My Studio Spotlight July 2018 Edition

We’ve reached the summer halfway point and it’s time for a look back to last month with My Creative Studio Spotlight July 2018 edition.

Studio Spotlight July 2018 – Goals:

Blogging Consistently and Establishing an Editorial Calendar

I struggled in June to hit my goal of 2-3 blog posts a month. A big factor was I didn’t create an editorial calendar to plan out my content.

For July, I committed to fewer posts but wanted to establish a Tuesday schedule and an editorial calendar. I’m happy I was able to achieve my blogging goal. I even managed to publish a couple extra Thursday bonus posts!

For August, I have 4 client projects on the go so I’m looking to maintain this pace for the remainder of the summer. Also, my editorial calendar is planned for the next two months so this should absolutely be achievable.

Facebook & Instagram strategy including batching and scheduling posts

Knowing my almost 6-year-old son would be off school for the summer, batching and scheduling social media content was a must for me.

Up to this point, I’ve found Instagram to take up a lot of time. I’m probably over-thinking and over-planning my entire strategy.

Needless to say, Instagram had to occupy way less time for me in July and overall I think it did. I worried a little less about daily posts and tried to focus on quality. In the end, I posted 3-4 times a week using the scheduling app Later to plan my posts in advance. I got into a fairly comfortable routine and this should be manageable to maintain through the month of August.

For Facebook, I had yet to use my Facebook page since I launched my website. Since I wanted to establish a better presence on my Facebook page, I committed to sharing my blog content weekly here and was able to do this in the month of July.

Getting serious about my email list with consistent weekly Studio Mail.

While I had set up an autoresponder sequence for new email subscribers, I had yet to email my list since my business launch on May 31st.

I did manage to send out one email in July but need to make this a bigger focus in my business for August & September. Part of the issue is I’m just not seeing that many people opt-in for my email list and so I think my entire process needs to be re-evaluated.

Looking into online quizzes as a lead capture technique.

To try to improve my email opt-in rate, I partnered with Interac last month and launched a Brand Personality quiz. If you haven’t yet, take the quiz here!

I’m happy with the number of views the quiz received but not as happy with the number of email opt-ins that accompanied it. Again, I’ll have to refine my opt-in process to see if I can improve here. I think the double opt-in required in Canada plus trying to follow GDPR guidelines are negatively impacting my results.

Website Stats for July:

Here is my second full month of website stats:

A couple of things seemed to really drive my website stats up in July.

Now that I have a collection of articles on my website, the blog is gaining some momentum with traffic coming from a mix of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and organic google search.

My Brand Personality quiz generated a good amount of traffic to my website, about 40% based on the traffic within the days of launch.

In August, I plan to continue the blogging efforts and am testing out Tailwind, a Pinterest scheduling tool. I’ll see if I can increase my traffic coming from Pinterest.

Books I’m Reading:

Yes – I’m a member of the Amazon Associates affiliate program. If you happen to make a purchase by clicking on any of my book recommendations, I do make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

After seeing this one pop up in countless Facebook groups, I decided to pick it up from the local library and see what all the fuss was about.

I loved this book! If you are creative in any way, I think you’ll appreciate Elizabeth’s thoughts on creativity.

What resonated with me were her thoughts around letting fear hold you back from creating. To get over this fear you have to recognize that other’s reactions don’t belong to you. If they ignore your art, misunderstand it, or even hate it and insult you for it so what? Keep stubbornly making your art.

For more book recommendations, check out my Resource page.

Listening to:

Energy of Attraction: Manifesting Your Best Life with Oprah and Deepak Chopra

After reading The Miracle Morning and starting my day with a morning routine, I wanted to dive deeper into meditation. I was thrilled to come across the free, 21-day Energy of Attraction meditation with Oprah and Deepak.

This 21-day experience is designed to set the habit of daily meditation. The sessions are so simple and easy to follow not to mention powerful daily reminders of how to use the energy of attraction to fulfill your desires.

My biggest takeaway from this series thus far is like attracts like. The energy you put out in the world attracts the energy you receive.

Blog Posts Published in July:

My Creative Studio Spotlight June 2018 Edition

How to make a Remarkable First Impression with your Business

10 Reasons Why I Love Showit, the Drag and Drop Website Builder

Should you Invest in a Professional Website?

The Reasons Online Quizzes Work and How to Make One

My Top 5 Authentic Female Business Influencers

What’s Coming Up in August:

Thanks, friends for reading my Studio Spotlight July 2018 Edition! I am currently taking on new projects for the fall so book a complimentary consult call. I’d love to discuss your website needs!