each day feel brand new, and one thing I learned is that if you’re getting bored with your routine, then you need a change.
And with each and every new year, there’s always a need for some change.
The one interesting thing about change is the suspense of it.
You really don’t know what you’re going to get but yet you still go through the process which can lead to some surprises.
There may be some strategies you need to add, take away, or put more emphasis on.
When it comes to blogging and internet marketing as a whole, tools and plugins come a dime a dozen and you have to choose which ones works best for you.
With that said, I like to share with you a list of changes I like to make for this New 2016 Year.
Changes To Be Made For The New 2016 Year
At the beginning of 2015 I started a routine which only lasted a few months.
Isn’t that the case for the average person?
But one thing I have noticed is that the only routine that lasted the longest are the one’s I really enjoyed.
Which would you rather have?
Routines and Strategies that you enjoy? Routines and Strategies that work? Or a mixture of both?
I truly believe that if you want to work smarter, then you want to have a mixture of both. Figure out the routine strategies that work for you and enjoy at the same time.
I see this as a way to transfer the feeling of inspiration and trust towards your audience. And when you can do this consistently then your online social status goes up.
I found this to be the case last year, which I drew some conclusions that resulted in the plans for this new year. Here are the following changes I’ll be making:
Blogging Less
At the beginning of the 2015 year, I was publishing blog posts 4 times a month. But after my grandmother’s transitioning, I only published about 2 or 3 times a month.
I noticed as far as generating traffic, leads, and sales, I was still getting the same average. My traffic dropped around between the months of September and October, but I was still getting the same amount of leads and sales.
There’s some other activities and projects that I wanted to work on, but I was either too drained to work on them or I just didn’t have enough time (My time is really crunched at the beginning of the school year).
I want to concentrate more on writing ebooks, creating more visual content social media and blog, and creating capture pages.
So with my time crunch and plans, I only want to publish one or two blogs a month which will give me enough time to concentrate on other activities.
Commenting Less
In 2015 I was commenting on at least 6 blogs a day, 5 days a week.
I believe this is actually what got me over the 1,000 visitors/month hump and it was great feat.
And there were days I would comment on up to 12 blogs per day.
Although I enjoyed reading other blogs because of the people I’ve met and what I learned, I thought that I push the commenting up a couple of notches and end up on commenting on 60 blogs for the week.
Well since I read most of my blogs on my smart phone, and I walk from site to site at my job, there were a few times where I almost got hit by a car LOL
Besides that, I found that commenting on more blogs doesn’t mean you’re going to get more traffic. Especially targeted traffic.
From this I decided to not overdo the commenting, and only focus on those of you I have built rapport with, blogs I have gained a lot of knowledge from, and the blogs that have the great potential of conveying very useful information.
In 2016 I won’t focus so much on the number of blogs per day to comment on, but more so on other tasks I can benefit even more so from.
Focus More On Promotion
I did a lot of promotion as far as using automated tools, publishing manually on social sites, emailing my list, commenting on blogs with the commentluv premium plugin, and posting in blogging communities.
But I do believe I can do better.
I want to add a a little more diversity by adding more visual content.
There are a lot of tools out there to create it, and I see that with the visual content I have utilized thus far, it does get a better response rate as compared to not posting with any.
So the question is what if I double the exposure using visual content?
What would happen if I add this type of content with quotes with my blog address like I see a few of my blogging friends do?
I can definitely see a future of more traffic and leads as I’m doing this more consistently.
It’s a great way to show your diversity, to show how approachable you are, and also to show that you are the right person for the audience you want to attract.
So with that said, it would be a great idea to double up the visual content in my promotional efforts in order to get more self exposure in this sense.
Focus More on Networking
The Basic fundamental ingredient to building a blog and business is networking.
The more people you connect with, the better leverage you’ll have to grow your blog and business.
I’ve met quite a few people, and they are the one’s who have been very helpful and more supportive more so than the peers I have in the offline world.
When you find people who are like you and have similar goals, then that’s when the magic start to happen.
You’ll start to attract more opportunities and you’ll have stronger social proof so that other’s will be more trustworthy of you and your worth.
I’ve also learned a lot from the different bloggers I’ve met and I have applied many of their suggestions. They know who they are and they have seen the growth. No words can express how grateful I am to have met them.
Networking can come in different facets such as emailing, sharing and mentioning, and commenting on their blog posts.
