[00:00:00] It's midweek, everybody, and we're going to do something a little bit different today. Something that I think is fun. I hope that you'll agree. We're going to talk about Enneagrams. And you're going to enjoy this even if you don't know what your enneagram type is. Maybe by the end you'll, you will know. So what I'm going to do is go through each of the different types and with my amazing Enneagram expertise, just kidding.
[00:00:26] I'm not an expert in the Enneagram, but with my insight into each one of these, I'm going to offer up what I think that type goal blogging goals might be likes, dislikes, and I'll give you a call to action. So take a listen, see which one resonates with you. If you don't know your Enneagram type, if you do know your Enneagram type or maybe those the types of the people who work with you, then let me know if you think this resonates with you because I'm a type five.
[00:00:53] And so that's the only one I have validated. Again, this is just for fun. I am not an Enneagrad expert. I just am playing one on a podcast, but here's what I want you to think about as you're listening to this. I'm hoping it's going to be as fun for you as it was for me to put this together, which. Chad was a big help with.
[00:01:14] But I want you to think about, is this something that you could use on your blog as a means of collecting email addresses? Could you make a quiz about this? And that might be a little bit difficult. I actually had to do that as a master's level project, not Enneagram, but build something that's kind of like the Myers Briggs.
[00:01:34] And it was difficult. But Maybe it's not a quiz. Maybe it is something like, see the best vacation ideas. I'm thinking about my own blog here. The best vacation ideas for each type. And then, you know, I can say like for type one, here's the best place for you to go, you know, enjoy the outdoors. Here's the best place for date night.
[00:01:56] Here's the best weekend getaway place. And somehow some way justify it again, because it's all for fun. Right. But anyway. Maybe you are a travel blogger too, or a hyperlocal blogger. Maybe you are a food blogger, a book blogger. I don't know. All these different things. I think there's always some way that you can make make this fit for your niche.
[00:02:19] And it's one of those things, it's like the Quizzes that were in whatever 17 magazine when I was a teenager, there people always want to know what their Enneagram, you know, what you're saying about their Enneagram type, if they know their Enneagram. So maybe give it a try as a way to collect Enneagrams.
[00:02:38] Okay, that's enough of that. Let's jump in. I'm going to start with type one, which is known as the reformer. These are perfectionists. So your blogging goals are probably consistency, quality, and authority. So regular publishing schedule, regular. Really high quality, well edited content. Don't read my blog.
[00:03:00] And you really want to set yourself up as a trusted source. You like that high quality polished content and organized structures, organized workflows. You hate errors. You hate unpredictable changes to the schedule or to plans. So here's my call to action for you. Type one, embrace some flexibility in your schedule.
[00:03:24] So you're a perfectionist. You're looking for flawless content, probably rigid schedules that you set for yourself, but think about how you can allow yourself to be open to some spontaneity in your writing and publishing. Which will reduce your stress level and help you keep that right balance in check.
[00:03:46] So, you know, when I'm telling people, put a plan in place, be consistent you know, do a five by five plan where you know exactly what projects you're working on each quarter. You probably take that to heart, but remember, following that schedule is not where you're worth Lies. So give yourself a break.
[00:04:06] Okay. Let me know if that resonate with you. Here's number two. They're the helper. So this person is really interested in building engagement, a supportive community, providing high value, helpful content, no pun intended there, connecting with people and building these really meaningful interactions with other readers.
[00:04:30] They probably got Into blogging because they wanted to build those connections, build those relationships and their So really want to create content that supports other people. Now what can happen to that is with that is that you begin to neglect your own needs and your own boundaries and you can become, you can, you can gravitate toward this feeling of being unappreciated or undervalued.
[00:04:58] So what your call to action is, this prioritize your needs first. Also, so I love that you are focusing on helping other people and providing valuable content, but take care of yourself. Set some boundaries up so that you don't fall into that burnout trap and make sure that your own needs are being met.
