A Challenging Start to the Week, but Ultimately Successful!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog today!
This week has been a busy one, to say the least! It started with my youngest getting sick with some kind of virus. He had a fever, cold sweats, achiness, and throwing up. He was in bed for two to three days trying to get better. Of all days, it had to start on his 16th birthday! Poor guy, I felt so bad for him. We had plans for a small celebration, but instead, I spent the day nursing him back to health. It’s always tough to see your kids sick, and even more so on such a special day.
Meanwhile, my older son decided to try replacing a part in his car to improve his steering that was off. To keep this story short, he spent eight hours on it the first day, but the part wouldn’t fit properly. After getting a good night’s sleep, he went back to try again and spent another four to five hours, and he got it to fit this time. He put everything back together tightly, took it for a ride, and it rode more smoothly than it did before and the steering was fixed. I’m so proud of this kid! It was a big job, and he didn’t give up when he wanted to.
I’m just so happy everything is working in the car okay, and it’s safe now for him to drive. He’s still planning on buying a new car closer to September, but now we will be able to give this one to his brother to drive for a bit until he can save more money for a newer and better car, now that Zachary was able to fix it. He was completely dirty from head to toe the other night and today, as you can see, after him working on it.
It relieves me now from playing chauffeur because I had been taking him to and from work for the last couple of days, along with having to take my younger son as well, all at different hours. I am so glad I won’t have to do that now.
When it rains, it pours! All this while I’m trying to get work done for my business and plan a party this Saturday with friends and family to celebrate both their birthdays that had just passed in June and July. It has been a lot lately, but seeing their smiles on their faces come Saturday at their birthday party will make it all worth it for me!
If you stick to what you’re trying to do and don’t give up, it usually works out in the end. Persistence is a good thing when you’re trying to accomplish something that matters, no matter what it is.
Enough about my challenging week… Let’s talk about my progress in my business for this week.
Recent Developments in My Business Journey
Despite the chaos, I’ve been able to make significant progress in my business. I’ve successfully embedded all my emails into the affiliate system and started testing them to ensure they are functioning correctly. They all seem to be working properly so far.
This step is crucial for your business for several reasons. Let me explain why that is.
Embedding my emails into the affiliate system allows me to automate and manage communication more effectively. By integrating these emails, I ensure that my messages reach the right audience at the right time without manual intervention. With all emails embedded and tested, I can maintain a consistent marketing message across my affiliate campaigns. This consistency is vital for building trust with my audience and reinforcing my brand’s message.
Testing the emails thoroughly ensures that they are correctly set up and functioning as intended, helping to prevent any technical issues or errors that could disrupt my marketing efforts or cause confusion among recipients. Integrating emails into the affiliate system also allows for better tracking of open rates, click-through rates, and other key metrics. This data is invaluable for analyzing the effectiveness of my campaigns and making data-driven decisions. Furthermore, by embedding emails into the affiliate system, I can set up automated follow-ups and nurturing sequences, which helps in engaging leads consistently and efficiently without needing to manually send each email.
Captivating TikTok Videos: Key Strategies and Tools
I also signed up for the free training with TikTok University, thanks to Atif’s recommendation, and began diving into that course. TikTok is a powerful platform, and I’m excited to harness its potential for my business.
From TikTok University’s TikTok 101 course, I learned several key strategies to boost my content creation on the platform. One essential takeaway is that TikTok personalizes content to your interests based on your usage, which helps in identifying trending topics and effective strategies. Engaging videos that captivate and hold viewers attention are crucial, as watch time plays a significant role in a video’s performance. Analyzing successful videos for their hooks, bodies, and CTAs can provide valuable insights for improving my own content.
The course highlighted the importance of using a 9:16 aspect ratio for vertical videos and keeping videos at least 6 seconds long to cater to audience preferences. Leveraging trending or original audio tracks can enhance visibility, while posting 3-5 times a week helps maintain growth. TikTok’s native effects, like TikTok Text and creative filters, play a crucial role in meeting audience expectations and boosting engagement.
