B L O G GY BUSINESS PLANNER the profit planner clarityAVENUE.co.uk
THE BUSINESS GOALS
MY DREAM STATEMENT:
Feel free to go crazy and write down exactly what you want to achieve in your biz.
MY MISSION STATEMENT:
Refine your message. What WILL you achieve, what is your purpose? Who will you serve and how?
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MY BUSINESS GOALS
What are some huge, scary dreams you have for your business?
REMEMBER TO SET SMARTER GOALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
S PECIFIC M EASURABLE A TTAINTABLE R EALISTIC T IME BOUND E THICAL R ECORDED For personal use only | Please do not share or reproduce Claire Donovan-Blackwood
Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
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Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
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Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
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Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
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Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
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Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
Goal: Steps To Take To Accomplish Goal:
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Yearly Blog Goals: blogging goals:
Remember To Make Them SMARTER!
Income & Traffic Goals Traffic:
Specific Measurable Attainable
Instagram Followers:
Relevant Time Bound
Facebook Page Likes:
Ethical Recorded Google + Followers:
Twitter Followers:
Email Subscribers:
Affiliate Income:
Sales:
Brand Collabs:
Direct Ads:
Contextual Ads:
Yearly income goal:
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Monthly Blog Goals: Month:
Income & Traffic Goals Traffic:
Instagram Followers:
Facebook Page Likes:
Google + Followers:
Twitter Followers:
Email Subscribers:
Affiliate Income:
Sales:
Brand Collabs:
Direct Ads:
Contextual Ads:
Yearly income goal:
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YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
IDEAL READER SUMMARY: How to find your perfect reader was something that I did not understand until it was far too late. Choose who you want your perfect customer to be. Choose one person. Not one type of person. One Person. Name her. When you fall in love with someone you know everything about them, the same should be said for your ideal reader. You don’t find your perfect reader. They find you. Or, you do find them but after you’ve defined them. When you know who he or she is, you can write your content and create your products specifically for him/her and that is exactly who will end up reading your content, subscribing to your blog and buying your products. Back when I was trying to figure all of this out, I initially said “well, someone like me.” I have a lot of interests and I buy a lot of stuff from a lot of different places. Trying to cater for someone like me would be a nightmare. Especially if you are just one person. If you need help trying to define your niche then I suggest you read this post: 5 Niche Choosing Strategies For The Entrepreneurially Challenged Your Perfect Reader: Also known as an Avatar Here is an example of a bad avatar (i.e, mine for Heart Handmade UK circa 2010): My ideal reader is just like me. In her twenties, likes to craft and loves homemade interior decor. They want to learn how to make budget decor accessories easily. A better example of my avatar circa 2017: My idea reader is called Ciara, aged 35 and from the United States. Ciara spends her time on Facebook and loves sharing inspiring images. When Ciara is in need of inspiration she heads to Pinterest, where she found a link to Heart Handmade UK. Ciara works full time as a teacher and loves to Craft in her spare time. She enjoys quick and easy crafts, dreams of having her very own craft room and is constantly trying to organise her craft supplies. Ciara is married with 2 children and lives in the suburbs, she is constantly busy and rarely has the time to craft the projects that she wants to make. Ciara is open to learning new crafts, loves learning new skills and relishes when she accomplishes something. Using the free printable planners and guides provided
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IDEAL READER SUMMARY: on Heart Handmade UK, Ciara has figured out how to make a little more time in her week to craft some quick home decor projects. Ciara owns a lot of crochet and knitting books and buys most of her craft supplies from Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Key phrases related to Ciara: Budget Quick Easy Simple Creative Planner Skilled Decorative Decor Ciara loves reading craft blogs, visits them regularly and loves watching home decor DIY shows. Ciara’s goals are finding a better family/life balance and making a conscious effort to free up more time for herself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To create this avatar I used a mixture of Google Analytics reporting and survey responses (sent out via my newsletter welcome sequence). I didn’t want to release the survey on the blog because anyone could take it and that would skew my results. Offering the survey via the newsletter means that I’m asking people who took an extra step (by signing up) to be involved with my blog and my life. If you already have a readership, you can create a survey using Typeform and use the results to get a good idea of who your ideal customer is. How? Take your results and note any popular/correlating answers to get a good idea who is reading your blog. If you don’t have any info you have permission to make assumptions about your reader. You need to know:
