Meeting 2015 Shop Goals By Setting Monthly Goals

Every year folks far and wide make New Years Resolutions or goals. I've done it...and failed right along with countless others. And, just like a lot of them, I'm going for it again this year. But this time I've got a plan. I sat down and wrote out my long term plans for each of my shop goals and then I am breaking down my goals by month. I have them printed out and stuck (right at eye level) next to my computer, so I am constantly reminded of what I need to do and by when.

While January was not a total success, it was not a total loss either. I started a discussion thread with The Etsy D-Listers aka The Dteam (my Etsy family) to help me stay accountable. I ask you, kind reader, to also be my accountability buddy...and if you ask I'd be more than happy to do it for you, too.

I'd love to hear you thoughts or advice on my goals so far. i actually have my goals picked out for February, but I'm saving that for another blog post. Would you like me to help you stay focused on your goals? Just leave me a request in the comments below.

August S.M.A.R.T. Goals, Week 1 Update

Social Media Action Plan

August 1st I decided on my shop goals for this month.  If you didn't see that post, you can go back and read it here.  My next post focused on my social media action plan.  You can read all about my plan right here. Today, I am giving an update of how that's going.  I will also add the two other goals I had set for myself; retaking photos and adding items to my shop.

First, a recap of my social media campaign blitz. I had planned on sharing one post from each of six categories; humor, me (something from my shop or a blog post), a question or fill in the blank, an informational tidbit or link, an inspirational quote, and an item or blog I came across that I thought others would also like.  The sites I am focusing on are my facebook page, twitter, and google+.  I also have pinterest, but I am sharing different content there.

Did I mention I'm old school?  So here it is in all it's glory.(?)  OK, well, at least it's written down and I think I did pretty well with it.  I coded the categories with a letter (or symbol) and a number so I could chart them easier.  Below are close-ups so you see it better.

I decided to only share the humorous post on my facebook page.  I didn't think it was appropriate for google+ or twitter. My facebook page is more casuals, while twitter I tend to focus on helpful informational links and more serious posts, and google+ seems more professional, as well.

So this was my posting schedule, for the most part.  I did well with facebook and twitter, but not so much with google+.  Until I get my website up, my google+ account is not a business page, so I cannot schedule posts in advance.  (If anyone knows of a way to do it, please let me know.)  As you can see there is not as much green in my chart, nor are there many S's.  I did not schedule those (items and blog posts) because I thought I'd share them as I came across them, but you can see how well that worked...or didn't.  I also need to share more about me, which involves writing blog posts in advance, so I can focus more time on sewing.  Perhaps my blog should be my focus for September...

The results:

• My best post for facebook was a question I posed, with a reach of 59, 2 comments, and 3 clicks  (Definitely nothing to brag about, but it is what it is.)
• My best post for twitter was an inspirational quote, with 1 favorite and 3 retweets. (I haven't figured out how to find statistical information yet on twitter. If anyone can point me in the right direction, that would be great.)
• My best post for google+ was a fill in the blank question with 2 comments. (Since I don't have the business account, I don't have access to any real stats, like reach or views, so all I have to go on are +1's, shares, and comments.)

This week I am working on scheduling shares, but I am sharing different items on facebook and twitter to provide more variety and help more shops get exposure. I am also starting at 6am and not scheduling on the hour.  So that's it for the first week.  Scheduling does ensure I post more often and planning categories makes me aware of the content I am posting.  Stay tuned for next week's update.

70 listings In My Shop

I started the month with 54 items and my goal is to end with 70.  This means I need to make 16 items, with a mini-goal of making four new items per week.  I made this chart below and have it taped to the wall right next to my computer. Yes, it is basic, and again, old school, but it serves the purpose.  I have three columns which I am tracking; Make, Photos, and List.  By the end of the month I plan on having the whole chart colored in.  I also have a calendar so I can mark off the days.  ( I am one of those who works best with a deadline, so seeing the days pass gives me the push I need.)

Color codes...Blue--Make, Pink--Photos, Orange--List

So, I am on my way.  I have one more item that I'll be finishing up today and I'll be picking up my sewing machine from the shop this afternoon, so I will once again have that to work with, which will get me moving along faster.