Lighting is another critical aspect; recording near natural light sources or using household items like color bulbs and string lights can significantly improve video quality. For audio, affordable external microphones like the Fifine K669B USB Microphone and the Lavalier Lapel Microphone by Movo offer budget-friendly options to enhance sound clarity.
Using your phone effectively involves cleaning the lens before recording and shooting vertically to make the most of screen space. Proper subject placement is important to ensure key information is not obscured, and moving the camera around the subject can create a more engaging viewing experience. Incorporating TikTok’s in-app effects and experimenting with various backgrounds can keep your content visually appealing and fresh. Overall, these strategies emphasize the importance of engaging content, leveraging TikTok’s features, and maintaining a creative and consistent approach to video creation.
Planning and Creating Content
Creating a content plan is essential to staying consistent and ensuring that each piece of content delivers value to your audience. With a clear outline, you can ensure that you’re hitting all the key points of your journey, sharing valuable insights, and keeping your audience engaged.
The first thing you should do is choose the platform you want to use and study it thoroughly before you start utilizing it. Using multiple platforms can be beneficial because it allows you to reach different segments of your audience where they are most active. It also helps diversify your content distribution, ensuring that if one platform’s algorithm changes, you still have other channels to maintain your visibility and engagement. This multi-channel approach helps build a more robust and resilient online presence.
Although, while it’s beneficial to utilize multiple platforms, it’s crucial to start with one and master it before expanding to others. This strategy allows you to fully grasp the complexities of the platform, build a solid audience base, and maintain consistent, high-quality content without overwhelming yourself. Quality over quantity is best. Once you’ve established a strong presence on one platform, transitioning to additional platforms becomes more manageable and effective. My primary platform will be TikTok, where I will focus on creating engaging video content. Once I’m comfortable and successful there, I plan to expand to Facebook as my secondary platform for broader community engagement and content sharing.
Choosing the Right Platforms for Your Content. Here are a few platforms you can choose from.
1. Blog:
Your blog serves as the central hub for your content. It allows you to go in-depth on topics, showcase your expertise, and improve your website’s SEO. Long-form content like how-to guides, case studies, and detailed articles can be hosted here, providing a valuable resource for your audience.
2. YouTube:
YouTube is the second-largest search engine and is great for visual and tutorial content. Video tutorials, vlogs, and interviews can engage viewers more dynamically, and the platform’s searchability can attract new followers.
3. Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok):
Social media platforms are vital for reaching a broader audience, engaging with your followers, and driving traffic back to your blog or website. Each platform caters to different types of content and demographics, allowing you to tailor your message accordingly.
4. Email Newsletters:
Email newsletters allow you to directly reach your audience with personalized content. Regular newsletters can keep your audience updated on your latest posts, videos, and exclusive offers, fostering a deeper connection and driving traffic to your other platforms.
5. Podcasts:
Podcasts are growing in popularity and are a fantastic way to share your expertise and stories while allowing your audience to listen on the go. They can complement your blog and video content, providing another format to engage your audience.
Since I already picked my main platform, now I will continue to do my research on it, and get to know everything about it before posting my first video. After learning more about TikTok these past couple of days, I decided to write a script for my first video and then an outline for the others that will follow. That way I won’t fall behind with videos once I start them. I feel if I have an outline of how my journey has been, it will make it easier for me to create my videos and not get behind with them.
I know it probably sounds silly because I already know how my journey has gone, but it’s easier for me not to forget anything or leave anything out if I have it written down on paper and can see it as I go. As I’m sure you can tell, I’m a very organized and visual person. Things get chaotic in my world if I don’t stay organized in my business. What works for me may not work for you, though, so you should find what works best for yourself and go with it.
What did we learn today?
1. Navigating Challenges: Managing personal and family challenges while progressing in business shows resilience and effective time management.
2. Email Integration: Successfully embedding emails into the affiliate system enhances communication efficiency and marketing consistency.
3. TikTok Strategy: Learning and applying TikTok content creation strategies can significantly boost engagement and visibility for a business.
Despite the hectic start to the week, I’m excited about the progress I’ve made this week. While managing unexpected challenges at home, I’ve been focusing on laying the groundwork for my business.