But I also want to do more of networking on social media and using Q&A sites like Quora, which definitely push your reputation up the ranks.
Incorporate Paid Advertisement
I have used a lot of Paid Advertisement in the past which worked out great despite the little details and testing.
I’ve come across bloggers who are against it, but yet they found their rhythm only through blogging.
You have to do what works best for you, and above all, find enjoyment in it.
I love learning about new marketing paid strategies and tools that correlates with what I want to do, and I do make time to put some of them to the test.
In the past I found that Facebook PPC and Solo Ads worked the best for me. I will incorporate this, but this time, I will be smarter about their use oppose to how I was using them in the past.
But through these paid methods, I was able to grow my list pretty fast and had gotten some sales every month.
There are other paid strategies I have yet to try out which is the exciting part.
Will Accept More Guest Posts
One thing I wanted to start doing last year is to accept guest posts.
I feel that it would be great for my audience to be exposed to other bloggers who they can relate well with and offer some sound advice that they can take from.
Well in the Fall, I got an email from a fellow blogger I’ve been following to do a guest post and offer an incentive that would benefit my audience.
The post went well although we didn’t get as many comments as we expected but the effort was great on his part. Check out the post here!
About a month later I got approached by another fellow blogger who’s blog post idea was the message I’m getting across to my audience.
This post also went quite well and I had got even more comments on it. Click here to read the post!
Now it’s 2016 and again, at the beginning of the year I got approach by another blogger who’s looking to write a guest post!
So with all of these great bloggers approaching me to write guest posts, I will come up with a guideline of what I’m looking for and how to contact me.
And of course, I will be making changes to the guideline as time progresses with all the changes that consistently goes on within the internet and blogging community.
Still Write Guest Posts
I also plan on writing guest posts
This was one of my goals last year, and it was great that some of my blogging friends have approached me to be their guest on their blogs!
I really appreciated that! Thats the power of networking as I previously mentioned!
Here are 4 Guest Posts I last year in 2015
- My Guest Post on Shamsudeen Adeshokan’s Blog – Are You Promoting More Than You Blog?
- My Guest Post on Sylviane Nuccio’s Blog – How To Engage and Build Trust With Your Audience
- My Guest Post on Adrienne Smith’s Blog – Who Should You Really Connect With In The Blogosphere
- My Guest Post on Andrew M. Warner’s Blog – 5 Simple Surefire Ways To Increase Your Blog Subscribers
Since I will be making more time for myself, I plan on writing more guest posts this year than the previous year.
I see this as a great way to keep building my reputation as well as writing skills, showing my competency and to win more people over.
It’s a great way to grow your social proof among the blogosphere because this is one aspect of your reputation that people take strong notice.
The one thing that I want to do is start requesting to guest post on different blogs. I’ve gotten some really great ideas last year on how to approach bloggers, and I like to start applying them.
In Conclusion
2016 will be the year that I put myself out there more.
But I want to be smarter about it.
I want to show how anyone can still succeed even though they have a busy schedule. All it takes is the right combination of tasks and you’re good to go.
The problem is a lot of us who lead busy lives don’t know what the secret combination is.
Although we may read blog posts that have great tips or get on insightful webinars, we still have to figure out what really works for us.
As I did last year, I will be posting different strategies and routines that are working for me focusing more on how you can promote yourself even better.
I’ll also be promoting different tools and systems that will help you get on your way to succeed.
So yes, I’ll be more about Pareto’s Principle, sharing how anyone can get 80% of great results while only doing 20% of the work!
Now It’s Your Turn!
What are your plans for the New 2016 Year?
Are you going to make any changes?
How was the previous year for you?
Please share your comments below and share this post with your friends. I look forward to read them!
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Hi Sherman,
Good to have you back, and wishing you a very Happy & Prosperous New Year as well. 🙂
Yes indeed, time changes a lot, and what all we planned for 2015 may or may not have come up to our expectations, but that doesn’t mean we stop planning for this year!
Speaking of myself, we laid out a lot of projects, but as we couldn’t take the much needed blogging break as we wanted to, we couldn’t complete those projects. So, there are no new resolutions being made presently, expect to work on those projects, which now will take time, as we are blogging alongside, and of course starting off with monetizing the blog as well.
That’s true, even if you blog less or comment less, over a period of time, your stats don’t really go down. In fact, for us they stay the same, including the traffic. We had tried that last year, when for a while we were just posting once a week, and hardly commenting.
