Just a few months ago I helped a friend lay out a plan for a blogging business. Every time I did this, I picked up as much, if not more information than the person I helped.
For instance, when I asked about his plan, he proudly announced that he would like to take the affiliate marketing route. As with any typical guide or e-book out there, his plan was to pick a niche, find products, and write contents to promote the products.
Rinse and repeat.
He even went into the specifics, i.e. making at least a thousand bucks per month in two months. Starting from scratch. His eyes glimmered as he said it.
I bet whoever read this blog know it is doable. I was happy for him, as a good friend should. But another part of me told me I had to talk to him seriously. At the risk of burying his dream.
And that I did.
What’s Wrong with His Plan?
I know a lot of people may relate to this. Not so long ago, I was guilty to create such a plan too.
First of all, we create a plan as a roadmap for our actions. That may sound simple, but you could not just create any plan and expect that it will give you an understanding about what to do next as you go.
Clarity is key. Without it you will be more likely to give up on your plan. Don’t believe me?
How many of us have given up the new year’s resolution that we set just almost three months ago? My list could not make it past the first week. And I know I am not the only one.
By now you should know the reason. The lack of clarity about what to do often results in self-sabotage. If you find yourself checking email, reading a page, listening to recent podcast, checking email again and so on in the loop, you know how it feels.
Writing down “become an authority in my niche” is easy. Translating that into an action plan takes much more effort. Even more sweat when it comes to implementation.
The SMART Formula to Goal Setting
I’ve been using this method of goal setting for quite some time. It worked okay for me so far. If there’s something I failed to achieve that year, I just continued the next year.
You also probably read and heard a lot about goal setting. Perhaps you’ve even heard about the S.M.A.R.T formula.
The formula says that for goal setting to be effective, it has to be:
- Specific. Drill down to the specific by asking the 6W: who, what, where, when, why and which.
- Measurable. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. How could you possibly know you are making progress if you don’t measure?
- Attainable. What attitudes, abilities, skills and financial capacity do you need to achieve it? How could you grow to match your goal?
- Realistic. A goal has to be realistic. Set it too high and you are living in the bubble.
- Timely. Ground the goal within a time frame. “Someday” is not good enough.
Sounds good so far, but there is still a missing piece. And that came to me as I tried to convey my points about my friend’s plan.
Like it or not, that may as well be the most important part of goal setting.
Roll up Your Sleeves, Get Your Hands Dirty
S.M.A.R.T formula is a safe way to set goal. It kind of keeps you inside the comfort zone.
As the result, many people tend to stay inside the rigid box to avoid disappointment of not reaching their goal. Everyone should be happy if they achieve what they set.
The thing is how could anyone be enthusiastic with a dull box?
The missing piece in the formula is that a goal has to be challenging. It has to get you outside of the box and be unreasonable. No, I’m not suggesting you become totally unreasonable.
A goal still has to be realistic. But perhaps it should be high enough that you cannot see the border between realistic and unrealistic. What from your point seem impossible may not be that way a few months from now. As long as you are willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, why not push your limit a bit and see what you could do?
As it turned out, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. I’ve been using this principle since then and the result is impressive. More about this later.
Apply it to Blogging
How do you apply what you’ve just learned to blogging? And most importantly, how will it make a different, if any?
- The number of visitors you attract per month. Strange things happen in life. Some bloggers aim for 1,000 visitors per day but never reach it. Some plan to drive much more, but actually get a whole lot more. If I guess right, that started with a challenging goal. Don’t buy into other people’s comments, you know best what you could possibly achieve. Just set that goal and take action.
- Moving beyond money making to business building. In many bloggers’ book, creating multiple stream of income is about producing little money machine and duplicate it. I don’t know where this idea came from but certainly that’s exactly the opposite way to do it offline. If you think about it, you’ll be earning much more — and do it easier — if you sell 1,000 shoes rather than 2 shoes, 2 books, 2 packs of candy, 2 mosquito traps, and so on. If the thought of building a business gets you out of the comfort zone a bit, you know you are on the right track.
- Attracting the right blog audience. Admitting that I can’t be everything to everyone was an epiphany. It changed how I conduct business. If you think that you should treat every single visitor the same, you are leaving money on the table. Attract more people that you like to work with and focus on them. You will be a much richer person – and happier too. This is easier said than done. That’s why it is a good goal to achieve.
Isn’t getting 1,000 (or whatever figure it might be) visitors per day to your blog challenging? How about building a business and sell more products? If not, the fact that you are finally able to fire your customers and clients certainly sounds intriguing, if not ambitious — in a good way.
And certainly they are all more than just S.M.A.R.T.
To continue with my story, I’ve since used this exact method to write guest posts for more than 10 authority blogs in a few months. Yes, those blogs that I thought I would never write for. And earlier this year, I just planned to guest post at two more new blogs per month. That besides what I have been doing right now.
As with my friend, he used to dread writing. If not about working from home, he would not think about starting a blog. But now he even promotes his blog with article marketing and writes at least 5 articles per day.
I don’t know what it is about goal setting, but volumes of books have been written about it. While by no means I claim this method is flawless, at least it gives you clarity and the necessary oomph to actually motivate you into doing.
Now it’s your turn. What’s your trick for goal setting? How well does it work for you? What do you plan to do with your goal today?
Hendry Lee helps bloggers overcome strategic and technological challenges in starting and growing their blogs.
He also writes about make money blogging on his blog Blog Tips for a Better Blog – Blog Building University. While you are there, download your free eBook and subscribe to his blogging e-course where he reveals his secret about blogging and content writing!