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IDEAL READER SUMMARY: Core values Interests and hobbies Where they like to hang out online Activities they like to do Lifestyle choices Personality traits (crazy cat lady etc‌) Notice the language that they use and try to replicate What you want to find out via your survey: How old are they? Are they male or female? What qualifications do they have? Where do they work? How much do they earn a year? Where do they live? Favorite brands? Favorite sources of information? Personal goals: Family goals: Favourite place to shop Favourite social media platform? Blogs they read regularly? What do they want to learn more about (relating to your niche) Do they have any problems that keep them up at night? What would they be willing to pay almost anything for? Do you have a solution for their problem? What is your reader secretly afraid of? How can you help solve your customer’s problems? Try to create a story about your ideal reader. Imagine you are him or her, writing a journal entry all about the problem they are having, discovering your site, discovering the solution on your site or a product that solves the problem. How do they feel about it? Do they have any objections to potentially purchasing your product? What are they? What would seal the deal of the sale for them? Potential products they could buy instead? How they would feel about finally finding a solution to their problems? How can you go above and beyond and provide even more help? Print as many of the avatar sheets as possible and create one avatar to begin with. The
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IDEAL READER SUMMARY: The bigger your blog gets, the more avatars you may need. I have three at the moment and they aren’t a million miles apart in terms of personality. Avatar Story: Name........................................................... Age:..........................................Sex................. .............................................. Journal Entry:
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IDEAL READER SUMMARY: The bigger your blog gets, the more avatars you may need. I have three at the moment and they aren’t a million miles apart in terms of personality. Avatar Story: Name........................................................... Age:..........................................Sex................. .............................................. Journal Entry:
......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... .......................................................................................... For personal use only | Please do not share or reproduce Claire Donovan-Blackwood
BIZ & BRAND GOALS
YOUR BRAND | THE QUESTIONS
What tone of voice will you write in? Serious, quirky? What type of images will you share? How do you want people to feel when they land on your blog? What is the overall feeling you want to portray with your brand?
YOUR BRAND | THE ANSWERS
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YOUR BRAND | THE QUESTIONS
Who is your company/ business?................................................... ............................................................................................. ............................................................................................. ............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. ........................ What does it do? .................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. ............................................... Who does it serve? ............................................................... .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................
Craft the three answers into a single, short statement that describes your business: ...................................................... .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. .............................................................................................. ..............................................................................................
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YOUR BRAND
What will your audience expect to get from your business? What value does your brand give to your audience? Free guides, workbooks, tutorials, expert advice etc.
YOUR BRAND
What are 3-5 core values of your brand? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
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YOUR BRAND
If your brand was a person, what personality traits would it have?
YOUR BRAND
How do you want your brand to come across to your audience? (calm, feminine, happy, bouncy?)
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YOUR BRAND
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write down any words you would use to represent your brand. Fill the entire page if you want to.
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YOUR BRAND
Created a secret Pinterest board and add 4 separate sections: • Fonts • Visual Branding • Shapes/Patterns • Colour Palettes
YOUR BRAND
After careful consideration; What colour themes match your values or mood of your brand?
Which TWO fonts are you going to use for your brand?
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MAKING MONEY
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO MONETISE YOUR BUSINESS? Digital products/courses/affiliate products or advertising? Need help? Check out this post
HOW WILL YOU MAKE YOUR BIZ SUCCESSFUL OVER TIME? E.g., self publish a book, create a course to market to ideal customer etc
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WHAT IS YOUR DREAM MONTHLY INCOME? Pick a number and make it big! Be proud of your goal!
IF YOU COULD CREATE ANY DIGITAL PRODUCT, WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO CREATE?
Brainstorm potential topics and make sure it’s something you are passionate about!
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WILL YOU OFFER ANY SERVICES? What will you offer? How will it help people and how much will you charge?
