Blogging can be a great way to share ideas, connect with others, and build a following. But in order to be successful, it’s important to have a clear and achievable goal in mind. The more specific and measurable that goal is, the better.
A common pitfall in setting goals is grandiosity. For example, a business might claim that its mission is to “reinvent local commerce to better serve our customers and neighborhoods.” While this may sound impressive, it can be difficult to determine exactly what this means and how to achieve it. The business may end up spending a lot of time doing nothing, with no clear understanding of how to create value.
The same can be said for non-profit organizations that seek to create “fairness and equity.” These goals are noble and important, but they are also vague and non-specific. Without a clear plan of action, the organization may struggle to achieve its mission.
In contrast, having a specific and measurable goal can help to keep you focused and on track. For example, a coffee shop might say, “Our goal is to sell a good cup of coffee at a fair price.” This goal is simple and straightforward, and it is easy to measure whether or not the shop is succeeding. The key is to have a goal that is achievable and that you can work towards.
The same principle applies to blogging. It’s important to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your blog and to set specific, measurable goals. For example, you might say, “My goal is to write 500 words a week about a specific topic and to grow my readership by 10% over the next six months.” This goal is clear and achievable, and it gives you a roadmap to follow as you work to build your blog’s success.
Google is a great example of the importance of setting specific and measurable goals. The company’s stated mission is to “organize the world’s information.” While this is an ambitious goal, it would have been difficult to achieve without a clear plan of action. Instead, Google started by simply building a search engine that people would switch to, and from there, it has expanded to organizing the world’s information.
In conclusion, success in blogging (and in life) is often about having clear and specific goals. Grandiose and vague goals can be unhelpful, as they don’t provide a clear roadmap for how to achieve them. Instead, it’s best to focus on specific and measurable goals that are achievable and that give you a clear path to success. So, think about what you want to achieve with your blog and set specific, measurable goals that will help you to get there.