How Do I Get A Blogging / Influencer Agent and Do I Need One?

In my day job, I'm an Influencer agent at a major talent agency. I manage the calendars and collaborations of people with significant Instagram, blog or Facebook followings and I work on pitching them to clients to fulfil briefs that require influencers.

In a typical day, I might receive requests for:

• Beauty Influencers with a high UK audience
• Fitness Influencers that are currently not sponsored by protein brands
• Mummy influencers with children under 5
• Gaming Youtubers who want to trial new game apps
• Travel Influencers who want to go on paid adventures

My job is first and foremost to fulfil the briefs that come in and to make sure that our department is reaching out to companies to let them know that we are here and we have the influencers that they need to fulfil their digital content needs. I spend a lot of my day talking about the three major benefits of Influencer marketing, raising Brand Awareness, gaining Follow Acquisitions for client's social accounts and generating immediate direct sales driven from an influencer posting content created around a particular brand.

Obviously, to do all of this, I have to have a roster of Influencers, bloggers and content creators that I can call on. These individuals need to span the complete spectrum, from very small, up and coming beauty bloggers who might consider creating a post in exchange for gifted product and a mention on a big beauty brands instagram page, to major Youtube stars that can gain millions of views and downloads for a new app.

I find these influencers in lots of different ways, including going to blogger events, networking with other agents and beauty PR's, scouring Instagram and...incoming applications.

The point to this post today, was to give some information about what an agent does and why you might need one. I speak to a lot of up and coming influencers and bloggers who feel that getting an agent is the next logical step to take them to the upper echelons of the blogosphere. To put it bluntly, it's not.

My job is not to develop you, not to grow you into a major influencer. That's your job. The content that you create, the organic content, is what will make you stand out among a see of want-to-be influencers and social media stars. I get approached by people with 10K followers in Instagram saying they are ready for an agent - you aren't. The brutal truth of the matter is that an agent is only going to be interested if there is decent money to be made and at that level - there isn't.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still interested in hearing from you. I often get invites, emails about gifting (or 'seeding' collaborations and other opportunities that our higher-level beauty influencers simply won't consider and it makes the agency looks significantly better if we are always able to fulfil a brief, plus I'm obviously interested in watching your Instagram and blog grow in popularity until such a time that you do perhaps require an agent.

So how do you know if you really need an agent? Here's a little checklist.

• You are getting approached by brands and being offered paid collaborations
• You don't know how much to charge these brands, but you know that your platforms are definitely worth money
• You need help with invoicing and the admin side of Influencer work
• You want to turn previous collaborations that have been on a gifting basis into a longer term paid collaboration with a brand
• You are getting people pretend to be you on social media
• You think it's time you were verified
• You have more than 100K followers or subscribers on at least one channel.

If more than two of these sound like you, it's time. Get contacting agencies in the space you want too work.

Influencer platforms are springing up everywhere. I get several emails a day about them. From Influenster  to River and millions more, these platform promise that they affiliated with all the top brands and will bring the work to your inbox without you having to lift a finger and in some cases, they do work. I would recommend them if you aren't quite answering 'yes' to two or three of the above questions but you are ready to dip your two into paid collaboration.

An agency manages your Influencer career. You'll be assigned an agent who will be your go-to. You'll speak to them several times a day sometimes about opportunities, working with them to get the best rates and the best collaborations. They will reach out on your behalf to brands that you have always dreamed of working with and they will make sure all of the invoicing and admin stuff is done for you so you can sit back and do what you are good at - content creating.

Don't get me wrong, there's a place for Influencer marketing platforms and I don't see them as my competitor, but they fulfil different roles and it's likely you'll need one before the other.