WILL YOU JOIN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS? What will you join? Don’t go crazy right now, starting with Amazon.com or the eBay partner network is a good start for almost any niche. If you are going to promote Amazon.com products, I highly recommend that you read this book.
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PLANNED MONTHLY EXPENSES If you don’t know what they will be yet read this post all about my favourite blogging tools (both free and paid)
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WILL YOU HAVE AN EMAIL LIST? What program will you use to deliver emails? How often will you email? (Once a week is best, any less than that, people tend to forget who you are)
WILL YOU JOIN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS? What will you join? Don’t go crazy right now, starting with Amazon.com or the eBay partner network is a good start for almost any niche. If you are going to promote Amazon.com products, I highly recommend that you read this book.
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TRAFFIC SWEET TRAFFIC
HOW WILL YOU DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG? If you’re stuck for ideas, I recommend downloading this free resource and investing in the book; it’s worth every penny.
How Else Can You Get The Word Out About Your Blog?
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LET’S CREATE SOME GUIDELINES How will you market your business? Will you use all social media channels or concentrate on mastering one?
HOW WILL YOU SCHEDULE YOUR DAYS? Just provide some rough examples, you don’t need to know every single detail right now.
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HOW WILL YOU PLAN EACH QUARTER? Will You Conduct Quarterly Reviews? First Quarter:
Second Quarter:
Third Quarter:
Fourth Quarter:
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COMPETITION TIME
WHO ARE YOUR COMPETITORS? List 5 blogs you would consider to be your competition
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
WHAT MAKES THEM AWESOME? WHAT ARE THEIR WEAKNESSES?
Name: URL: Strengths:
Weaknesses:
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WHAT MAKES THEM AWESOME? WHAT ARE THEIR WEAKNESSES?
Name: URL: Strengths:
Weaknesses:
WHAT MAKES THEM AWESOME? WHAT ARE THEIR WEAKNESSES?
Name: URL: Strengths:
Weaknesses:
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WHAT MAKES THEM AWESOME? WHAT ARE THEIR WEAKNESSES?
Name: URL: Strengths:
Weaknesses:
WHAT MAKES THEM AWESOME? WHAT ARE THEIR WEAKNESSES?
Name: URL: Strengths:
Weaknesses:
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WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT?
What is your competitive edge? Why would people want to visit you over your competitor? How would you let people know this?
WHAT WILL YOU NEED TO RUN YOUR BUSINESS?
What’s the most efficient way to get the job done? If you don’t know what all you might need to run your business, check out this page and this post.
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Month: Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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Sunday
WHAT ARE YOUR BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOALS?? print this out & put it on the wall so you will see it daily!
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TRACK & PLAN
TRACK YOUR STATS: Pageviews
Newsletter list:
Twitter:
Insta:
FB:
G+
January Feb March April May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec Notes:
Notes:
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Youtube:
Week Of: Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thurday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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Day Planner To Do:
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Connections: NAME
BLOG
EMAIL ADDRESS
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PITCH TRACKER How: Social Follow/Social Mention or Email? Who: Name of Brand or Blogger Type Of Pitch: Blog Post/Social Mention/Guest Post Date:
Who:
Their URL:
Type?
Paid? Y/N
Response? Follow Up?
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AFFILIATE PROGRAM TRACKER WHO:
PROGRAM:
LOGIN URL
AFF URL
COMMISSION APPROVED
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AFFILIATE SALES TRACKER PROGRAM:
CONVERSION RATE
TRACKING CODE
DATE OF SALE
SOURCE OF SALE
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PAYMENT RECEIVED?
INCOME TRACKER Date:
Amount:
Source:
Description
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EXPENS TRACKER Date:
Amount:
Source:
Description
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CONTENT PLANNING
BLOG POST IDEAS Category:
Category:
Category:
Category:
Category:
BLOG POST IDEAS Category:
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BLOG POST BRAINSTORM Post Idea:............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................
SEO Keyword ...................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................
OPT-IN IDEA FOR NEWSLETTER LIST: ................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................
AFFILIATE PRODUCTS TO MENTION: .................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. .........................................
