Continuing from Part 1: At some point you have to evolve
One of the fastest ways to find out what you’re good at is to ask other people. Seems like a no-brainer but many women are afraid to ask others straight up, “What do you think I’m best at?” I think it’s a good exercise because you can see how others see you which in many cases is much brighter than we see ourselves.
Early in the year, I did an informal query with some close friends and blogger pals about what they thought Back in Skinny Jeans did well. I wanted to know one, for marketing purposes and two, I was having a bit of a blog midlife crisis. Looking back, I believe this is when the evolving process took flight. Asking this question brought me to the new theme of BISJ which I’ll share in a moment.
The results I got back were two words: inspiring and wise
Wise does not equal perfect
I feel honored that people think I'm inspiring and wise. I was a bit shocked by the wise part because sometimes I feel like the blind leading the blind. But, as one long time friend put it, “When I need solid advice, I always think of you because you know how to be fair and objective, and find a win/win solution to everything."
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that wise does not equal perfect. Wisdom actually has more to do with someone who allows themselves to make mistakes and be human and grow and learn from them. What differentiates them is that they learn from the pain and tragedy and continue to evolve. My dad taught me that.
“Can I tell you my
life story Steph?”
I must have some wise or comforting aura about me because I’m not kidding you complete strangers will start telling me their life story. I would wonder if I had a neon sign on my head telling people, “The Doctor is in.” Don’t get me wrong. I find it a great honor that people feel I’m worthy of their inner most stories.
The intention behind BISJ has always been to help others feel less stigma and alone. This is how I’m able to share my own life experiences, good and not-so-pretty. Sharing is also a way for us to support and help each other, to again, grow and evolve as human beings.
...BISJ will become more dimensional, and be a warmer place because there will be more depth ...
So now, the “logical” marketing person in me chimes in with toe tapping and says, “Ok, that’s fantastic, but how do you market an inspiring wise blog? What kind of advertisers would be attracted to that?” The “numbers” side of me takes over sometimes because I want to make a living from blogging. But, these are important questions that need to be addressed.
Look to your readers
and it will become clear
I asked the question, so now I needed the Universe to help me out, and it did when I asked, “What is the compliment you get the most from your readers?” The answer is, “You’re like a big sister I always wanted.” The bulk of my readers are about grad school to early 30s, so coupled with my age and the “inspiring and wise” attributes, I see where I fall into the big sister role. Again, I find this to be a high honor and privilege that younger women see me as a role model or as a wise one. Ironically, I always wanted a sister myself as I’m the only girl with two brothers.
Here is the new theme
of Back in Skinny Jeans
So, this is the new theme of Back in Skinny Jeans: “Like a cheery big sister you always wanted.”
What I love about this new theme:
- It flows perfectly into the inspiring and wise skills
- It will enable me to continue to help others
- It allows me to have more fun
- My age becomes an advantage
- More importantly, it will allow me to talk about broader subjects beyond weight loss and body image, which in turn gives me the space to evolve as a person, and keeps the essence of BISJ alive.
How this transition benefits
BISJ readers
The good news about this new theme is that you the readers will get to experience way more dimensions of my knowledge and my perspective on life. BISJ will become more dimensional, and be a warmer place because there will be more depth. Additionally, there will be more variety. Who knows what interesting thing you’ll find here to help you live a better life?
The reason I mentioned age above is because advertisers want to hit that prime target demo of 18-35. Being 40 now kicks me into the "geezer" bracket (in the tough competitive online ad world). The big sister role makes my age an advantage now because wisdom is associated with age and experience.
What are the new
topics then?
I don’t have an exact plan, but here are some subjects I think will be interesting. I'll share some behind the scenes action of turning Noshtopia into a full-sized online business. There are lots of women who dream of owning their own business, or expanding the one they have now. In the case of blogging, I can share how to turn a personal blog into a money making blog. Cool huh!
One of my personal goals is to be a published author. I’ve looked at both self publishing, and trying to get a book deal, and it’s all very fascinating stuff which I’m sure many of you would like to learn more about too. I’m not shy to admit that I’m a newbie in this area.
Other subjects I’d like to expand upon include general self-betterment, life purpose, money management, career, technology, crafts, and love. Recently, I dipped my toe into the online dating world, and wow! Things have changed since I dated 4 years ago. With a more wide open subject area, I can now talk more freely about dating. And zOMG, I’ve been dying to write about the Presidential campaigns.
And lastly, I’m going to start a new thing called, “Dear
Steph”. This is where you the lovely readers get to send me a question, and I’ll
give you my big sisterly advice…for entertainment purposes only as you know the rest of the disclaimer blah-blah.
Will anything remain from
the old blog theme?
Yes, indeed! Three things that will remain are quotes on Tue & Thu, Tiny Inspiring Signs on Monday, and Two Tiny Changes Tuesday. Mon & Tues are the two biggest traffic days of BISJ, and I believe it’s because of these specific things. The post count will drop to 1-2/day and 3-4 days/week. I will still talk about weight loss and body image stuff because hey it’s still something I know real well. It will just be a much smaller % of BISJ content.
Next steps…
I have some blog house redesigning I have to do for these changes, and since I’m a one woman show, that means I need to take some qdown time to do this work. So, I’ll be completely offline at BISJ and somewhat at Noshtopia until at least next Wed (5/27). I might need longer, but I’ll let ya’ll know.
Whew! So there you have it. Please, if you have any suggestions, insights, or questions, don’t be shy. Let me know! And as always, thank you all for your patience and continued support and kindness.
Love, Steph