Yes, concentrating more on promotion and networking would surely help. The 80-20 principle does work, and having done that myself, I know it would help you too!
I agree about guest posts, and I think it would be a great idea to see new voices on your blog, which would also give you time to guest post on other places. Also, you’d find more time to accomplish things that’ve been in the pipeline.
We believe in change a LOT, so anything that can be worked on, must be implemented, as it would only lead you to success.
Thanks for sharing your plans with us, and we wish you a very productive year ahead 🙂
Harleena Singh recently posted…How To Achieve Leadership And Rise Above Entry Level
Hey Harleena,
Happy New Year to you too Harleena!
I know what you mean about different projects you planned on undertaking. There were quite
a few things I wanted to do, but they were left unfinished or I just quite didn’t put
in the energy to do them.
Thats funny how your stats doesn’t really change that much when you blog and comment less.
When I noticed this, I thought to myself, maybe I need to be focusing on other tasks more
so then just publishing blogs and commenting a lot.
Everyone talked about Pareto’s Principle last year and I believed in it. I just didn’t know
where to fit in into my routine. Now I have a better idea.
Guest posting is a great way to get yourself out there as well as collaborate with some other
great bloggers. Time is what I need and like you and everyone else, we all need it to finish projects
that’s been in the pipeline for a while.
Ever since I worked at my second job after I graduated from college I had this saying in my head which
goes “Everything that is real is subject to change”! I learned this from an old coworker and it definitely
holds true!
Thanks for stopping by and always sharing your insightful comments! You have a great week ahead!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman,
Happy New year and good to be back here again reading one of your awesome posts.
I can read you have a lot on the desk for this year, from what I can tell, you’re aiming to get smarter at what you do instead of working hard.
And that’s just the better way to do things here, hardworking without effective strategies that will see to its accomplishment is not so good.
I agree with you on your observations about commenting less not really affecting traffic negatively.
If we really focus on those activities that yield better and massive results, commenting less won’t affect much negatively.
And thanks for the mention, I really appreciate that.
Thanks for writing, happy New year once again.
Shamsudeen recently posted…5 Digital Marketing Lessons to Learn From Neil Patel
Hey Shamsudeen,
Happy New Year to you too Shamsudeen! I hope your holidays went well!
Working hard can be very time consuming LOL.. so yes, I like to see how I can work a lot smarter, specifically because I don’t have a lot of time and I’m focusing on those who don’t either.
Commenting more or less doesn’t make a big difference. It’s the connections that does, mixed in with publish valuable, beneficial content. I’ve seen if I put out just 2 blogs a month I’ll still be in the safe zone with Google at least.
Yes, focusing on activities that will yield better results we’ll find that some of the other activities we’ve been doing doesn’t make a difference. Hence working smarter!
Thanks for stopping by Shamsudeen! Have a great week ahead!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman!
Great post and thanks for sharing your plans for 2016.
I was amazed to read about your blog commenting activities. Commenting on up to 60 blogs a week is a big number for sure. (I do 20 a week.)
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head about networking. It’s where the action is. Your new emphasis on networking will now doubt payoff.
Actually I am doing a lot of networking at the moment, but in a different way. I’m using Facebook – lots of new connections being made plus a big boost in engagement in the last 2 months.
Interesting to see that you are going to use paid ads again. I’ve used them for years, but 6 months ago I started the process to move away from them.
All good
And may 2016 be your best yet
Kim
Kim Willis recently posted…9 Reasons Why Every Business Should Have a Blog
Hey Kim,
I kept pushing myself to comment and I tell you it was exhausting LOL… I lost focus of the reason why to comment and that was to network and build rapport which I did a lot of. The best feeling for me is when you can relate well of what the author is trying to convey which made building rapport much easier.
That’s great that you’re focusing more on networking now. What better time to do it than at the beginning of the year. I like to make connecting more cohesive among social sites and blogging communities. Whoever I meet on one site I want to make sure to connect with them on other sites and go from there.
Paid ads were a quick way to build my list, but at the time I didn’t manage my money that well 🙁 . This year is going to be different and I’m going to use them in moderation. Why are you moving away from them?
Thanks for stopping by Kim! Have a great week ahead!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman,
Sounds like you have a great year ahead of you. You know, I shared today in my blog a story about a lady who’s goal was to create more content in order to earn a 10% increase in sales in 2016.