Now you have established that you are ready for an agent and you aren't looking for someone to help you develop yourself as an influencer, but someone who can pitch you to global brands and start getting you those big-money deals - it's time to put yourself out there. I'd strongly suggest going for a well-known, reputable agency that has a good roster of influencers. Here are some other things to check out:

• Does the agency have an office premises? You don't want some fly-by-night managing the career that you've worked this hard on

• What's their reputation? Talk to some brands about the agency - you probably have PR contacts already and most of them will know the big agencies and the right contacts there - they might even recommend a particular agent to you

• Do they have people that you admire on their roster? If they only have one or two minor reality TV stars from 2006 they might not be best for your 400K beauty platform

• Do the people that they represent seem to be working quite a bit? A reputable agency will always be happy to share who else they represent - check out their Instagram feeds and blogs and establish if they seem to be getting good opportunities. 5 teeth whitening companies in a month would be a no, an amazing-looking trip to the Bahamas with a cosmetic brand would probably be more of a yes!

• Are you able to speak to someone on the phone and if so, do you like them on first impressions? I won't take anyone on that won't speak to me on the phone.

• Do you they ask you to share your Instagram insights and other stats and seem interested in verifying how you have grown yourself, or do they seem over keen and not interested in your history? This is a red flag for sure, you don't want to work with an agency that takes on people who they don't properly verifying - brands will pick up on that super quick!

Finally, do your research. The right agency won't pressure you into signing a contract or true and promise you all the best jobs. Working with an agent is about selecting and pitching for the right opportunities that will resonate with your audience and keep your following trusting you. No agent should ever promise anything - they probably won't be able to deliver and you'll be in too deep to know what to do. 

I'm happy to give advice on this subject, and even consider adding you to our roster if you have the potential and I believe that our clients will be interested in you. You can find my work email over on my Instagram, @katyclouds

Hope this has helped! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section and I will reply with haste x

2017 Aspirations & How To Be In The Moment

Welcome to 2017.

This is the year that I want to start fulfilling my dreams. I've spent quite a few years floating along, now, the time has come for me to create a life that I love. Whilst using that phrases jars with me just slightly since Zoella started using a similar one - it's still something I can aspire to. Also, I don't hate Zoella.

This year I want to blog better, work harder and earn more. I want to be a better mother, a better girlfriend and a better friend. I want to love my life, my career and myself harder and I want to strive to live a more positive existence but there's one goal, one aspiration in particular that has been the focus of my thoughts for the past few weeks. Like many people, I fail at resolutions. I can go back over old diaries, paper and digital, and tell you a hundred resolutions that I have made throughout my life that I never kept,and probably quite a lot that I ended up doing the exact opposite of.

A lot of people scoff at setting goals and aspirations at New Year. Oh, "it's just another day" and "what's the point I've never kept them". But I see the New Year, despite definitely being 'just another day' where things go wrong, as a chance to look at what I am not achieving that I definitely want to - and there aren't a huge number of other days in the year that I bother to sit down and mull over that.

I spend a lot of time rushing from one thing to another. Rush to get my son to school before the only bus that won't make me late for work sails past. Rush from the bus stop to the train station because there is only a few minutes connection time. Rush from the station to work because there's only just enough tim to run there and not be late. I rush through the morning trying to get everything down and I rush around at lunchtime because I have a 20 mins period to do things like, eat, go to the bank, take a top back, go to the post office. I rush through the afternoon willing the day to end so I can go home and then I rush to the school to pick Ramsey up before the 6pm deadline. We then rush to the shops and home before I collapse and I make dinner as quickly as I can because bedtime is approaching then we rush through a bath...

You get the idea.Life is a rush. All through these days (eat sleep repeat), I'm willing the time to hurry up so I'm one day closer to the weekend and at the weekend, I rush from eating to meeting to cleaning always thinking of the next thing I need to get done.

I found myself saying a few times after the holidays ended this week - it just rushed past. One minute I was drinking Prosecco at work and the next minute I was back at work opening my brand new desk diary you know? There didn't seem to have been a moment of time that took the duration that it should have. I freaked myself out a bit, is time speeding up? Am I going to wake up tomorrow and I'll be 78 and my life will have gone in a flash? I still think the answer to that question is yes, but now, I have a plan.

I am going to recognise each moment that happens.