[00:05:21] Met. Oh, God, that's hard. Okay. Number three, the achiever. This person is looking to achieve high traffic, high engagement metrics. They want to maximize their revenue through 1000 different revenue streams. They want the accolades, they want the acknowledgement, and they are looking Or they probably got into this because it's quite easy to achieve measurable success and recognition, or at least if it's not easy, you've got a lot of KPIs that you can use to to set yourself up as that perfect expert.
[00:06:02] And. You probably really enjoy setting and reaching super ambitious goals. So you you probably are just So what do you like about blogging? Well, achieving measurable success and recognition. So you probably love all the KPIs that can demonstrate what you're doing right. And you love setting and really reaching ambitious goals. You are a goal setter. You are the achiever. So on the downside, if you experience a setback or a failure, Whether it's in your control or out of your control, then that can leave you feeling unproductive and stagnant, which is probably not the case at all.
[00:06:51] So here's my call to action for you. I would love for you to celebrate even the smallest of victories. I have a really good friend, a best friend who is a three. Okay. It's my sister. And what I always recommend to her is think about like maybe even every day. What is that small little amazing victory that you had?
[00:07:19] Write it down so that when you have a really bad day, you can look back and you can see all the things that you have achieved. I know you are driven by those big goals and success after success after success. That's exhausting. So acknowledge and celebrate those really small milestones in your blogging journey.
[00:07:41] So that you can feel satisfaction and motivation. Okay. Number four is the individualist. So you are looking to express your unique style and your unique voice and create content that really pulls at the emotional heartstrings of the people who are reading it. And you love being innovative and experimental.
[00:08:05] You like new ideas and expressing that. Creativity and individuality is what you want to do in order to, to connect deeply with your readers. So, what do you dislike? When you have to conform to trends or to norms and you feel misunderstood and undervalued. And so my call to action for you is to find a balance between being unique and being relatable, right?
[00:08:39] Creativity and uniqueness are your strengths, but make sure your content still remains relatable to all of your personas. And I think that's going to help you to build a stronger connection with them. I also think that this is most likely the, the blogger type that is, that shuns SEO and because it, you think it puts you in this box and doesn't allow you to show your individuality or be creative.
[00:09:12] And I get that, I totally get that and understand that and I think maybe there's a way that you can look at what the demand is from people out there and just think about it as a, as you're on a platform and you've got a lot of people who are asking you questions and you have the ability to provide this.
[00:09:36] really unique angle to their questions that's not being provided out there otherwise. Next is five. If you're a five, will you write me and let me know? Cause I'm always interested in meeting other people who are fives. I am a five. We are called the investigators and we want to establish expertise in whatever niche that we're in and really go all out on researching content, really in depth and deep.
[00:10:05] Building content around that and, and building a knowledgeable, engaged audience as well. So we're really trying to connect with those people who are in the know love doing research and analysis and sharing all of that detail, which you probably have already guessed about me. Dislike, constant social interaction and engagement, and marketing.
[00:10:36] And self promotion. So the call to action for a five is to engage with your audience, says the person who has not posted on Instagram since Thanksgiving. The other thing I, and I don't like marketing and self promoting tasks either. I'm, I know I preach them here. I do believe they're very important, but I hate doing them, which is why I love email marketing because I can just put it on autopilot and.
[00:11:00] It's happening without me having to know it's happening. So if you're also a five and you thrive on research and deep dives, remember to engage with your readers through comments and emails and even social media and build a community community. That can really enhance the success you've had on your blog.
[00:11:20] Okay. Number six is the loyalist. So you enjoy maintaining a very consistent posting schedule. Consistent is one of my favorite words. You like to build a loyal, trusting audience, and you want to create a super supportive, loyal audience. community and building that loyal audience and engage readership is what you love about blogging.
