My New Years Resolutions:2016

It is a new year and a brand new me; welcome to the new and improved Faded Spring who is determined to make an impact on the blogging industry and challenge the social norm. Last year ( as you read in my post ‘A Year In Review’ ) I tackled social issues, redefined blogging and most of all bared my soul to all my readers who supported me through my wonderful six month journey as a blogger. In 2016 I want to continue to challenge the social agenda and prove that blogging is not a ‘frivolous’ and ‘meaningless’ occupation as many forms of media represent it as but a serious, thought-provoking platform for self-discovery. Blogging is academic, humorous, educational and entertaining but most of all it represents YOU. How many other workers can honestly state that their jobs allow them to be true to themselves and flourish in a self-motivated environment?

Blogging is an artistic form of self-expression, whereby you as the creator have the creative liscence to produce a world that borders on the fantastical-real, creating a happy medium for both you and your readers. Your readers are a mini-family united in their love and affinity for your blog and make up the visitors pouring in to follow your journey into self-love, self-discovery and positivity.  I chose to blog because it gave me the confidence to tell the world who I really was and be free from judgement and condemnation. In a society that thrives on negative sensationalism I chose to highlight social issues and use it to bring positivity and hope to my readers. As a nation we focus on the negative when we should be looking at our past as a stepping stone for the future and that is an ethos that I continue to stand by in 2016.

Blog Related Goals 2016

1. Increase Blog Traffic

Although I have only been a blogger for six months I am determined to reach 10,000 views each month by the end of 2016 as I feel that by hitting this milestone it will open my blog to new audiences who might benefit from the content I produce. I want to make an impact on the way we view bloggers and prove that bloggers can change your outlook on the world. Throughout my time blogging I have slowly increased my social outreach and proved that you should never judge a book by its cover. Many first time readers tend to overlook my written content and focus on the visuals because the idea that a fashion blogger could ever have a mind of his or her own is quite prepostorous and visuals are more appealing to most audiences. Yet on a second or third look your thoughts begin to change as you realize that the words that flow on the page are meaningful and are directly challenging the use of visuals as a sole focal point of a blog. In my opinion visuals are what attracts an audience to your blog temporarily but it is the content that you produce that establishes a permenant fan base.

   Example of me using visual content to promote social causes

2. Get Twitter

From my extensive research I have discovered that Twitter is the biggest traffic boosting social media network and it is a medium that will hopefully achieve my first goal. I was apprehensive for a long time to try Twitter because I have had experiences on there which were not pleasant. I did not get social media until I was 18 ( and I only had Facebook until this year when I got Instagram too) due to social services needing to protect my identity, which classmates took as easy bait. Hate groups were set up against me, horrible tweets about how I used ‘selfies’ as validation for ‘how ugly I was’ and saw vanity as a medium for me to feel better about myself, rumours were spread about me, pictures were uploaded without my permission and worst of all some of these Twitter users were meant to be my own friends who were bitching about how much they hate me yet to my face was ‘sweet as can be’. I vowed to never get Twitter- although I have managed managerial and company based accounts on internships I have had in the past- because I was worried that the bullying would begin again. Yet since I began my blog I realized that Twitter with all its faults is a useful medium to boost traffic to your blog and subsequently will be a social media platform I will join this month. I am aiming to get 1,000 followers by the end of the year.

 

3. Increase Social Outreach

I want to improve my social  outreach by increasing my followers on all major social platforms that are connected to my blog. I want to implement a social strategy for each individual platform and focus on Facebook and Twitter as my Instagram is my fastest growing platform. By the end of 2016 I would like 5K Instagram followers, 3K Facebook Likes and 1K Twitter followers and am working on techniques that can help me achieve this goal. As this post goes to press I have 1,294 Facebook likes and 1441 Instagram followers so I have a lot to achieve in just 12 months .

4. Attend More Blog Events

Last year I attended around 30 events, the most events being in September and October but by November I had run out of steam and began declining events because I had no energy left. However in the New Year I want to take every oppurtunity that is given to me if I feel it is the best fit for my blog and my readers. I want to be able to network and meet even more bloggers who share common interests with me.

Me and some blogger buddies attending Bloggers Fashion Week in September

5. Contact More Brands

I have been fortunate enough to work with exciting brands last year but this year I want to contact more brands that are the best fit for my brand. I love working with smaller companies so I would like to discover new brands and liase with them to create content that will cross-promote their brand and my blog as well as contacting larger brands who I have been avid fan of for years including Missguided, Miss Selfridge and Topshop. I would like to create PR templates that I can send to each brand and impress them with my ability to create aesthetically appealing content with an important backstory something which might be lacking in the fashion industry today.

6. Create more Evergreen Content

Towards the end of 2015 I began writing evergreen content which readers can reference for years to come and established a unique set of articles that challenged convention and made my readers think about the ideas that I put across. Most notably ‘How To Get More Followers On Instagram’ which was posted in November is still the most viewed post of all time.

7. Let Readers Control The Content

I like the idea of readers emailing me blog ideas or topics that they would like me to cover and even suggest themes or eras for me to cover via ootds i.e. if a reader asked me to dress up as a 70’s icon I would do that as the readers have the final say in what I can and can’t do. If that is popular enough I will create a ‘Public Choice Week’  and give the readers the reins for the week. If you are interested

email me at analuisadejesus1993@hotmail.co.uk

Personal Goals 2016 

Of course a New Year’s resolution would not be complete without some personal goals so here are the following:

1. Cut Down On Spending

This is one of my most important goals that I am really hoping to achieve next year as I have always had a problem with budgeting and/ or having the ability to resist spending money when I don’t need to. As a fashion blogger it can be difficult but I am hoping that by recyling previous outfits and re-wearing them in different ways it will hide the fact that I am completely broke! A blog post on how to make the most of your wardrobe will be coming soon so keep your eyes peeled!

2. Sell Clothes

I have a Depop and Ebay Account- you can find me here and here- that I have sold a few items on but November and December I was so busy that I didn’t have enough time to promote my shops. I am hoping to earn some income on the side from my unwanted clothing that I use for shoots and no longer wear. So if you can help a sister out I would be truly grateful, I sell the items cheaply and most products are in excellent condition.

 

3. Travel more

I found my blog niche in October when I began utilizing my social media and blog accounts and as a result began travelling to areas off the ‘tourist track’ something I hope to continue this year. I want to explore new sites and discover new Street artists that correlate with the ethos of my brand.

What are your New Years resolutions?

Photography: Jumanna Khanom

Coat: Topshop

Skirt: H&M

Tights: New Look

Shoes, Hat & Top: Primark