She doesn’t need more content – she needs needs clarity. That means working smarter to reach a highly targeted audience who’s ready to buy as opposed to working harder and longer to reach a broad audience.
With that said, you’re off to a good start.
Me, well I’m focusing on my webinars which were HUGE for me the second half of 2015. In fact, I made over $30,000 just from the few webinars I did.
This year is also about connecting with other influencers offline and online, speaking, adding a subscription based service, as well as a few masterminds.
Are you ready Sherman!
Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year my friend!
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum recently posted…The Ten Percent Rule – Building Momentum and Sales Through Your Blog in 2016
Hey Don,
I just read your post! I had the same mindset and my results really didn’t budge too much creating more content.
Clarity is key as you’ve been saying. This is why I want to write my content stemming from the message I’m trying to convey to a specific group of people. Working harder and longer doesn’t really amount much as time passes.
I haven’t been on your webinars yet, but I’m going to make every effort to do so this year. I’ve seen many of your videos and read just about all of your blog posts, and it would be interesting to experience different content from you. $30K is definitely a great accomplishment and it shows how well respected you are among your target audience.
I look forward as you keep manifesting your ideas for this new year. A subscription based service would be a great option for your audience. I look forward to it!
I’m definitely ready and excited about 2016! Let’s keep progressing!
Thanks for stopping by Don! Have a great rest of the week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman,
I know I’ve told you that before, but I love the fact that you are using the word transitioned instead of died. So few people are doing that.
Boy, you are so right here. It’s way easy to keep a routine we enjoyed, but hard to keep one that we don’t enjoy, so finding the right balance as you said, is a must.
I’m with you on commenting less. Commenting on other blogs, while necessary I think, does take a lot of time, and I’ve slowed down with that myself too. I just don’t have the time to do it all.
I’m glad you have some great goals for 2016, and I’ll be sure to check you out as you are making your goals to fruition.
Happy New Year!
Sylviane Nuccio recently posted…Don’t Be A Marketing Dinausor
Hey Sylviane,
I learned about the word “transition a long time ago”… I started watching debates between atheists and theists during the holiday break. Why? I just happened to run into these videos and got interested LOL … so I concluded that since there’s different types of energies, and energy never dies, it just transitions. I believe we’re spiritual energy, and like the other types of energies, we just transition.
But yes, we need to find the right routine that we enjoy. In my case, I loved reading, commenting, and sharing blog posts, but it got to the point to where it became overwhelming. Especially since my time is limited. I’m glad you understand and I see you’re doing the same thing.
Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing you grow even more in 2016! I hope you’re enjoying your week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman
Happy new year and Welcome back from the holidays.
Change is necessary. It is the stats that show that we are evolving. These plans you have for this year are grand.
I belive that when you have a blog that has great content, your traffic does not change.
For me, I also want to publish an ebook this year, allow more guest posts and increase my subscriber. I will also like to publish info graphs.
Looking forward to your posts. Thanks for sharing. Take Care
ikechi recently posted…Keep Speaking No Matter What
Hey Ikechi,
Happy New Year to you too Ikechi! It’s great to be back.
Like my old coworker said “Everything that is real is subject to change”, and I’m going to keep it real this year more so 🙂
Great minds think a like and we should definitely keep supporting each other. Ebooks are a great accomplishment and considered a great stepping stone. Infographs are going to be fun to do I believe. You can show your artistic side to your audience!
Thanks for stopping by Ikechi and I hope you’re having a great week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hey Sherman,
Welcome back and Happy New Year! Sounds like you’ve been doing a lot of thinking and planning on how to move forward for the new year.
I think that’s a very smart move because as we know, nothing ever stays the same. You know what you’re able to accomplish with the time you have, what’s working for you and what’s not.
I think we each have to continue and test the waters to see what new things we might be able to implement and what we can do away with. I actually can relate to some of what you’re sharing because we have to put our time into the action steps that will bring us the best results. Our end goal is to get clients and customers so whatever we need to do in order to achieve that is what we need to focus on the most.
I wish you the best moving forward Sherman and I have a feeling you’re going to do just fine!
Thanks for sharing this with us and I wish you all the success you definitely deserve.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…Branding Expert Shares Her 7 Most Valuable Tips
Hey Adrienne,
Yes, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, analyzing and pondering. I didn’t want to keep repeating the same ole routine and go insane expecting different results although last year was way better than the previous years.
