More than 3 years ago, I started a blog. I have a Journalism degree, so it was not that hard. I probably should have started one 10 years earlier, but I guess I thought I didn’t have anything interesting to say, which is kind of odd for a marketer, right? As I developed my career – and more importantly, gained new life experiences that have helped me grow – I started gaining a voice. And I wanted an outlet to share that voice. And over the years, that voice has grown and continues to grow. And since I advocate strongly against the status quo, I thought it was time I changed this blog and what it will stand for.
Currently (or at least in the recent past), my blog is/was focused on writing about Ecommerce, Digital Marketing and Social Media. I currently publish about once per month. Posts range from 1,500-2,500 words. Many posts have a lot of research attached to them. But I read a lot of books, blogs, and articles, network a ton, learn from mentors and mentees, and have opinions I’d like to share, more often. However, in the current context of my blog, it does not necessarily fit with the 3 main pillars of Ecommerce, Digital Marketing, and Social Media – though it usually does tie back to them in one way or another for sure.
Helping People Has Become A Passion
I also have a love of helping people, and topics surrounding leadership, inspiration, motivation, transformation, and retail that I have trouble intertwining within my blog as it currently lives. Also, I would rather share my experience and thoughts and feelings, than spend so much time researching posts to write about.
Plus, there are many large sites out there competing in the space of Digital/Ecommerce/Social. And I want to stand out. So I want to turn it more into a blog about me and my experiences and also make it Seth Godin-esque, potentially writing shorter thought capsules.
I want to write more often. I think this re-focusing will help be write a few times per week. So rather than just focusing on the professional, I want to also add in the personal.
Learning is Addictive, Learning is Contagious
Additionally, I am working on a book on Digital Transformation, so I would like to change up the blog and what the logo looks like and stands for. I want to continue on this path of personal and professional development, and share more. Learning is addictive, and it can be contagious, and I want to help spread that. And I want to stand for something even more meaningful – helping others get motivated and inspired in their day-to-day (work or life).
So last week I changed up the blog’s branding a bit. Rather than Shaping the Ecommerce & Digital Marketing landscape, I changed the tagline to Inspire. Lead. Transform. Igniting Transformation In The Digital Age.
A few weeks back, I wrote a post called The Parallels Between Leading and Hiking Alone – My Trip to Sedona. It was likely the first of this new tone I want to focus on. The responses I have received from it confirmed that I was doing the right change at the right time. When people write to you and leave you messages and say how my posts are inspirational, motivational, adventurous, how can I not be grateful for where I am in this stage of my life? I truly am grateful.
So this is an evolution of me and my writing, for this time in my life and development. Keep pushing me to be better, and I will keep sharing what I’ve learned.
I love it! The new tagline rocks!
Wishing you all the best with this new angle. I will be following it.
Like it a lot. I do an eComm blog too – and sometimes – it can be stifling. Sometimes, I just want to spout out about something completely off-base and not Marketing or eCommerce-y at all, but I don’t because I want to keep the same theme going. Maybe you’re right though, it might be good to mix it up a bit.
I used to do a 1500-2500 word blog about once a week, though sometimes I went as long as a month without doing stuff. Right now, been a few months, as I was doing a contract doing both social media and content – and on my time off – the last thing I felt like doing was being creative off-hours. It was hard to be inspired. You’ve inspired me to start again though, miss it!
Rob, so glad I can help inspire you. I know what you mean about trying to keep the same theme. I would say just be yourself and lend your expertise and thoughts in any way YOU feel right. I would also experiment with shorter posts. It’s helped me a lot, and I think my readers like it better.