RELATED POSTS TO LINK UP.: .............................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................
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TYPE OF POST? ⃞List Post
Target Publication Date:................................
Video
Final Topic:..............................................................
Podcast
Working Title:........................................................
Infographic
........................................................................................
Tutorial
........................................................................................
Guide
........................................................................................
Review
Did you mention any influencers in this post?
Name:.......................................................................................................................................................................... URL:.............................................................................................................................................................................. Email:........................................................................................................................................................................... Twitter:........................................................................................................................................................................ Facebook: ................................................................................................................................................................
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BLOG POST IDEAS Problems To Solve:
Questions People Are Asking:
WHAT IS THE READER GOING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS POST? HEADLINE BRAINSTORM:
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BLOG POST IDEAS CTA Brainstorm:
CTA Brainstorm:
Questions People Are Asking:
Affilliate Links To Include:
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BLOG POST CHECKLIST
Keyword Brainstorming and keyword research • Identify potential keywords by asking yourself: • What is the topic of the article? • What questions are being asked about this topic on sites like Quora, Google and Reddit? • What is the easiest way to digest this information? (Checkist, screenshots, video) • What is the reader going to take away from your post?
Create An Amazing Headline • Brainstorm potential headlines • Use Tweak Your Biz Title generator if you need help • Grade your headlines via Aminstitute or Coschedule headline Analyzer.
Content Research • • • • •
Collect articles and research What can you add to a post or share that goes the extra mile? Take notes Save any links pertinent to the post Do not plagiarize any content that you find
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BLOG POST CHECKLIST
Writing • • • • • •
Write at least 1200 words for your post Fill in the post skeleton Use subheadings Ensure there are no more than 300 words after a subheading Make sure that consecutive sentences don’t start with the same word. Transfer to wordpress/coschedule and format
Provide Extra Value • • • • • • •
Can you create any content upgrades for this post? Plan Content Upgrade Create using Google Docs or Canva Download Jpeg and PDF Versions Create social media friendly images to include in post Create opt-in box via LeadPages or ConvertKit Add opt-in form to post in at least two places
Proof read Read it forwards, backwards, upside down and outloud.
Images • • • •
Have at least 2 Pinterest friendly images (Vertical) Have at least 2 Facebook/Twitter/Google+ friendly images (Horizontal) Name the images before uploading Write descriptive alt tags (they’re read outloud for people who have sight problems and depending on how you pin to pinterest, are also used as Pinterest descriptions) • Write a description with pinterest friendly keywords
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BLOG POST CHECKLIST
Schedule and Promote • Submit to StumbleUpon • Create social media drip campaign via Coschedule (can schedule months of content in one window at time of posting) • Share on Facebook Page • Pin to pinterest boards • Add to Tailwind Tribes • Submit to Digg • Submit to Flipboard • Submit to CraftGawker/DwellingGawker/Houzz • Submit to google plus and add *between google keywords* the asterix makes the keyword bold in search results. E.g: If you type: “Are you in need of some beginner friendly and totally *free Sewing patterns* for noobs? This post has 20 easy makes that you can make and impress the pants off your friends!” It will show up: “Are you in need of some beginner friendly and totally free Sewing patterns for noobs? This post has 20 easy makes that you can make and impress the pants off your friends!”
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SPONSORED POST TRACKER
Planning The Perfect Social Share Having a solid social media strategy is essential if you want to increase traffic, engagement and income. Think about how you who you want to read your social media posts and how the post should be delivered. Are they millenials? Is it someone seeking instruction? Video might be ideal.
Try to always include one of these four things: A Call To Action A Link To One Of Your Products or An Affiliate Link (don’t forget to disclose) A Way To Showcase Your Work A Way For Readers To Connect With You
Don’t forget to: Respond to every comment (yes… EVERY comment) Say thank you to people for sharing your content Share great resources from influencers in your niche Ask questions of your audience Tag influencers into relevant conversations you may be having on sites like Twitter or Google+
Examples of questions for your followers: “what is the last X you Y’d?” “what is your favourite ever X project?” “where is your number 1 place to search for X”
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