But that’s an indicator that you’re getting wiser and more aware as a solopreneur.
solopreneur/entrepreneurship is a continuous process which makes it not only challenging but interesting. We definitely want to focus our time in the action steps that brings us the best results. The end goal is to get those paying clients and customers and we need to keep making those necessary changes in order to do so.
Thanks for stopping by Adrienne and lets make 2016 even better! Take Care!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Another great post Sherman. You must be more careful if you have been nearly getting knocked down by cars. I am also not blogging much now as it didn’t seem to make any difference when I was blogging daily. Then when all my websites were hacked and I had to start afresh I lost the enthusiasm to start again so now only blogging occassionally. Wishing you all the best for 2016
Merle Gibbins recently posted…6 Tips for Success in a Small Business
Hey Merle,
I’ve been extra careful lately with the cars LOL
I’m sorry that your sites got hack, but I’m glad that you’re back up and running again. What matters is the networking and promotion more so than publishing daily blog posts. A great way to do that is through social media which I will be a little more agressive about this year.
Thanks for stopping by Merle! I also wish you the best for this New Year! Take Care!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Merle,
Yes, to second Sherman, I’m sorry to hear your sites were hacked. Horrible thing to happen. And it must be very demoralising for you. I hope you can bring yourself to blog more and try to overcome what’s happened because your words and ideas are important.
Remember, blogging is a community and there are always people willing to help you succeed.
-Tom
Tom Southern recently posted…Why Nobody Reads Your Blog Posts (and What To Do About It)
Thank you Tom and yes will get back into it again.
Merle Gibbins recently posted…6 Tips for Success in a Small Business
Hi Sherman!
I’ve been commenting a lot less too, but still had to stop by here because I think we share a lot of the same ideas. Don’t think there’s anything particularly bad about blog commenting, it was a huge part of getting my name out there, but you are right that it can be exhausting if you feel like you have to hit a quota. It’s not exactly scalable and I do feel many people lose focus on the networking aspect, myself included for a while.
I’m really looking now for traffic sources that I can scale and don’t require me to keep throwing more time into them. One of those being paid traffic, which you mentioned you’re planning on doing. Smart thinking. So many people avoid it and it doesn’t make sense to me. You can spend time or you can spend money, but one of those will always be limited. Tweak it until its profitable and scale it up. That’s how businesses skyrocket.
Looking forward to watching you grow in 2016 Sherman and sorry to hear about your loss.
James McAllister recently posted…In Blogging, The Most Important Investment You Can Make Is In Yourself
Hey James,
I believe commenting is just one part of networking, but it can become exhausting if you’re trying to hit a quota every week. Especially when you don’t have a lot of time. But you do get the same results. I found out that the one’s who matter when I comment and share are the ones that reciprocate it back. Those are the one’s we all should be focusing more so.
That’s a wise decision on your part. You can definitely gain much more fun paid traffic when it’s done with scalable planning. I found a lot who aren’t getting a lot of traffic who don’t believe in paid marketing which I don’t understand either, unless they have financial issues. Besides that, it’s a clever idea to add into your marketing plan.
Thanks for stopping by James and I look forward to watching you grow in this New Year James! Take Care!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Great of you to share some of your thoughts and goals, Sherman. I’m sure this will be an excellent year for you.
I appreciate getting to know you even a little bit better in 2015.
Remember this…
“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” – Jim Rohn
The thing about motivation is that it fades. You have to use that motivation to get started, but it’s discipline that keeps you moving towards your goal, even when things get hard…
(Which they always do!)
Got to remember your “why”.
Maybe I’m getting too philosophical… 😉
Good luck, my friend. And I look forward to helping one another achieve our goals in 2016.
Best,
Brent
Hey Brent,
It’s been great getting to know you Brent!
I use to be in network marketing, and I have to say solopreneur bloggers like yourself are a lot more genuine when they say that compared to the majority of network marketers I came across.
Thanks for sharing that Jim Rohn quote! I’ll keep that in mind.
Yes, you definitely need to be discipline to keep you going. Yes motivation is the energy booster but we all need to be able to coast. I should know. I use to run track 😉
But when it all comes down to it, you have to keep your “why” in mind. This will help you stay consistent and persistent when the going gets tough. Philosophy is right up my alley, so no worries 😉
I look forward to working as a team with you whether it be directly or indirectly in 2016!
