We were just talking about the last quarter of 2020 and now we are in the last month of the year! Woah! Not sure where 2020 went but it seriously flew by, pandemic and all. It feels like we just got hit with the news of a shut down in March and here we are.
As many of us had big dreams coming into 2020 to quickly get hit with a pandemic, which likely played an impaction business, financials this year may look a bit off.
For example, I noticed 2020 took off to a great start for me, slowed down in March and then picked back up around July. One bad quarter can really hurt your overall goal but trying to make up for the loss at the end of the year is certainly possible.
This year it is important to look at where your strengths were in the middle of the pandemic. Where did people decide to spend their money on during these weird times- did your affiliate links get more/less attention? What about your brand collaborations- did you notice a shift in the types of sponsorships you took on?
As we head into another year in the middle of a pandemic, analyzing where your strengths were this year will help you plan for content, collaborations and more and will help you hit the ground running once 2021 comes around (which will be here before we know it).
Now onto the real reason you are here
What are some quick ways to help reach your financial goals with just 30 days left in the year?
The first thing to do is take a quick look at where the most of your income came from.
Affiliate links
Did you make money pushing a certain affiliate link back in June? Maybe it’s time to revisit that link and reshape it right before the holidays as people get in some last minute shopping.
Also take a look at the trends you saw in your affiliate links over the past year. Was there a certain store that led to more sales than others? Or a certain product category that was popular with your audience?
Do a bit of research and look into what links have worked for you in the past and find ways to revisit and reshare some of these products to make a few extra dollars this month.
Brand collaborations
If you are already working with brands and have developed re-occuring relationships with some of your favorites, now is the time to reach back out one last time to see if there are any last minute holiday campaigns they may be looking for talent to help with product/service promotion. While many of them may have their campaigns locked in for the year, you can also begin pitching for 2021 to get some campaigns nailed down before the new year even hits! However if you are hoping to secure a quick turn around campaign to meet your goals, I am sure there are still some brands open to promotion before the end of the year. I say, reach for the stars!!
Up your advertising spend
It takes money, to make money. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. Upping your advertising spend to get some more money on your blog posts with affiliate links could be a good strategy during this time of year. Not only will it get your page views up and likely a few purchases, it also helps get fresh eyes on your content and helps grow your audience. Advertising spend for any product/material you are selling is also another effective way of increasing your growth quickly.
Some of the most effective advertising methods I use are:
Instagram- Putting a few dollars behind an Instagram post can go a long way and could potentially be very rewarding. Note that you’ll want to put ad dollars behind your very best work as that is the first impressions new users will get of you, your content and your brand. This first impression can potentially lead to a new follow, a new post link, a new sale, etc.
Pinterest- This year I experimented a bit with advertising spend on Pinterest and it did help get some new eyes on my content. The nice thing about Pinterest is that with a curated Pin and the right content, you should be able to not only get views but also clicks on your content and you can choose where you want it to go. Do you want to share a blog post round up of gift ideas, like I did here? Or do you want to take your audience directly to an offer? It’s your choice and a little bit of money goes a long way.
Let’s wrap this up
Let’s recap what you should be working on to help end this year strong.
- Analyze your data and content, what content did well for you and why? How can you capitalize on that?
- Where/how did you make the most income? Are there ways to revisit some of these opportunities with a fresh perspective?
- Up your advertising spend to get eyes on content you know will already be successful
On to 2021
Now is also the time to start looking at 2021. What do you expect first quarter to look like for you and why? It’s the time to start mapping out your content, put some ideas together and think of ways you will engage with your audience in the upcoming year. Get an early start by drafting a blog plan, you can find more info on that here.
