The biggest goal most people have for their blog is to monetize it.

Why else would you write valuable content 2-3 times a week, for fun?

It makes sense. However many people are putting the cart before the horse, especially those just getting into building an online presence.

The key is building which includes building relationships, building a following, building a well oiled website with a purpose other than money.

Years ago I sold artwork by doing in home art shows. It was very similar to a Tupperware^® party only with art.

I was at my best when it was not the end of the month. The minimum amount required for the month to be in good standing was $800 and to get a bonus $1200. My best art shows were always after I’d gotten my monthly quota. Why?

Up until that point I’d be calculating in my head sales based on the number of paintings set aside. My focus was on the dollars and not the guests. At the time, I didn’t realize this was happening.

I did notice when I was not concerned about meeting the quota, the art shows were more fun and attendees seemed to be more engaged. It really had to do with how I served them. The better I served them, the more engaging they became, and the sells followed.

At my best I was really into what art pieces the guests were interested in, allowed them to decide for themselves, and ultimately made more as a result. The same thing applies to your website.

If you’ve been online any amount of time you know the building process takes work. What if the burden of work could be lightened?

Do this quick exercise with me.

1. Write down 3 goals for your website.
2. Read them aloud.

How do you feel?

Do your goals make your efforts more focused on the why of your business?

Goals help identify the purpose of something so you know exactly what you should be doing.

Having goals for your website creates excitement about finding and writing quality content for your blog.

Goals are reminders for how you’ll serve people, which makes you more consistent and diligent in your efforts.

If none of this applies, you may want to re-evaluate your goals. Or maybe I just have it all wrong.

3 goals for this website:

1. To translate technical “geek speak” so it makes sense regardless of skill level.
2. To teach you how to communicate with your web person so they understand you.
3. To make you aware of what gets results online using your website, teleclasses, and eNewsletters.

Now it’s your turn: Share the 3 goals you wrote down in the exercise above. What do you want to accomplish with your website, teleclass, and/or eNewsletter?