Thanks for stopping by Brent! Have a great rest of the week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman,
I think you’re on the right track.
I always tell people to do less. Not “work less” but do fewer things so you don’t get overwhelmed. You can even do more, but work more focused on fewer things. That keeps you working sharp and getting to the point and staying on your “path.”
It eliminates distractions and busy work. Keep your productive and moving forward.
I like your plans for 2016 and would love to see you create some digital products so everyone can benefit from your expertise, while they build your list 🙂
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted…Who Doesn’t Want Recurring Income?
Hey Donna,
It can be overwhelming when you’re working hard and barely reaching quotas. It can take a lot out of you. Yes, focusing on fewer things can allow you to do more work and accomplish more.
I plan on writing some short pdfs like checklists with content upgrades and maybe one full ebook which I started last year. It’s up in the air and I keep myself in suspense 😉
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your insight Donna!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman,
The best choice would always be doing things with we love and that provide the result we needed. So, I second the idea of mixing these goals.
Well, life is always a learning platform. With more experience we automatically understand ourselves better and do things that yield the best profitability for us.
Most times quantity is not good result. I guess you have decided to improve on quality and cut down on quantity with regards to blogging and commenting. Its a good choice. Sustainability and Impact is what matters.
Yes, increasing work on promotion and networking is also a great choice because without marketing all creative effort would be somewhat in vain!
Wishing the best of 2016!
I left this comment in kingged.com as well
Sunday William recently posted…Is Your YouTube Video Converting Better Than Facebook and the Rest?
Hey Sunday,
When you’re doing the things that you love, the energy to keep doing them is always there. As David said, you want to prioritize these types of activities that bring the best results.
Everything is a process whether we’re stagnant or in some type of physical motion. It’s all a learning experience and its up to us to choose what we want to do with it.
Yes in many times quantity isn’t good. Quality should be focused on because in turn you want to attract genuine quality people. Like attracts like and one must become like what he/she wants to attract.
On top of that increasing the networking and promotion will do us a lot of justice! In this sense our reputation is the “hub” to attract what we want.
Thanks for stopping by Sunday and I also wish you the best success in 2016!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hey Sherman,
Last year was great, but it is always believed that upcoming time will be the best one. There are many resolutions which we make every year.
In the field of blogging, people need to understand the power of post promotion more than just writing.
Writing guest post is more important for a blogger. The different audience will be noticed.
Great post.
~Ravi
Ravi Chahar recently posted…5 Elements Of Successful Content Marketing For better Results
Hey Ravi,
We are at the beginning of another year which brings us change. In our case, change for the better, and doing more promotion more so than writing will definitely help us reap more rewards. Guest posting is one of those ways where we can also be exposed to more people.
Thanks for stopping by Ravi! Have a good one!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman,
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, recent experiences and losses and your plans for the future. Lots of food for thought here.
Like you, I’m always advising my readers to work smarter. One strategy that echoes yours regarding getting smart that I suggest people follow above all others is get traffic smart – focus on getting the right kind of traffic for them and their product or service. I call this right kind of traffic, your Common Bond Audience. I’ve written recently about this on my blog.
I find your plans for 2016 inspiring. You’ve given me the opportunity of
guest posting on your blog already that went well for me. I’m so happy to hear it brought in even more comments for you, thanks so much for mentioning my guest post here. I’d love to write for your blog again.
I can help you increase your networking and promotion success if you would like. You may know that these are both part of the traffic strategy I help people with.
Thanks for the links to your guest posts. I’m looking forward to reading more of your content (I love your easy and thoughtful style) and to seeing where you take your blog in the months ahead.
Thanks again for this post, I enjoyed reading it. Happy 2016!
-Tom
Tom Southern recently posted…Why Nobody Reads Your Blog Posts (and What To Do About It)
Hey Sherman mate, happy New Year buddy. Great inspiring post thanks for sharing what you’ve been able to achieve and some of your goals set out for 2016.
I know it’s been a while since I left a comment on your blog, but like you say, when you’re really busy and on borrowed time it’s hard to find time to do some of the things that matter.
I started 2015 commenting on around 10 blogs per week, over the last few months I think I must have commented on about 3 or 4 blogs.
I’ve also found that blogging less is a much better strategy, I’m also down to 2 or 3 posts per month though I think when my kids hit full time school in March of this year I might up that to 6 posts per month.