It's a big one, I know. It's also impossible because who could do that? Every second? No-one. Maybe some mindfulness supremo that lives every second with intent or whatever, that isn't me. But if I set the goal to try and be in the moment as much as possible, perhaps the terrifying rush of life will at least seem to be going just a little slower and I can try and revel in the existence that I have.

When I was younger time seemed to pass incredibly slowly. I would lay awake at night sometimes and not be able to sleep and the time would seem to be taking eons to slip past. I've sat in bad jobs before and looked at the clock, only to look four hours later and see that just five minutes have passed. That doesn't happen anymore. Maybe because I really love my current job and there isn't enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to achieve with it, maybe because I'm older.

I've rambled a little here, but I don't really mind and I hope you don't either. I really love looking at at my New Year posts and seeing whether or not I have fulfilled my goals for the year - back in 2012 I wrote a list of goals that I wanted to achieve and it's been a real benchmark in how I feel my adult life is going, even though they are all pretty silly. You can read the full post linked here. I hope I can look back at this in the same way towards the end of year and have some input into whether I was able to put more of a focus on appreciating the moments of my life.

Blogwise, I want to ramp things up. I'll be posting more regular content giving insights into how Influences are making money and developing a whole industry under the umbrella of marketing, I'll be sharing behind-the-scenes look at some of the marketing projects that I'm working on with some major e-commerce and high street beauty and fashion brands, and I'll be looking to share plenty of gig and festival reviews and info. Happy 2017!!

Seasonal Affective Disorder - 6 Tips For Boosting Your Serotonin

Many of my posts recently have been about digital marketing, and I definitely want to carry on sharing those things - but I also want to share other types of content that I hope will be enjoyed and today is one of those posts - I would be more than interested in hearing about your thoughts and experiences so please leave a comment or come follow me on Instagram

I've been planning this post in my head for a really long time, since August, basically. It's kind of a scary thing to write about because in the most part, people don't really talk about depression openly. I'm starting to think that isn't because of a fear of seeming weak, but because suffers are worried that by speaking out, they risk looking like they are asking for sympathy or attention.

I should say here that none of these tips are in any way meant to substitute for getting advice from a doctor. There is nothing to be ashamed of in going to your GP- even if it just means getting a diagnosis and then seeing if you can boost your happy hormones yourself - if you can't GO BACK!! There is no need to suffer unnecessarily.

75% of the time, I feel fine. I've always been a huge worrier, but this gets significantly worse in the winter months.

Seasonal Affective Disorder has a hit rate of about 1 in 15 people, depending on what you class as SAD. It's characterized by a variety of symptoms, including anxiety, lack of interest in normal activities, feeling hopeless, changes to sleep patterns and weight gain & craving carbohydrates. The causes aren't completely known, but seem to be a combination of an increase in the production of melatonin and a change in the body's circadian rhythms, both of which affect sleep patterns. There is also significant evidence to suggest that a reduction in the body's production of serotonin has an impact on happiness levels in the winter in SAD sufferers.

There's quite a lot more information on SAD on the NHS website (click here) This post isn't meant to supplement doctor's advice, but I wanted to share a few things that have helped me and might help you or a friend.  These things might seem silly and insignificant, but they are proven to boost serotonin and might give that little extra needed to get through the day a bit more easily. Don't scoff until you've tried every single one!

Dark chocolate boosts serotonin production - this is a fact. Dark chocolate contains serotonin and L-tryptophan, as well as carbohydrates from sugar, which can signal the body to produce even more serotonin. Personally, I don't love it, but I try to eat a few squares a day just to give my serotonin receptors a little boost, We tried Montezuma's geranium and orange chocolate last night and it was incredible, but a bit much for my tame little taste buds.Green and Black's 85% Dark is my go-to.

Obviously, just eating chocolate won't help. Eating right and drinking lots of water will make you feel  better at any time of the year - I kind of feel that's a given here.If you eat properly, you will feel better than if you don't.

'Bear' with me - I know the majority of people will probably think this is silly, but there is some research to suggest that watching baby animals doing funny or cute things can boost the serotonin production in your body and therefore ease the symptoms of depression and SAD just a little.

