Two Year Blog Anniversary | AccordingtoD.com Turns Two
I cannot believe it has been TWO years since I started my blog! I am still loving it and am so proud of how much it has grown in only two short years. I wrote a post when my blog turned one, you can check that out HERE. In this post I talk about my first year blogging. I love looking back on this post because my second year of blogging grew so much more than the first did! It's exciting to see the progress, reflect on where my blog has come and set goals for the future. In that blog post I set goals that I wanted to accomplish in year two. Here they are and here is what happened:
Goals Set a Year Ago For Year Two + Results:
- Own a DSLR camera and take better quality photos.
- Attend a photography class.
- Have over 5,000 followers on Instagram.
- Continue to write about things I love and am passionate about.
- Continue to be real and authentic.
- Inspire women around the world.
- Have over 500 suscribe to my blogs email subscription.
- Have over 1,000 people per month visiting my blog.
- Attend a blogging event and meet tons of fabulous bloggers!
Results:
- I DID purchase a DSLR camera. I chose a Canon EOS Rebel T5.
- I did not attend a photography class, however I watched many YouTube videos and have improved a ton since purchasing the camera.
- I DO have over 5,000 followers on Instagram. In fact I have almost 7,000 as I am writing this post.
- I am still writing about what I love and what I am passionate about.
- Of course I am still authentic and true to who I am. In fact, I have turned down many collaborations that did not fit "me".
- Inspire women around the world: I sure hope I did this in some way. I think writing for Lane of Roses was one of the most inspirational things I did this year in blogging.
- I do not have 500 email subscribers yet, but I still love that goal!
- I DID hit the goal of having over 1,000 people view my blog each month. In fact last month I had about 3,200+ people view my blog according to Google analytics.
- Not only did I attend a blogging event, I HOSTED ONE! This one I was not expecting but I am so proud of myself for hosting this event with my good friend Lauren. To read about the event, click HERE.
Top 10 Favorite Moments From Blogging Year TWO
- Writing for Denver Style Magazine. This was my first time writing for another site. It really got me outside of my comfort zone and expanded my mindset on my writing skills. I wrote about protecting your skin at a high altitude since Denver is a mile high. Click the photo below to read the post.
- Being featured on Rocksbox's Instagram and Trestique's Instagram. I am of course flattered when a company uses a photo I have taken. You can click the brand names to view the IG share.
- Collaborating with fellow blogger Lauren Groeper from Lady Planner. Last May Lauren and I did a photoshoot with the lovely Emily Sacco in the Highlands area of Denver. We got a spray tan, hair and makeup done by Alchemy Beauty and wore clothes we borrowed from Pinks Denver. The post was on Denver fare and refreshments. Lauren and I each shared our top five favorite spots to eat and drink in the Denver highlands area. You can check that post out HERE or click the photo below.
- Hitting 5,000 on Instagram. I absolutely love Instagram! It is one of my favorite components of my blog. I love that it truly challenges me to get creative. It challenges me to get better at taking photos, and having an eye for an ascetically pleasing Instagram feed. Hitting 5k followers on Instagram on June 1st was just validation that I am improving and there are people out there who are enjoying my creativity! Now, I cannot wait to hit 10k!
- Writing for Lane of Roses. This was such a great experience, getting to reflect on my journey with God. Writing this got me way out of my comfort zone and allowed me to get very transparent and personal with the readers. It was an honor to write for them, they are a great organization!
- Collaborating with Rocksbox and Freebird by Steve Madden. When I received emails from both Rocksbox and Steve Madden I was on cloud nine! Don't get me wrong, I love all of the collaborations I get to do and I am humbled and honored when any company reaches out. However, these brands meant more to me since I was already a HUGE fan of both of them!! Rocksbox carries Kendra Scott jewelry which I've been obsessing with for about a year + now, and who doesn't love Steve Madden?! Those had to make my top ten favorite moments of this year in blogging.
- Hosting a Denver blogger event. You can read ALL about this in full detail HERE. Like I mentioned above, my blogger friend and I hosted a Denver blogger event for all the local bloggers to get together, have a fun time and make new friends. It was a ton of planning and preparation, but I am SO incredibly happy with the way it turned out. I met a ton of amazing women bloggers from around the Denver area and everyone had a fabulous time.
Photo by Corey Anthony Photography
Photo by Corey Anthony Photography
- Getting paid to blog. I never started blogging FOR the money. I started blogging to meet new people, to be creative and to grow a brand around everything that I loved! With all that being said though, getting paid for something you'd love to do regardless is very very fun! My first year in blogging I received just a few free items, nothing much. This year was far more exciting in that department, I got to work with more brands, and brands I love, and on top of it on some collaborations I got paid. That was a huge milestone for me and I was so proud of that!
- Packing video hitting 35,000+ views on YouTube. When I very first started blogging I had always wanted to do a packing video. Right before I started blogging my husband and I went to Italy for about three weeks for our honeymoon. I packed for that trip in a carry on bag and that is where the inspiration for this video came from. This August, my husband and I went back to Europe, but for a month this time. I packed and with the help of my great friend Colby Hunt, we made a video on how to pack for an entire month in one carry on bag.
- Sharing my travels with you all. One of my favorite aspects of blogging is sharing my life with the readers and followers. This year was such a blast, we got to go on so many amazing trips and I am so grateful for that. Of course our most memorable trip was the European trip, to Amsterdam and all over Italy. I especially loved sharing my travel moments with you all on Instagram. Stay tuned, next year there will be so many travel posts that were inspired from that adventure.
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