Having the tools and resources certainly saves a lot of time especially when it comes to blog promotion.
One of my goals this year is to work on myself rather than on my blog. I’ve enrolled in a couple of courses and I’m looking to at least get in shape for the summer (and my wedding coming up later on this year).
Great post once again, I wish you all the best for 2016 buddy – Fabrizio.
Fabrizio Van Marciano recently posted…How To Create An Expert Roundup Post For Your Blog (A Step-By-Step Guide For Bloggers)
Hey Fabrizio,
Happy New Year to you too!
I definitely understand how busy you are. When you have a busy schedule it becomes more of a challenge to get back into the swing of things and maintain. I’m guilty of this myself.
I can remember seeing you everywhere in the blogosphere in the beginning of 2015 LOL But it does take time to do this
I found that blogging less isn’t the reason, but promoting, quality content, networking and branding are the keys to getting traffic and growing a successful blog. You always deliver some great content whenever you publish a post and I’m glad to have met you early last year.
That’s great to hear Fabrizio! Like Jim Rohn said to work harder on yourself than on your business. You’ll attract more quality people into your life and getting shape does help when it comes to weddings too 😉
Thanks for stopping by Fabrizio and may you have an even more prosperous New Year!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Hi Sherman,
First of all, Happy New Year!!
Good idea to blog less to incorporate other activities. I only blog a couple times a month myself and wondered how people who do it more regularly manage it all. I thought about blogging more but I knew it would keep me from doing other things.
OMG, I can’t believe you almost got hit reading blogs! I hope mine wasn’t one of the ones that distracted you lol.
My plans for the new year is to be more committed to my writing schedule. Too many times in the past I’ve let things get in the way and I don’t want to do that anymore. I just have to focus on being more flexible.
~Lea
Lea Bullen recently posted…How to Live by Choice (Even When You Don’t Think You Have One)
Hey Lea,
Happy New Year to you too!
Yes, I have to slow down when it comes to publishing blogs. There are others who have the time to blog more then twice a month which coming from someone who has limited time is amazing. I use to publish a post every other day but they weren’t of high quality and they were really short.
Yes I almost got hit reading blogs on my phone LOL… It might have been one of yours lol… I only read intriguing blogs you know 😉
Yes you definitely want to be consistent with your writing schedule. It can be a challenge when there are distractions or when life gets in the way, but with focus and getting excited about your future posts, the suspense of how they’re going to turn out will keep you on track.
Thanks Lea for stopping by! Have a great week ahead!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How I’m Making 2016 A Better Productive Year
Sherman,
You have a great set of goals and they are well thought out.
I like your idea of working smarter. I am always looking for ways to work smarter but for me I think I just need to get out there this year.
My initial goals for 2016 will be to comment on 5 blogs a day 5 days a week. As you know I have not been getting much commenting done over the past year or so. I had some personal things happen and it was really hard to get back to what I had been doing.
I understand being busy. I am so busy sometimes that I have trouble getting my blogging done. You do a great job of being busy and getting your blogging done. I admire you for commenting on 60 blogs a week while having a job and family but that is what it takes to get things going. I am working towards that.
I am also planning on releasing my product that I have been sitting on for several years now. I think I am ready to attack that at this point but it means I have to be serious about carving out the time for my blog and sticking to it.
I think my biggest challenges to reaching my goals in 2016 are family and my job. I have a big family most of whom live near me and my job takes a lot of my time depending on the season.
Really good post. It made me be even more determined to reach my goals in 2016.
Dee Ann
Dee Ann Rice recently posted…It’s All In A Conversation
Hey Dee Ann,
I can understand how much of a challenge it is to comment on 5 blogs a day. When life hits you, your attention turned more to the more important things that’s happening.
But there’s always going to be smarter ways to blog and market besides stressing yourself out to do so. It was difficult for me, but now it’s going to be a year of doing less and achieving more.
I look forward to seeing what your product is. I know that you’ll find the time to find what activities to focus on more on in order to execute your plans.
Thanks for stopping by Dee Ann! Have a great rest of the week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Commit, Connect, Convert (3 Tricks To Becoming An Online Heavyweight)
Hey Sherman,
Well, I’ve been visiting your blog since 2013 – 3 years already.
Can you believe how quickly these years went by?