Here are some of my favourites:

• 23 Baby pandas in a pile
• Pandas doing naughty things
• Bear cub meets a fawn
• Puppy swarms

Anxiety sucks. It can cause a huge range of symptoms both real and imagined. It can convince you that you are going to die or that everyone is against you. The key to fighting rising anxiety levels is to learn about it. First, you need to recognise when you are feeling anxious and when you are actually in danger. When you start to recognise that certain situations are creating anxiety, you can avoid them, or manage them appropriately. Reminding yourself that it's just anxiety, it's just your body and not an external threat of any kind can help to calm you in a situation that could otherwise develop into a panic attack. Even during a panic attack, calmly telling yourself:

"This is a panic attack, I have had them before and it always feels like it's the worst one. This will be over shortly"

can be enough to see it off. Learning about anxiety and ways to fight it can make a significant difference to your quality of life,especially if anxiety is stopping you from doing anything. There are lots of tips and tricks online to fight panic attacks, such as having an elastic band on your wrist, mantras and exercises to help with breathing and blood flow. Do your research and find what works for you.

Here is one of my favorite serotonin-boosting facts. Hugging for 8 seconds gives you a surge of the happiness hormone! I've tried this out many a time, in fact if you are reading this and you know me in real life, chances are you've had a slightly-too-long semi-awkward hug with me at some point. I've learnt it helps to explain what you are doing before you grab someone for an 8 second hug, otherwise they might feel like you are a little crazy and perhaps are not planning to let go. Or maybe that you doing that thing where you shake someones hand for way too long just to see how they react. Often, if you tell people that hugging for 8 seconds will give a chemical happiness boost, they are up for it - this is tried and tested to the point where many people in my life now will hug me for 8 seconds anyway when we greet, just so they don't have to listen to my speech about serotonin. Good times!

Hands down, the thing that has made the most different to managing the winter blues for me, as been this little piece of equipment. (Here's a link to Amazon)

It's a Lumie Bodyclock and it's changed my sleeping habits completely. It creates a sunset in your room - I have a completely white bedroom wall so I have it on a pile of books in front of that, the slots in the back create a sun pattern and the light dims slowly, it wakes you up by getting brighter and brighter. An alarm eventually goes off if you leave it longer than 15 mins or so before you get up and press the button. My parents got it for my birthday and I love it. I live in fear of the bulb going and having to order and wait for a replacement (it's just occurred to me that I should order one before it goes - I am getting so much better at adulting). But anyway, if you struggle to get up in the morning this might help. Being jarred awake in the middle of a deep sleep isn't the best way to start your day and a decent night's sleep is essential when you are trying to fight seasonal depression without the use of traditional pharmaceuticals.

I also have a new sleep toy to play with which I will be sharing in the next few weeks!

It's not a cure, but trying to lead a positive life WILL make you feel better. This means smiling at people, trying not to get frustrated in public over people taking too long to use the ATM or standing in front of the good cheese at the supermarket so you have to pretend to be looking at the garlic bread but really, you want the cheese. The rule is, for every negative or mean thing you say, whether out loud or not, you should try and create 5 positive things too. It doesn't always work, but it's a nice ideal to aspire to.

I know people who know me in real life will probably not agree, but I am trying  to reduce my complaining. If I hear myself complaining, I try and stop and I wish other people would to. People complaining for hours about something instead of putting that time and energy into finding a solution really bother me and I often can't help but to complain about that! It's a cycle that I want to break - if you cannot be positive, at least be quiet.

These are not steadfast solutions, I know that some people will need extra assistance to fight seasonal depression (and all-year depression, obviously) however I know I would prefer to try every option before going down that route and so far it's done me pretty well. I still dread the nights getting longer every year but if you build yourself a toolbox of ways to deal it can be a lot easier.

Katy xx

Super Healthy Summer Eating Challenge Of Fun

Once, I was quite a bit larger than I am now. I lost about 3 stone in total. I don't like to think back to much to that time in my life but I have to constantly remind myself not to reach for that second slice of cake, not to always order the thing on the menu with the most cheese.  This summer I want to get my body in better shape. I'm currently about the right weight for my height but I would feel so much better three or four pounds lighter and I know I can do it.