Additionally, the knowledge I’ve gained from TikTok University is proving to be extremely valuable as I get ready to start creating video content. Understanding TikTok’s features and strategies will help me craft engaging and effective videos when I begin.
Having a clear outline of planning and organizing my content to ensure consistency and value for my audience will set me up for success and help me stay on track as I start creating and sharing content.
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences, so please leave a comment below. How is your workflow shaping up, and what strategies have you found helpful? What main platform did you decide to go with, and how has your journey been so far with it?
Don’t forget to check out the free guide on starting an affiliate marketing business for beginners here, and follow my platforms for more updates here. Here’s to a productive and successful week ahead! Until then…
To Our Success,
What a whirlwind of a week you’ve had! First off, I hope your youngest is feeling much better now. It’s such a bummer to be sick on your birthday, especially a milestone like 16. You handled it like a champ, though, and I’m sure he appreciated all the TLC you gave him.
Kudos to your older son for his persistence with the car repair! Eight hours and then another four to five hours—what a trooper! It’s great to hear that everything’s running smoothly now and that you’ll get a break from being the family chauffeur.
Balancing all of that with running your business and planning a party—wow, you’re superhuman! It’s inspiring to see you push through the challenges and make such significant strides with your business. Getting those emails embedded and tested is a huge step, and it sounds like you’re really leveraging some great strategies from TikTok University. I can’t wait to see your content there!
Your determination is seriously motivating. Thanks for sharing your journey—it’s a great reminder that persistence and hard work pay off. Looking forward to more updates and success stories from you!
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much for your kind words! It really means a lot. My youngest is feeling much better now, and we did have a celebration for both my boys for their birthday’s, so it made up for Evan missing out on his actual birthday. It’s amazing how resilient kids can be!
I’m incredibly proud of my older son for his perseverance with the car repair. It was a tough job, but he stuck with it, and now we can all breathe a little easier knowing his car is in good shape.
Balancing everything has been a challenge, but your encouragement truly helps. Getting the business tasks done amidst the chaos felt like a huge win, and I’m excited about the progress I’m making with the strategies from TikTok University.
Thank you for your support and for following along with my journey. Persistence and hard work really do pay off, and it’s wonderful to have a supportive community cheering us on. Looking forward to sharing more updates and successes with you!
Meredith
Hi Meredith – Wow, you had a very busy week but you were able to get through it by managing your time. Excellent job! So sorry to hear about the illness in your family but the added benefit is the resourcefulness of your son with his vehicle. That truly is a win! I, too, have chosen blogging and TikTok as my platforms. I’m happy to hear about TikTok University as I would like to try it out as well to try and get more views. This is something I am lacking as I am still uncomfortable with TikTok but getting a little bit better. thank you for your tips and for this post in the midst of your challenging week. Have a great day!
Hi Ernie,
It was definitely a busy week, but managing my time effectively helped a lot. My son is feeling better now, thank you, and I’m so proud of my older son for his resourcefulness with the car repair. It was definitely a win!
TikTok University has been a game changer for me, offering so many useful tips and strategies. It’s understandable to feel a bit uncomfortable with TikTok at first, but with practice, it gets easier. At least that’s what I’m told.. Keep at it, and you’ll see progress! My day is getting closer and closer for me to get on there.
Thank you for your support and for sharing your journey. Wishing you great success. Have a wonderful day!
Meredith
What a week you’ve had. Sorry about your son’s illness. I hope he’s on the mend now and kudos to your other son for fixing his steering. Embedding your emails in Affiliate System is a fantastic feature and it’s great to see you taking advantage of it. Thanks for sharing the advice from the TikTok University. I’m going to sign up myself as my videos keep getting stuck in 200 jail.
Hi Andy,
Thank you! It was quite a week, but we’re all on the mend now. I’m really proud of my son for fixing his steering, he did a great job!
Embedding the emails in the Affiliate System has been very beneficial. It’s exciting to see it all coming together. TikTok University has been incredibly helpful, and I’m glad to hear you’re considering it too. The tips from TikTok University have made a big difference for me with understanding how you should do them and what helps in the process.
Thanks for your support and best of luck with your videos!