I’ve also watched you grow leaps and bounds with your blog, followers and how you’ve honed in on your message. I think it’s so inspiring.
I have no doubt you’ll continue to find what works for you this year. I feel the most effective aspects of growth happen naturally. We try things out, see what works and what doesn’t and if we stay true to ourselves, we discover the next step forward.
I love everything about guest posting – whether I’m the guest or the host.
I know my blog covers different topics than yours does, but if you ever feel like getting creative, consider this to be your formal invitation to do a guest post for me this year – if this is something you think you’d be interested in doing.
I wrote a few guest posts for blogs that were outside of the norm for me – and I enjoyed the challenge. I know everyone says to stick within our niche, but sometimes it’s just cool to color outside the lines once in a while.
You express yourself authentically and you write great posts.
So think about it.
Regardless, I know you’ll have a great year Sherman 🙂
Dana recently posted…Emotional Maturity – Letting Go and Saying Goodbye
Hey Dana,
Has it really been 3 years?
Wow, where did the time go!
It’s been quite a journey and I’ve learned so much from it. Gosh! It’s because of bloggers like you and many others that helped me with these growth spurts. But this energy also goes around and we all get hit with these spurts.
I like your philosophy. Trials and tribulations will help us stay true to ourselves and see what works for us.
Guest post is right up my alley, and I would be honored to write a guest post for you! Sometimes I like to talk about other subjects, and I have an idea that will relate to your blog as well as mine.
We’re all multidimensional beings and we aren’t bound by just one aspect. In this case, one niche.
I will let you know what I come up with and I hope you’ll like the idea!
Thanks for stopping by Dana! Have a great rest of the week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Commit, Connect, Convert (3 Tricks To Becoming An Online Heavyweight)
Hi Sherman,
One of my goals for 2016 is to get to know you better. I really like how you’re sharing your story, demonstrating that busy people with jobs can grow and succeed in blogging. Your steady growth and persistence is inspirational and needs to be shared.
That’s all I got for this post. I just wanted to reach out today and let you know I want to connect more with ya this year.
Have a fantastic weekend and I hope we’ll talk more soon.
Matthew
Hey Matthew,
Thanks for stopping by. 2016 will be a smarter year for me and for my audience. I want to give enough value that they’ll have the time to read and instantly execute.
I look forward to getting to know you better. Let’s make 2016 an even better year Matthew! Have a good one!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Commit, Connect, Convert (3 Tricks To Becoming An Online Heavyweight)
Hey Sherman,
I have to say that you have a great plan for the new year. Personally, I am focusing on writing more and more articles on my blog that are well researched. Plus, a little paid boost to bring targeted visitors during the initial promotion will help as well.
That’s what I am focusing most on.
Hey Arbaz,
That sounds like a plan. Do you ever think about doing guest posting as well?
Paid advertising did help to grow my list a lot and it will give your articles more exposure, but if you don’t have a big marketing budget, you have to do it in moderation and be smart about it. I wasn’t careful with it a few years ago and now I’m paying for it.
Thanks for stopping by Arbaz! Have a great weekend!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Importance Of Branding Yourself Online When You’re Broke With Little Time
Hey Sherman,
The plan you made for Year 2016 is really productive and Great.I have also done so and Still I am doing some productivity. I am thinking that 3 Months are already passed and Still no able to achieve the target .
I will try my best.
Hey Sandeep,
I’m glad that you like my plans for 2016. Yes we’re already in our 4th month but it’s never too late to get started!
Thanks for stopping by Sandeep! Have a great week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Diversify Your Shares With The Social Warfare WordPress Plugin
This is a great motivational article. I think every should plan accordingly to achieve the target. happy to see your goals for 2016. Personally I have started a new blog this year and have a target to achieve some good traffic and authority by my writing skills. Hope I will be able to achieve that.
Short term goals are more effective than long term goals and I believe one should target for short term goals to track & achieve them properly.
Good luck man.
Hey Santanu,
That’s great that you started a new blog this year. You’ll definitely benefit from blogging and it’s a great way to brand yourself to generate targeted traffic and authority.
It’s wise to focus on your short term goals because it starts to add up to your long term. One of the best advise is to work backwards from your long term goals to figure out those mini goals you must do to fulfill the long term goals.
Thanks for stopping by Santanu! Have a great week ahead!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Diversify Your Shares With The Social Warfare WordPress Plugin