Here are some of my very favourite links and things from the web helping me with this mission.

If you are trying to track what you are eating for either weight gain or loss, you really can't go wrong with My Fitness Pal. The database of foods is extensive, I've yet to have to add anything from full meals in popular restaurant chains to individual items that I have bought at all three supermarkets I regularly visit. It's pretty impressive. It will also add recipes to the database simply by copying and pasting the webpage into their application.  Sign up for My Fitness Pal on your or the web, and add me as a friend on there if you like :)

One thing I fail at hugely is eating a varied diet when I'm trying to lose weight. So, yesterday for dinner I made a salad with grated carrot, cucumber, ham, pumpkin seeds, shredded beetroot and a mango and chilli dressing. I ate it in a wrap for my dinner, and then another wrap of it for my lunch today, and guess what I have this evening? Yup, another wrap of ham and pumpkin seed salad. So I love this page for it's array of meals between 200 & 400 calories. The Moroccan Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash is a real favourite, there is always plenty for a sandwich or pitta the next day. This week I'm going to be trying the Root Curry

Superfood Salad with Sirloin Steak - a lunch last week from a local gastropub. Yum! I chose to have the dressing on the side so I would know exactly how much I've had - a good tip as many pubs tend to add much more dressing than you would at home. 

One of my favourite healthy eating blogs is Eat Yourself Skinny. I can't wait to try some of her puddings. I just saw today a really delicious looking salad with quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) which I'm anxious to have a bash at.

I'll also be trying the 30 Day Ab and Squat Challenge. I'm terrified of exercising at the moment as I have a slipped disc that is severely affecting both the movement and the feeling in my right arm I'll be going for an MRI scan in a few weeks, so I can't wait for that. The challenge is one of the only 30-day challenges I could find that had the right exercises, i.e ones that didn't involve putting a large amount of weight on my quite frankly useless arm.

This is taken from here, where there is loads more information about this challenge.

I'm a huge salty snack fan. I can literally devour a bag of crisps, a bowl of olives (sometimes both together) in about 5 seconds flat. Quite embarrassing if you are meant to be sharing with someone else. So I'll be whipping up a whole bowl of these Edamame treats created by Rosie of The Londoner this week too, they sound too good to be true.

I'm also having Epsom salt baths on a weekly basis, they are meant to draw the toxins right out of your skin, super cheap aswell, I bought a huge bag of Epsom salt for about 2 pounds, enough for several very salty baths. I'm then dousing my whole entire body in Garnier Anti-Cellulite Oil. Read some reviews of this product here on Bean's Beauty Blog and then come back to me in a few weeks when I'll be showing before and after pictures of my treacherous thighs...

So, I hope you will join me on my journey here on my blog. I do promise only one healthy eating post and recipe share per week. You can follow more of my progress on Instagram and twitter. 

Hope you are having a beautiful Monday x

For Lent, I'm Giving Up Complaining

Traditionally, Lent is the period between Ash Wednesday (the day after Pancake Day in the UK) and Easter. Christians are encouraged to live more frugally, giving up life's luxuries for a 40 day period. Sometimes people give up something specific. It usually has a food theme.

I can't give up any sort of food because I have terrible willpower with chocolate, sweets, cheese, pasta, chips, fried cheese sandwiches (oh gosh those are my new favourite) and pretty much anything bad for me!

So I decided to try and change something that I really *want* to change. I've decided to give up complaining.

I've always been a bit of a complainer. I once won an award during a residential school trip for being the most likely to say 'It's Not Fair'. I am the person standing behind you in the queue huffing and tutting and tapping my foot. I'm the person who complains to the waitress if there is margerine and not butter in my sandwich. My nickname for the last year of secondary school was Stroppy Pants...

