BONUS: Organization and scheduling by Tieka, Selective Potential
This session will help you with staying organized and staying on schedule. I received a lot of reader questions asking, "How are you keeping up with a full-time job, the INDIE e-conference and running your own blog?" and the answer is... staying organized, planning ahead and making sure my schedule is laid out. Unless you're lucky, you probably aren't a full-time fashion blogger. If you are, congrats! But if you're in school, or have a job and are running your blog as a side thing... you will need to be extra organized and have a focused plan! I'm going to go over some tips I use to keep my content and schedule organized... and with a focused plan!
1. Google Docs: Spreadsheets
I couldn't live without Google docs. I use it for several things for my blog and I can access it anywhere with internet access. The biggest thing I use Google docs for is tracking spreadsheets. I use spreadsheets to track my clothing, to track sponsorship details, to track giveaway dates, photoshoot ideas and other things I'm planning at the moment (like a blogger meetup!) You can create rows and columns (just like in Microsoft Excel) and keep everything completely organized. For example, in my sponsorships tracking spreadsheet.. I track the company name, the person I'm working with, their email address, the date their ads starts, the date their ads ends, how much they paid and other notes. It's so helpful and I'm checking it on a daily basis. For my clothing tracking, I track the clothing item, the brand, the description, the date I received it, a photoshoot idea and other notes. It's so helpful! Plus, you can share and collaborate with other Google users!
2. Google Docs: Calendar
I also use Google docs to create calendars so I can map out my monthly posts. There are no rules on when you should post or how many times you should post a week. I strong agree with those who say "quality" over "quantity" but it still helps to post often. I try to post 4-5x per week, with quality posts. Using a calendar shows me the days I don't have posts and what I need to work on and plan for. Plus, having my outfits and posts planned give me more time to prepare for them and truly make them better. Planning ahead leads to better quality in your posts.
3. Google Docs: Forms
Forms are so great if you are looking to receive feedback from readers! I use them 1-2x per year to create surveys for readers to fill out anonymously to give me some great feedback. You can use them for several things... anything you would need a form for, but that's how I've use Google forms before. Getting feedback from your readers can help lead you to posts of higher quality! Keep your forms organized, ask clear questions and you'll receive some amazing tips!
4. Planning outfits ahead of time
The biggest help I've found with time management, staying organized and on schedule is to plan my outfits ahead of time. I get snickers when people find out I have outfits planned for March, but it's just my way of staying ahead of the game... and making sure my posts are going to be of the best quality. Plus, since one of my niches in the blogging community is to match my outfit to my location... I love to scope out pieces in my closet or online that might reflect my location! For example: I bought the cutest airplane print dress for a fun event we have coming up in March! I find that being organized directly contributes to my theme and niche in the community. By planning ahead and being prepared, I'm helping two of my themes: personal style.. and adventures. In my closet post on Monday, I'm going to show you guys how I organize my planned outfits in my closet!
5. Staying organized with features
As we all know, it's very hard to post a quality outfit post 5-7x per week, so I like to take those days I can't post an outfit and fill it with quality content. So that's where features come in handy and you want to make sure you keep your features organized and planned. When I started Guy Behind the Camera, I received hundreds of emails from girls with information, photos of them, photos of their guy, links... it was overwhelming and I knew I needed to track it! So I archived all emails with labels "Guy behind the camera" and tracked them in a Google docs spreadsheet. I also do a seasonal featured blogger... and I plan way ahead for it. I scope out three favorites at the time, start looking more into their blog, contacting them weeks ahead of time so I know I get the interviews and photos ready that I need to. Plan ahead, use a calendar, use spreadsheets and stay organized... and you'll be on your way to success!