Retake Photos

I know not all of my photos have the same look or feel about them, so I have decided that it's time to just get this over with instead of stewing on it.  My apron photos were taken when I lived in a different home, so I will be retaking those so they have the same background as my new photos.  I also want to retake photos of my cloth napkins in a table setting and also all folded the same way, and I want to show the checkbook covers in a real use setting.  I have not started with this goal yet, as I was focusing on figuring out my social media action plan, but here's the chart, nonetheless, just to prove that it's up and ready to be filled in.

How are your goals coming along?  Only 19 more days left this month. (No pressure.)

My Social Media Action Plan

When it comes to running a business it is very important to have goals.  It is equally important to be very clear with your goals in terms of specific details, a means of measuring the success of your goals, and setting up a timeline in which to carry out those goals.  Otherwise you might as well wish on the first star you see and hope for the best.

This month I have three goals I will be working on. Today's post focuses on my first goal; creating a social media action plan.  I have accounts on facebook, twitter, google+, and pinterest, and I have been posting to each of them, but not consistently and not with a deliberate thought as to the content.  As a visual learner, I am all about charts. I am also an old school type of person.  I didn't see a template I liked so I grabbed a piece of notebook paper, my trusty ruler, and the all-important colored markers.

For facebook, twitter, and google+ I am starting with six categories for posts; humor, me (something related to my shop), question, informational, quote, and share (blog posts and items by others I like). Below is just the first week. I plan on one post from each category once per day on each of the three sites. I figured out how to schedule posts for facebook and twitter, but not google+ yet (other than blog posts, which will post automatically), so those I will be entering as I do them, or until I learn how to schedule those, as well.  The "me" posts and the "share" posts are blank as I haven't planned those yet. I staggered the time and the day for the posts.

I have the quotes written on a separate piece of paper so I can keep track of which ones I have already used and I made a separate bookmark folder to keep track of links for informational posts. The images for my humor posts are saved on my computer.

I will be working on next week's schedule throughout this week, so I am not working into the wee hours on Sunday night, like I did last night. I'm sure this will get easier and more automatic as I go.  The plan is to add more posts throughout the day as I get a handle on my new system.

For pinterest I plan on posting three pins in three separate categories per day. (I usually post more, but this is my minimum goal and I will be keeping track of these, as well. I have made a list of my boards, so I know which ones I need to post on for any given day).

Of course, a good plan needs to have some form of measure to judge its success...or failure, so it can be tweaked as needed.  Below I have listed my beginning followers/fans for each of the sites, plus I added my Etsy followers and shop likes.  At the end of the month I will again record the numbers and take note of any changes.  I will also keep track of the best post per site (noting the category, day, and time of day).  This may take longer than one month for any definitive results, but I haven't done this yet, so I am curious to see how this turns out.

I would love any comments you may have on my action plan. I'd also love to know how you keep track of your goals. If you have a blog post on this topic, please share your link below.

Setting Goals AND Reaching Them

Like so many others, I have set goals for myself; weight loss goals, organizational goals, financial goals, goals for the New Year, and business goals.   In way too many cases, I end come up short of reaching my goals.  For me, and maybe for you, too, the problem does not lie with the actual goal(s), but in the execution...i.e. lack of planning.

This month I have decided on three goals to work on, AND exactly what I need to do to reach them. I am a visual learner, so charts and graphs are a must to help me keep on track. I ordered the Work @ Home Business Pack from TidyLadyPrintables on Etsy. It's just what I need, well-organized and colorful.

I especially like the Daily and Weekly Business Planners and What's Going on this Week (weekly scheduler broken down by day and 1/2 hour increments). I put the pages in plastic page protectors and use wipe off markers so i can reuse them over and over.

A bar graph will show my progress for two of the goals and help me stay focused.

I decided on three main goals for this month. (While getting more sales is something every small business owner wants, this is not one I chose, as I can only control what I do, not what others do.)  Each of these are written on a S.M.A.R.T. goal chart, so I can track my progress. In case you may not know S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific (the details; what, why, how), Measurable (How will you know when you've reached your goal?), Attainable (realistic and achievable), Relevant (How does this fit in with your overall business plan?), Time-Bound (set dates/benchmarks).

This month I will be working on making my photos more cohesive, adding items to my shop, and creating a social media plan of action.  My next post will focus on my first goal; my social media action plan.

By setting S.M.A.R.T. goals and tracking my progress with graphs and charts, I am confident that this will be a great and productive month.

So, who's with me? Today is the day to set your S.M.A.R.T. goals.