I am finally getting my act together to start the New Year. I cannot remember ever being so unmotivated to undertake it! When I think about it, everything leading up to Christmas puts me in a constant ball of motion. The to-do lists are endless and the pressure to embrace everything about the season can be overwhelming. Then everything stops on a dime and I am immediately in hibernation mode. The week between Christmas and New Years left me on the couch watching Netflix and polishing off the Christmas cookies. Going from one extreme to the other makes it hard to regain balance once the New Year starts. I am sure a lot of you feel the same way!
These feelings also pour over into the blog. The blog kept me insanely busy during the holidays. I absolutely love creating holiday content but once all that is over, it really is hard to start up again. However, I have taken the time these past two weeks to reflect on my approach to the blog for the new year. I need your help to do this too! That is why I created another survey for my readers! (Survey located at bottom of post!)
2017 Blog Reflection
Looking back on my posts from last year, these are the three posts that were the most popular and generated the most traffic to the blog:
Shop: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017 Preview
Chicago: Shore Club North Avenue Beach
In terms of style posts, the most popular ones were the following:
Other posts that ranked high were in home decor and my series, “Five Favorites”, which will resume this month! (With so many gift guides posted on the blog for November and December, I though this series would be a posting overload!)
Just to touch base a little more on style posts, which since the start, has been my primary focus on this blog. Reflecting on my most popular style posts, the ones that you as my readers like, center on themed round-ups, i.e. 4th of July favorites and favorite spring dresses. The style posts that highlight a particular item, i.e. velvet overalls, do not seem to be as popular. I also get feedback from readers that as much as they love what I am wearing, they could never pull it off. While I want the blog to be a source of style inspiration, I also want it to be relatable to you!
2018 Blogging Goals
Style
Moving forward, Instagram will continue to be my number one platform for style posts. Meaning, my more personal style will be reflected there. If you follow me on Instagram and don’t already use it, LIKEtoKNOW.it is the best app to get product information on my posts. I published a post a few months back explaining how to use this feature. You can read up on it here. I also have an Instagram Shop tab on the blog as well. Simply click on the picture with the product you want more info on, and it will direct you to the product breakdown in that post. From there, click on what you like and immediately be taken to the retailers page. It looks like this:
In terms of style posts on the blog, like I mentioned, I want them to be more relatable to my readers. In the survey, there is a question on what you would like me to post on that is most helpful to you! For instance, if we take the post favorite spring dresses, I will feature my favorite one but also provide my top ten others. I can even take it one step further and break it down by best options for body type. Head to the survey for more input on style posts!
Lifestyle
On my Instagram stories, I have been posting snaps of the cleanse I am currently on. By the end of the week, I will have a post up discussing this cleanse and sharing recipes and meal plans. I would like to incorporate more lifestyle posts to the blog like this! Recipe sharing, healthy lifestyle habits and home decor fall under this umbrella! Head to the survey for more input on lifestyle posts!
Beauty
This is perhaps the area I would like to see the most growth occur on the blog. I would like to start a series called “Self-Care” Sunday”. In this series, I would share favorite beauty products, routines, and ways to take time out for yourself! Clean beauty will continue to be a focus here. Head to the survey for more input on beauty posts!
Chicago/Travel
You know by now what a huge fan I am of Chicago! My review on Shore Club and my Go-to-Guide: Chicago were two of my tops posts from last year! I would love your input on specific places and topics you would like covered here on the survey. I also have some fun trips planned this year and I will of course be covering those too on the blog!
Survey
So without any further introduction, below is the link to the 2018 Blog Survey. It will only take a few minutes to fill out. I thank you ahead of time. Your feedback is incredibly important to me and all responses are ANONYMOUS. Please click on link below:
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Thanks for stopping by!
L, M