The Top 10 Blog Posts of 2014: A Look Back

2014 was a bit of a wild ride for me. It started off with one set of plans – and ended somewhere completely different! As things are taking shape and coming together, as they have been for the past quarter of 2014, I know I’m exactly where I need to be on the path I need to be taking.

Looking back is always a good thing, taking the time to analyze what you did right, what you could have done better. For me, one part of that has been looking through what were the most popular posts I wrote here over the past year.

The Top 10 Blog Posts of 2014

1. The Annual BIG Black Friday List for Photographers – 2014 – every year, this post is the most popular one that I write. Clearly, you all love a great sale, and I don’t blame you! I have a lot of fun putting it together too. So many great deals!
2. Have Your Online Galleries Been Hacked? – this was not a good day in the photography world. We discovered that unscrupulous people were accessing client galleries and then sharing all the log-in details online. It hasn’t stopped; I discovered another forum 2 months ago thanks to them actually linking to my post about this! If you think it only applies to boudoir photographers, I’d think again. Especially if you are a children’s photographer. Do you want creepers in those galleries? No. Make your passwords stronger, or consider In Person Sales. (In Person Sales are the way to go!)
3. Social Media Infusion – The Book – Stephanie & I turned our class about the power of Social Media in to a 96 page book! With great information on how to set up an editorial calendar, the power of using your blog as the hub of your social media universe, and details on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest, it is full of helpful tips for your business! You should get your copy today if you haven’t already!
4. How to Run a Black Friday Sale without Hurting Your Business – you don’t want to be known as the business that is just running one sale after another, and you definitely don’t want clients just waiting for the next sale instead of booking you now! Here is how I’ve run Black Friday sales in the past without hurting my business; you could do it at any time of year.
5. Are You Doing the Work to Be at the Top? To Rank High on Google? – I know you want to be #1 for all the key search phrases on Google, but are you doing the work to get there? Are you blogging? Are you taking steps to get to the top? Is it a realistic goal for you?
6. Why Are Your Readers Here? Day 1 of the 30 Days to Awesomize Your Blog Series – if someone visited your site right now, would it be clear to them what your message is, what your goals are for the site? Why are they here? This series was one of my BIG “things I did right in 2014” moves!
7. Using Google Analytics to Build Your Blog Editorial Calendar – Day 11 – 30 Days to Awesomize Your Blog – Not sure what to write about on your blog? You can use Google Analytics to help you figure that out!
8. The Big Secret to My Successful Photography Business – I spill the beans. Everything you wanted to know about how I went from starting to a 6 figure photography business in the span of 1 year.
9. The Business Lesson to be Learned from Lafanda Quee – Lafanda tried to make herself look like me, but that alone is not enough to BE me. There was a business lesson in the whole experience.
10. Spinning, and Finding My Way Upright Again – the last part of 2014 felt like a lot of spinning. So many choices, so many opportunities. I was setting so many rules for myself, and suffering under the weight of all of them. I’m finally upright again.
11. Why You Need an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog – 30 Days to Awesomize Your Blog Series – the Editorial Calendar is a powerful thing. Such a simple plan can make a HUGE difference in your business. Setting one up for yourself will make your writing for the year ahead so much easier!

Bonus Blog Posts

A few of these are from before 2014, but still crazy popular. Others are ones I wrote over on Vivid & Brave this year. Enjoy!

• Why I Ditched DVDs for USBs and You Should Too – this single post is by far the most popular post on my blog! A few years old, and yet I still am always surprised to discover people are still using DVDs to deliver files to their clients. I haven’t owned a laptop with a DVD drive in it since 2011. Your clients don’t own them either. It is time to ditch the DVDs!
• What Lens Should I Buy? Six Tips to Help You Choose! – one of those questions people ask all the time, this post gives you tips on how to choose the best lens for you!
• IKEA Hack: My Standing Desk – A few IKEA parts and I created a lovely standing desk.
• Business Planners, Systems, and Working with Intention plus my review of the Big Picture Planner from Design Aglow – two posts, but they go hand-in-hand with each other. Using these things made 2014 a far more productive year for me!
• The Best Makeup Tutorial Ever – “It really doesn’t matter how you put on your makeup, or if you wear makeup at all – these tips in this makeup tutorial will guarantee that you will be absolutely STUNNING and gorgeous all day long!” (It isn’t what you think it is. You should watch it. Oh, but make sure the kids aren’t around – it has some adult language in it.)

Now to start looking ahead – I’ve got a lot of great posts planned for the coming weeks and months, and I can’t wait to share them with you!