Meredith
I’m really impressed by how you’re juggling everything, from personal challenges to your business ventures. I completely relate to the struggle of balancing family responsibilities with work—sometimes it feels like life throws everything at you all at once!
Your progress with embedding emails into your affiliate system is fantastic. I agree that automation can make a huge difference in maintaining a consistent marketing message and managing communication more efficiently. One thing I’ve found useful is regularly analyzing the metrics from these automated campaigns to tweak and optimize them for better performance. For instance, keeping an eye on open rates and click-through rates can provide insights into what content resonates most with your audience, allowing you to refine your approach.
It’s also great to see you diving into TikTok University! The strategies you mentioned, like focusing on engaging hooks and utilizing trending audio, are spot-on. One tip I’d add is to experiment with TikTok’s new features and trends as they roll out. The platform evolves quickly, and staying ahead of these changes can give you a competitive edge.
I’m curious, have you found any particular content themes or formats on TikTok that have performed better for you or your niche? It would be interesting to hear what’s been working well as you start integrating these new strategies!
Looking forward to hearing more about your journey and any additional insights you discover along the way!
Hi Alison,
Thank you for your kind words! Balancing everything can be challenging, but it’s rewarding.
Embedding emails into my affiliate system has been a big step forward. I appreciate your tip on analyzing metrics; tracking open and click-through rates will definitely help refine my approach.
TikTok University has been great, and your suggestion to experiment with new features is a good idea. I’ve heard that short, engaging videos with clear calls to action and valuable tips perform well. I’ll have to give it a go.
Thanks for the support and tips! Looking forward to sharing more insights and learning together.
Meredith
Wow I’m exhausted just reading about everything you have accomplished this last week! Whatever method you are using to keep everything in your personal life and business life moving forward keep it up you’re doing a wonderful job! I followed you on TT and am looking forward to seeing all that you are learning from the university. Good Luck with your birthday bash!
Hi Ken,
Thank you so much for your encouragement! It’s been a busy week, but your support means a lot. I’m glad to hear you followed me on TikTok, I’m excited to share what I’m learning from the TikTok university.
Thanks for the well wishes on the birthday bash! I appreciate your kind words.
Meredith
Hi Meredith,
This is the great part about blog-hopping: you get to learn a little bit more about how everybody is doing things and whether you like it or not: they are in a position to make you become better at what you do!
For me, I know that I now have Atif and Meredith as mentors for the Tik Tok videos I want to create and become better at producing! Thank you!
All the best!
Hi Marc,
Absolutely, blog-hopping is a fantastic way to learn and grow. I’m glad to hear that you find inspiration and mentorship through all of us in our community. It’s great that you’re looking to improve your TikTok videos with Atif and me helping along the way.
Thank you for the support and kind words! Wishing you all the best with your content creation and looking forward to seeing your progress.
Meredith
Hi Meredith,
Wow, what a week you’ve had! It’s inspiring to see how you navigated through those personal challenges and still made significant progress in your business. Your dedication to both your family and your professional goals is truly commendable.
The insights you shared on email integration and leveraging TikTok for content creation are incredibly valuable. I particularly liked your detailed strategy for TikTok videos — it’s clear that you’re putting a lot of thought into your content planning, which will definitely pay off.
I appreciate your honesty about the chaos and your proactive approach to organizing and managing your tasks. It’s a good reminder that persistence and effective time management can lead to great outcomes, even when things get tough.
Looking forward to hearing more about your journey and the success that follows. Cheers to a productive and successful week ahead!
All the Best,
Hi Ezequiel,
Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s been a challenging week, but your support is truly motivating. I’m glad the insights on email integration and TikTok strategies were helpful. I’m putting a lot of effort into content planning, so it’s great to hear it’s resonating.
Your encouragement about managing tasks and staying persistent is much appreciated. It’s definitely a balancing act, but it’s rewarding to see progress.
Looking forward to sharing more about my journey and successes. Cheers to a productive week ahead for both of us!
Meredith
I do not know how you do it all. Lots to do so little time. We could all use some time management skills here.
Hi Scott,
Time management can be a challenge, and I’m always adjusting my strategies to stay on top of things. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to share any tips or tools that have helped me. We’re all in this together, and supporting each other is key.
Meredith