Strategic Planning for Dynamic Bloggers

in .5 Hours!

Deb Rox

@debontherocks

#typeamom

www.3smartgirlz.com

Strategic Planning

A blog is simply a blog, nothing more or less, a powerful elegant bit of digital paper that can be a destination in and of itself or simply a strategy to advance a different objective. Don’t let anyone else assume or define your goals or your metrics ofsuccess for you.

Do you want to build a successful online publication?

Make it into print?

Grow your own business or work with brands?

Create & Share In the Digital Community of Artists?

Gather people? Teach? Make things happen?

A combination of all of the above?

Something

Entirely

Different?

Make a Statement, or 2

SWOT Analysis = Keeping it Real

SWOT Analysis

• Strengths – Identifying existing strengths in your skillset or the content you’ve created

• Weaknesses – Identifying existing weaknesses

• Opportunities – What market or artistic opportunities might there be? Where can you grow? What’s hot? Who needs you?

• Threats – What is not hot? What infrastructure needs attention? What could unravel?

SWOT – honest contemplation leads to individualized success

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Discerning Strategies to Meet Your Goals

• If my goal is to be an influential voice, I need:– Networks– Track record that includes public

speaking– Platforms

• If my goal is to be published, I need:– Development as a writer– A resume of previous publications

• If my goal is to represent brands, I need:– Access to decision makers– A professional service to offer

Your goals will be different depending on you, your assets, your life, your business, your dreams.

If a new opportunity comes along, ask yourself if it meets your goals. If not, let it go.

Your time is best spent planning actions that allow you to meet your goals.

Bust myths and common assumptions that don’t fit your goals

• Not every blogger needs big traffic—only cultivate if your goals require audience numbers

• Not every blogger needs to go to conferences

• Not every blogger needs to be active on Facebook and Twitter

• Not every blogger is working towards a book deal or needs killer prose

• Not every blogger benefits from ads or brand support

YOUR goals come first. Then pick strategies and actions that will manifest the success you defined.

How can you get there from here?

Gap analysis

Metrics and measures

Making choices

Planning actionable steps

Strategic decision making

Constant feedback loops

Finding help

Planning Activities to Meet Your Goals

• Break your goals down to achievable activities with deadlines and metrics to measure your progress.

• Think through the help and resources you need to achieve that goal.

• Ask yourself: More than anything else, what would help me reach that goal?

• Ask yourself: If I could convince a funder/editor/superhero/fairy godmother to help me meet that goal, what would I tell her I have already been doing to make it happen?

• Ask yourself: What 5 things could I do this month to help me reach that goal?

• Celebrate every success, big and small.

YOUR goals come first. Then pick strategies and actions that will manifest the success you defined.

Writing it downTactics are a series of specific actions necessary to support and accomplish the overall strategic plan. Break them down to deliverable actions, and you have a plan.

S pecific

M easureable

A chievable

R elevant

T ime-bound

Strategic Planning 101 in .5 hours!

• Get Centered with Your Mission & Vision• Articulate Your Goals• Analyze Strengths Weaknesses, Opportunities

& Threats to Strategize How to Meet Those Goals

• Only Accept Opportunities that Match• Don’t Wait to Be Asked: Write SMART Steps to

Take• Find Support• Continually Assess • Kick Ass!

www.3smartgirlz.com