I’m always excited for autumn and September and October, even though I don’t go to school anymore and set my own hours and tasks haha
It’s the time to plan ahead. The holidays and the new year for a successful kick start. When you start planning the new year in December, it’s too late.
Plan ahead.
Schedule things.
Get festive.
You can check out my October fall bucket list here to get some inspiration.
It just always feels like the perfect time to ‘start fresh’, get ‘autumn-y’ and prepare for the busiest time of the year!
I earn most of the money I earn in the last quarter but I’m careful to not spend it all, I save it for a kickstart of next year.
Why my last quarter is so successful year after year?
To begin, I’m a blogger and use recurring paying affiliate links on my blog (get started with recurring affiliate links here).
That means, that when someone buys a product or software via my unique links, I receive a small percentage of the sale, that’s something that the buyer doesn’t affect but he/she does support me.
The last quarter of the year I have a couple of those payments coming in so I know that year after year, I’ll receive that commission.
So that’s a couple of hundreds or thousands each year.
Then, it’s the season to up your affiliate marketing game, because people want to buy for dinner parties, Black Friday and Christmas.
It’s also THE season to get ahead of your goals and personal development, something I can help you with.
It’s the perfect season to enroll in Blogging Wave, as you might have more time to work on moving your blog forward, in just 21-days time.
It’s also the season I have a look at my own personal development and tech needs, as it’s the perfect time to invest and search for bargains.
Did you know I take most of December off to plan the rest of the year? Work aheadand take it easy, as there’s no pressure at all if I just ‘act’ like I’m taking the month off? That means, it’s extra busy the months before, starting in September, but it’s so worth it!
Last minute drinks at a friends office? I’m in!
Holiday dinner at a PR agency? Count me in!
Etc., Etc., I just love it.
So how you best prepare for the busiest season of it all?
Simple tips for more revenue and traffic this festive season as a blogger
Blogging
1. Schedule ahead – don’t we all do this like all the time? Yes and no.
I tend to work ahead and schedule some posts for my blog in advance, but then I leave space for awesome ideas. But what I mean is, schedule your income ahead. Be strategic about it.
A few years ago when I created this whole ‘last quarter‘ ritual, I did everything last minute.
Now I schedule ahead, I know what’s coming and I’m ready.
Planning starts as early as August when I start to think about affiliate launch ideas, gift guides, newsletters, and more.
I use a large monthly desk planner like this one that starts in July and goes all the way through December of the next year, to plan as much as possible.
I use these colored fineliners and these markers to ‘color coordinate’ it all.
Example: all the things like newsletters, Instagram posts, blog posts, to-do’s, collaborations and press releases have their own colors and I mark them once I’ve created the product/finished the task.
Last but not least I map it all out in my Bullet Journal, to have a more ‘strategic’ overview of it all.
I write down where the money comes in and when,my goals, what my content ‘themes’ and ‘flow’ will be and how I plan to reach those goals.
2. Apply for new affiliate programs in time – Sure, you might have a strong affiliate marketing game already, but if you apply now to new programs, you can offer your followers something new, something they might just need.
I once bought something on Black Friday and it included an affiliate link, so shared it with my followers because I, of course as a new buyer, was really enthusiastic and made that sale back the same weekend as most deals run through Monday.
I don’t want you to do that, I want you to prepare before, so you can actually just enjoy your weekend and advertise their offer.
So now is the time to think ahead and apply for new programs!
I’m currently accepting new Blogging Wave affiliates, so make sure you sign-up as soon as possible to maximize its potential!
3. Make sure you’re familiar with Pinterest and all its tools to maximize traffic + affiliate sales – Recently Tailwind opened a new tool to loop your content, and I’m sure it will maximize your traffic in the most simples way, so make sure you claim my $15 credit from me to you now, to get familiar with Tailwind and to get ahead of the rest with pinning your holiday pins!
Did you know Pinterest itself recommends you start repinning your Holiday content from as early as July on?
I have written a few tutorials on Tailwind here, and I have a whole strategy lesson in Blogging Wave on Pinterest where I share my Pinterest Playbook.
4. Now is the time to build a newsletter and here’s why.Trust me, you want a list (and people on it) when the Holiday season hits.
In order to have a fairly easy but very successful Holiday season as a blogger, you need a list of approx. 1000 people to start with.
I made my first $1500 affiliate sale with a tiny list (read the full story here)!
I suggest you grab my free 30-day trial of Convertkit to see if you like it and how quickly you can build your list.
Usually, their trial is just 14-days, but here’s the Convertkit 30-day trial link (no credit card necessary!) you can use to try it a little bit longer. Hopefully, just in time for Halloween and the kick off of the Holiday season!
And make sure you’re signed up for my Black Friday + Holiday content newsletter here.
5. Prepare for more traffic – by creating or updating your ‘start here page’ and your ‘best of’ pages.
You know those awesome blog posts that list the top posts in a certain category?
You need those for new ‘cold’ visitors!
Prepare to receive more traffic using these strategies, by showing a little bit off who you are and what you can mean for your new readers.
This is also an excellent time to build your newsletter list, so make sure you incline or embed your Convertkit newsletter forms easy like this two copy trick.
6. Lock in sponsors now – now is the time to lock in some awesome sponsors ahead to sponsor your content, photos etc.
Now is the time to send out your media kit, apply for sponsor opportunities and influencer agencies because I promise you, there are lots of things to promote in the Holiday season!
Mind + Life
7. You want to start early with things and plan it all. Start thinking about dinner menu’s, outfits, decoration, and parties now.
I know, it sounds strange, but if you devote one Saturday or Sunday now to planning all these things ahead and taking inventory, doing research etc., you’ll save a lot of time and stress later on.
The No-Stress Holiday Organizer: An All-in-One Guide to Planning and Recording Your Holidays can help you sort your holiday life altogether with many checklists, planners, and ideas.
If you’re as obsessed with checklists, documenting your holidays and meal planners as I am, this organizer is the right one for you! It includes a 3-month calendar to completely plan it all, so grab it now!
8. Declutter, save, work out and be on the lookout – this one is a pro tip. But I’m never thinking when September hits, oh ok Summer is over, it’s time to quit the gym. Nooo, I go all in, to lose some weight so I can eat all I want in November and December haha!
I declutter, to make space for holiday decorations and new purchases. I save money for obvious reasons and I start looking for the perfect gifts for my loved ones NOW. Because I don’t work well under pressure and I’ll come up with less creative gift ideas when I’m under pressure.
I also bookmark the constantly updated Black Friday Guides (here and here) and start getting my life back together after an often ‘chaotic’ summer with lots of time spent outside the home.
