Making Plans for the Summer
As I have written before, we are now heading into the blogging summer slump time when the intertubes slow down, people go on vacation, some businesses put off projects, readers spend more time outside and not so much in front of the computer.
Of course the first thing most of us think of when things slow down is to take the opportunity for a rest. We all need a break, in fact I just got back from vacation (did you miss me? 
), but there is also an opportunity here to give your goal progress a boost.
If you want to keep your momentum, especially if you are in business for yourself, you really want to work smart. While others drop into a slower pace, you can knock up a gear and invest the time for a big payoff.
Why not use the summer to build up to a big project for the autumn? You can be simmering, constructing and testing over this period so you know you have something really good to unleash in September and October when people are back at work raring to go.
- Develop your content
- Reorganize your site
- Research and brainstorm topics
- Build up your community features and resources
- Create new products and services
- Plan joint ventures
That’s what I am doing, thanks to some encouragement, I am acting on my plans for building my Authority Blogger online course.
Most of you will know, my business generates sales through my blogging. My content attracts visitors, builds confidence and converts visitors into taking up my services. I call making yourself the go-to person in your niche through your blog Authority Blogging.
For over a year I have been planning this online course. Through coaching bloggers and service businesses in online marketing, I have been developing roadmaps and techniques, and this course puts these tactics into a step by step system that you can follow to achieve authority in your own niche. That means for you more respect, credibility and clients, and for me being able to help more people.
Over the coming weeks I will be adding course materials into the members area and giving pre-order customers one to one help and advice, along with behind the scenes updates about how and why I am doing things in a certain way. When the course officially launches in September you will get the full three month course but will have a head start on everyone else.
If you would like to be a founder Authority Blogger, or just want expert blog coaching at bargain price, check out the pre-order page now.
Posted on July 07th, 2008 by Chris Garrett in Productivity
Great post, Chris. I decided to focus on content development for the entire month of July myself and am in the process of creating a mind map for that this morning.
I’m checking out your course - sounds great!
Hi Chris
any idea how much IM is down in the summer?
Would you really not recommend doing a launch in July/August?
THNX
Hilary
@Lynn - Good plan, especially the mind map. My mind map for the course is turning into a monster!
@hilary - Not all niches drop, I have friends with soccer and parenting blogs that do better in summer than other months, but if you cater to business, especially large corporates, you do see a drop. In my experience the best times for a launch overall are march/april and end of october, but I know people do disagree on that and have had great launches in august.
Chris,
So glad your back and refreshed!
Saw your post in my email account and had to stop by, read, and say hi. Looking forward to seeing the new features you are implementing on Authority Blogger, sounds like theirs a lot of new learning to be found there in the near future.
Its an interesting post, thanks. How was your trip, Chris? I stumbled this article:)
@Vicky - Thanks Vicky
Yup the online course is being built right now, but there will be more free stuff coming along too 
@Tamal - The trip was great, thanks
Welcome home. I just returned the other day from a week of R&R in the Berkshires, myself, where I found some downtime to jack-in and write some posts and respond to comments, too. Not to mention typical email correspondence with friends and prospective employers.
Because my blog is about politics, society, and culture, three areas that never slump, I choose what to write what I want and know there will always be an eager audience.
I am looking forward to three weeks off from the office in August. Weekends are always too short for planning which pictures to take for which series and to actually take them. As I am photoblogging I hope that more people now have time to have a look at my blog - being more relaxed and open to new ways of seeing things.
Ulla
Hi Chris
Have you forgotten about those bloggers who are not on holiday simply because they are experiencing Winter in the Southern Hemisphere!!!
Tom
If lets say most of Europe got struck by bad weather. Do you think that would affect things. Do you think that people would sit by the computer and not be outside.
Hi Chris,
I just met some people from techsoup.org who produced a program for non-profits. Wondered if you’ve ever considered collaborating with them as in offering a course at a reduced price for non-profit folks–like me?
Celine
@Ari - Politics is only going to get more busy I guess!
@Ulla - I find by the time I get relaxed over a weekend it is monday again
@Tom - Heh, how could I forget my friends in the south?
@Daniel - It does seem to work that way a bit, but people still put off until the autumn
@Celine - I would be up for a collaboration like that, I think non-profits and charities would do well to do blogging right