So in view of trying to lead a more positive life, I am trying with all of my might to give up complaining for Lent. That is 40 days of trying to say "Let's try it this way" instead of "This isn't working". Of saying "I'll give that a go" instead of "I don't want to, I'm tired". Of keeping uncharitable thoughts like, "why hell is it taking you 7 trys to put your pin number in at the cash machine?" to myself. Of finding the positive to shout about rather than radiating annoyance in my daily life.

I'll let you know how I get on. I want to be accountable for this goal, and I know posting it here and putting this out in the world will mean I feel less like giving up and having a good old moan. Are you trying to give anything up at the moment?

I'm very excited to share the first 9 days of my "29 Days Of Mum & Boy" tomorrow. You can follow my little project on Instagram, I'm @katyclouds & using the hashtag #katyandroo.

Just a note to say that I will be down in the South West for three days next week, so if you normally tune into the Yummy Mummy Mix in the mornings, you won't be hearing my voice down your earholes for the first half of the week! I'll be back on Thursday. Don't forget you can listen to the show through our website by clicking here, or downloading the free Tune In app for your smartphone and searching for Radio Dacorum :-)

Quitting Your Day Job - 3 Myths

So, I quit my day job nearly 8 months ago. I used to work in recruitment. Which basically involved very long days high financial compensation, but never seeing my son and being constantly stressed out and 'busy'. I kind of developed a false sense of self-importance as well. You know the thing "Oh I work in the city, I'm so important".

I wrote this post on my choices between working and motherhood.

So I was sitting at my city-based desk, wearing a pencil skirt, hadn't seen my boy for 4 days, looking at another 14 hour stretch. 4 coffees into the day at 10am.I took a look around the room, and as nice and hard-working as the people I was spending all this time with were, they were not my amazing little boy. I had a looming hospital appointment and a general sense of missing out. So I stood up, told my boss I wanted out, and left that very same day.

And then...a few vague weeks of faffing around at home. I toyed with getting another job. Financially we are no where near stable enough (I say we, what I really mean is me) to be able to continue with no income for a very long length of time.So I set myself up as a freelance social media consultant (See my LinkedIn page here) and I started submitted articles to various online and offline publications.

Three myths about quitting your day job:

1. You will have loads of free time.

Your 'free' time will suddenly be filled with people wanting you to wait in for them for packages and mechanics. Your house will be messier because you are in it all the time, so more of your time will be taken up with cleaning. You will also discover more things that annoy you about your home. Just why *is* that cupboard such a mess? Better clean it now while I have the time.  You will take a hour long slot at a local radio station and it will suddenly take over your life. That might just be me.

2. You will get to see your friends more.

Your friends have jobs. That is why they are your friends, because you used to go to bars and festivals and fun stuff that you now can't imagine being able to afford. Unless you were the only person in your peer group with a job. Which I wasn't. Everyone I know has a job. I have, however, become an interesting novelty 'thing to do' for people who take a day off to go to the dentist and then have a free afternoon. These types of people can often be relied upon to buy lunch aswell. Win.

3. You will be happier

Things will annoy you just the same as they did before, but you will not have an outlet for them. One key thing about working is that you have to spend hours and hours around people that you wouldn't spend minutes with if you were not being paid, equally, they probably don't really want to spend time with you either. Now that you have quit your job, the only people you have to spend time with are yourself (see above) your laptop (thank god for facebook) and people who actually *want* to spend time with you. You go from being surrounded by chatty people all day, sharing gossip, reading the Metro, getting involved in things, to...talking to your cat about yesterdays headline in the Guardian. Because you can't afford today's. It's a lonely place to be.

Of course you can counteract these. You can refuse to wait in for peoples packages. You can find friends without jobs (note: hanging around the job centre is a great place for this!) You can volunteer somewhere worthy and again you will be surrounded by people you vaguely dislike. I think you get the gist. This is a warning. The grass is not always greener.

It's taken me 8 months to get to a position where I am starting, just starting, to get noticed for my freelance work. 8 months of being poor and lonely and slightly confused when I wake up at 3.20pm after a three hour nap.

But I wouldn't change it for the world. I was so wrong before, there is nothing better than my little boy rushing our to school to give me a big hug. Love him.

