3 ways to prep your blog for a new year

a new year, new beginnings. what a fabulous time to reconsider the direction you're taking your blog! after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, everyone sort of scrambles for direction, in the form of new year's resolutions, new goals and vows to be the best versions of ourselves. you can do the same with your blog, but first, take a little look into the year you've just completed to get an idea of where to go next.

here are 3 tips to help you evaluate and prep your blog for a new year. cheers!

send out a reader survey

you've been getting comments on your blog all year, but aside from this, have you been truly listening to your readers? now is the perfect opportunity to ask your readers what they want from you, especially if you're considering revamping the direction of your blog in 2016. what do your readers think about this?

an easy way is to create a survey (i use surveymonkey.com), then blast it out to your social media followers or newsletter subscribers. if you're sending a reader survey via newsletter, consider offering a freebie, exclusive blog post or something special to your subscribers before you ask them to fill out the survey. 

consider trimming your content

what do you blog about? are you specific enough? go take a look at your traffic for the past year via google analytics or stat counter, and take a look at which posts got the least amount of traffic. maybe you didn't promote them enough, maybe it was a bad day, but if you're noticing a pattern with certain types of content, consider posting something different in the new year.

for example, i really really love cooking and baking. photographing food is so much fun! however, recipe posts are quickly starting to feel out of place on my blog, and i won't be posting them in 2016, unless it's a recipe that i can somehow tie in to a post about wellness or time management. additionally, my year-end reader survey let me know that people aren't seeking recipes on my blog. point taken!

revamp old content 

is your old content working hard for you? it should be. you busted your ass to create it, so don't let it fall flat! if you've got old posts that have a great concept but poor execution (bad photos, images that don't match your brand, wording that sounds funny, etc.) weed through old posts and make them work for you again. repurpose your images, trim your copy, create pinterest friendly images and spruce them up! then, make it a habit to promote the hell outta them in 2016.


if you want a little help coming up with a 2016 blog plan, check out blog consulting, click here!
if you're a small business and want to revamp your social media strategy in the new year, click here!

want some more tips to blog your best in a new year? check out these posts:

the ultimate pinterest for bloggers link round-up + free checklist for success

3 ways to get the most from social media scheduling

5 steps to finding your blog's branding + voice

how to use google calendar as a blogging editorial calendar

using an editorial calendar is a great way to plan your posts with the timing and schedule in mind. making a simple list of post ideas is great, but actually jotting them all down on a calendar and prepping with dates in mind can help you create a better flow and variety on your blog.

to do this, i use google calendar. if you have a gmail account, you've already got a google calendar! access it by heading to your apps. in addition to being my editorial calendar, google calendar serves as my life calendar too. i put all my appointments and meetings in it. however, this post is just about using it for blogging.

google calendar is an easy to use, comprehensive tool for many reasons. read on!

color code & coordinate

i set up all of my blog posts as events. i color code them so that they're a separate color from my regular day to day events and appointments. i list the title/general idea of the blog post as the title of the event. having posts created as events allows me to easily check out how my week looks in posts, and it also looks great on the google calendar mobile app.

add inspiration and ideas to event details

once i've created my post as event, if i'm brainstorming what i want to write about, or a list of topics i want to cover, i'll go the the "details" page for the event, and quickly jot down my thoughts. click "edit event" to access the details page. in the "description" box, add your notes.

when i make my editorial calendar, the posts i'm planning are sometimes weeks away and won't be written until the week of or before. i keep some notes so i won't forget the original inspiration for what i want to write about.

move your "events" around 

the #1 advantage to having a digital calendar as opposed to a written one is moving posts around with ease. no scribbling out an idea or event - just move it! i change my mind all the time on when a blog should go up. maybe i had a long weekend and didn't get around to writing that post on my fall wishlist, but i already have a post on SEO ready & written so... i just move it on my calendar and keep track.

how do you keep track of your blog posts? do you make a list, maybe on paper or your phone, and pick different things to write each week? or do you use a calendar to plan it out?