Happy New Year! (Can I still say that in March?). Winter is nearly over, but a lot has been going on for the blog and me personally so far this year, so this blog review will actually cover both January and February. I feel like Covid is either creating a symptom stir or canceling school in our house constantly. I know we’re all feeling a little burned out and overwhelmed by the ever changing recommendations and mandates. It’s so much stress on everyone, especially parents. I’m right there with you. Send me a note if you want to talk about it. We all have to stick together.
My post count was down for the start of the year, because of Covid related demands on my time as well as traveling for my job for nearly a week. That being said, there was still a lot going on behind the scenes that I’ve been working on to build better systems and an improved experience for you on the site.
Newsletter
First off, I’d like to apologize to anyone who signed up for my newsletter. There was a glitch in how it was set up and I can’t access the list of subscribers. I know there were a few of you. I’ve switched providers and updated the forms, so the problem should be solved. Thanks to my mom and sister-in-law for pointing out the problem. I tested it originally on my end and everything looked good, but it definitely was not. So thanks for looking out for me.
I’d still love to send out a newsletter featuring my latest mom tips, recipes and some bonus content that isn’t posted on the blog. If you’re interested, please fill in the form below to be added to the list and the newsletters will begin in the coming months. I promise they won’t be spammy and won’t take over your inbox. I hope you’ll find them entertaining, but feel free to cancel anytime.
Click Here to Sign Up for the Newsletter
First Give Away
I launched our first downloadable give away. Check out the post on smoosh paint mittens to get a clean, toddler friendly painting project with the downloadable mitten template when you sign up for the newsletter.
Making Money
On a cold day in the middle of January, I logged into my Amazon Affiliate Account and discovered that I made my first sale! It’s so exciting to finally have one click turn into a sale. Turns out it was actually not an eligible order, but it’s still nice to see someone clicked on it. Thank you to whoever clicked my link and I hope you found it helpful!
In general though, Amazon clicks have been down this quarter and still no eligible orders. It really hasn’t been my focus. Barring some miracle, it looks like I may lose the Amazon affiliate status for a while since it hasn’t been successful yet. I’m going to look into some other programs to see if anything resonates with me and my content while I build up some traffic. Then I’ll reevaluate Amazon in the future. That being said, I still stand by every link I’ve posted. I buy so much on Amazon, like I know life existed before Amazon, but how?
Current Income = $0
Social Media
Recently I signed up for Tailwind. While evaluating my Pinterest Analytics, I realized that every time I post a new original pin linked to my post my engagement goes up, naturally. Since I typically do multiple pins per post, I thought rather than post them all at the same time, maybe I should be scheduling them to go out at separate times. So I’m giving that a try to see if my traffic increases or at least balances some so there is more consistent engagement rather than the peaks and valleys I’m usually seeing.
I also modified the template I use for my posts to include a spot for facebook and instagram posts. That will serve as my reminder to post there to build a campaign around all of the places I post to make sure the content is the most useful and effective for my audience.
Instagram is up and running with 12 followers. Come follow me!
For the record, in my personal life outside of the blog, I have never spent a lot of time on updating my personal social media. Occasionally I’ll post a picture on facebook, but that’s about it. Posting on Instagram is very new to me.
For anyone looking to learn from my mistakes, when posting on instagram # companies related to the post. I did that with #funfetti and then they added @Pillsburybaking, which I don’t know why but I’m so excited about that. Now I’m realizing the potential reach of a # and learning slowly how to use them to my advantage. I wish I could go back and #Elvie in one of my recent posts. Ugh. Next time I guess. I’m sure that sounds totally obvious to some, but it was a learning moment for me.
Site Traffic
In January, the site saw 20 unique users and 44 sessions. In February, the site saw 21 unique users and 49 sessions. Considering the lower content push, I’m happy to see that it’s actually stayed flat with December. Impressions and engagements on Pinterest are also up slightly.
Another thing I’m so excited about is that I got my first comment on the blog! It got me really excited, so thank you Anna for commenting on the blog. This also reminded me that I really need to start commenting on other blogs, so I’m going to try to make sure I’m doing that much more frequently.
January/February Posts
- How to Potty Train a Two Year Old
- 10 Helpful Tips for Pumping at Work
- Easy, No Mess Painting: Mittens Craft for Kids
- 5 Easy Winter Crafts Your Toddler Will Love
- Easy Strawberry Banana Smoothie the Kids Will Love
- 8 Tips for Traveling for Work with the Kids
- Leprechaun’s Love These Pot of Gold Trail Mix Bars
Coming Up
I’m excited for spring to start so coming up I’ll share some things I love about spring: a few snacks, green drinks and a little fun. I also have a book list coming out with some recommendations for new moms.
What are you and your kids looking forward to this spring? Share in the comments.
Cheers!