Also, do you like my blog makeover?

xx

Happy New Year & A New Brand Awareness E-Course

Hi there, and welcome to 2013! I'm so happy it's finally here. A new start and a new beginning, just what the doctor ordered.

I'm going to be ramping up my writing over the next few months, submitting articles to websites and posting DIY's and tutorials over here on the blog. I'm also currently right now wording on a Beginners Guide To Brand Awareness. The guide will be packed full of tips on getting your name on the lips (or at the fingertips anyway) of people across the web. More info later in the week!


I've been offering consultative brand awareness advice on a freelance basis for over a year and have plenty of success stories to share with you. I hope you'll stay tuned to what this blog has to offer you as we hurtle off into the year :-)

I'm also back on the radio tomorrow. It's available worldwide, broadcasting from 10am - 12pm GMT. You can listen by going here: www.radiodacorum.org.uk. It's also availble for you to listen to if you have the Tune In app on your phone. It comes preinstalled in many smartphones, so have peek through your apps to see if it's there. It's also free to download from the app store or Android marketplace. Just type in Radio Dacorum and you'll here my voice into your earholes during my slot :-)

Katy x

50 Goals For 2013

I never like to make resolutions or set goals because I dislike the disappointment that goes along with not succeeding. This year things are going to be different, and I have been thinking about goals that I can set myself, some small, some large. Some easy to quantify, so that will be harder to judge my success at.

25 personal goals, and 25 business / Social Media related goals :-) This is the year that things are going to be awesome for me, I can just tell.

22/02/2013

I've popped over to this post to embolden goals which I have already achieved!

7/1/2017

As I'm writing a new post on my aspirations for 2017, I revisited this page to italicise the goals that I have achieved over the last five years. To be fair, since I don't work at Radio Dacorum any more, the radio related ones are a bit irrelevant. I'm glad I achieved more of my personal goals though :)

Business Goals

1. Increase my blog readership to 1000 followers.
2. Hit 1000 page views per day
3. Complete Social Media Freelance work PDF and distribute
4. Gain 1000 connections on LinkedIn
5. Apply for Worthy FM radio presenting role
6. Apply for 3 'real' jobs or internships at radio stations
7. Increase listeners to my current radio show
8. Take part in a local event with Radio Dacorum
9. Get a guest on my show
10. Increase twitter followers
11. Take a part time course in technical search engine optimization
12. Attend a conference or talk on the future of SEO/Social Media
13. Publish at least one new SEO/Blogging article per month
14. Get featured on a high profile website
15. Become featured on HelloCotton
16. Gain 100 followers on Pinterest
17. Gain 100 followers on Instagram
18. Offer free social media help to a local charity
19. Produce an e-book
20. Take an e-course
21. Make contact with previous work acquaintances
22. Make a plan to monetise blog by the second half of the year
23. Do at least one Vlog
24. Gain full understanding of Google Analytics and dashboard creation
25. Submit articles for large Social Media site.

Personal Goals

1. Sort out my debts
2. Pay my phone bill and get it reconnected
3. Get my smear test (yuck)
4.Become better organised
5. Clean the cupboard under the sink out
6. Frame blueprint prints
7. Eat a proper breakfast (almost) every day
8. Grow my nails
9. Pass my driving test
10. Get on the transfer list for a house
11. Not forget to take Roo's PE kit in, ever.
12. Stop wasting food
13. Recycle.
14. Purge Facebook of people I dislike
15. Repaint my bedroom wall
16. Get rid of some negative influences in my life
17. Work out how to straighten my own hair
18. Replace the broken door on my bedroom
19. Take up a fitness activity
20. Go to a festival
21. Get a new tattoo
22. Go to the seaside with my little boy
23. Replace the curtain tracking that has tab top curtains hanging from it
24. Throw a dinner party
25. Try a food that I wouldn't have eaten in 2012.

I plan to revisit this list as the year progresses, and I'll embolden the ones that I have completed. What are your goals for 2013? Please feel free to leave your link in the comments, I'd love to read them!

Katy x