[00:11:45] And you probably do that with a really reliable and structured workflow. So it could be the workflow in how you create your posts, but it also could be in how you research your posts or how you Even how you lay out your entire blogging business. But what you do not like is the uncertainty and the risk.
[00:12:08] And friend, are we not ever feeling that right now? You hate feeling unsupported and isolated. And oh, that just breaks my heart. So listen, if you are feeling the uncertainty and the risk, the rest of us are feeling at this time in our Blogging journey. I hope you are feeling supported and surrounded by friends here.
[00:12:34] I hope you'll join our Facebook group because then you'll certainly feel a little bit less isolated, but I want to move away from that kind of uncertainty and risk and maybe move towards the uncertainty or risk that comes from Not being sure about your own personal decisions. So maybe you're thinking, okay, I can combat this craziness with a digital product and you've got this digital product idea, but you're not trusting your instincts.
[00:13:06] So my call to action for you is to stop second guessing yourself. Stop looking outside for reassurance and just trust your instincts. Trust your expertise in this area. Crazy blogging journey that we've been on and make really confident choices and risks calculated risks But risks nonetheless Okay, three more ready type seven the enthusiast I think this is my youngest son, but your blogging goals are really covering diverse and exciting topics.
[00:13:42] So you don't have to do it necessarily uniquely like the individualist, but you want to do a lot of different things and you want to keep your content lively and engaging, and you want to. Always explore all the new opportunities that are out there. And somebody says something and you say, Oh my God, that sounds cool.
[00:14:03] I got to do that right now. And that's, what's cool about this business, right? We can always explore new ideas and new trends, and we can engage our audience with dynamic and really comprehensive and exciting new ideas and ways of thinking. And what you hate are the routine and repetitive. Tasks, right?
[00:14:28] After you have published, you got to put it, your article into your inventory spreadsheet, you've got to do a backlink campaign for it. You probably want to make sure that it shows up in your editorial calendar for your newsletter. And it's so important to update your content. regularly with a, I hate to say it, rigid schedule that just drives you insane.
[00:14:51] I hear you friend. I don't, I'm, I am not that way myself, but I hear this a lot. And what I would love to call you to do is to focus on consistency. That's my favorite word. And you know who's consistent? Is a six. Can you find a six out there to be your accountability partner? So your enthusiasm and the energy that you have for trying all the things can be infectious.
[00:15:22] It is you get other people excited about things. You probably create content that gets people excited about things. And you your colleagues probably Feel that energy from you. But if you're struggling with consistency or, Ooh, hear me out here. Chasing shiny pennies, then. It can hurt you in the long run.
[00:15:44] So create a content calendar to keep yourself on track. Create an editorial calendar to keep yourself on track. Create a five by five schedule to keep yourself on track. And I know you hate those rigid schedules. I'm not suggesting that you put your, all your creativity. into a box. But but if you can add just a little bit of consistency somewhere in your schedule, I think you'll see a big return.
[00:16:12] Number eight is the challenger. I have a good friend who is also a challenger. And the reason that challengers tend to create blogs is because they want a strong Influential President presence out there in the marketplace. They want autonomy over their content and their strategy. These are probably the last people to to hire help, at least with regard to writing content, and they are trying to really make an impact.
[00:16:41] Significant impact with their blog. They are so dedicated to leading and influencing others. And what I love about an eight is their ability to take these really bold, decisive, Actions. I think it's beautiful, but sometimes they will fail to relinquish control to others when they're feeling overwhelmed or they feel constrained and and restricted because the in, in what they're doing, because they, they have this one way that they want to do things and they can't see.
[00:17:25] that there might be another alternative that, you know, when you get through the beginnings of something could be better for them in the end or not, or not better. And that's what they'll say to you. They love challenging, but my my call to action for you is to embrace some collaboration. Now, challengers tend to be outgoing people.
[00:17:48] And so probably the first response is, well, I collaborate. Okay. But are you collaborating with bloggers or brands? Where you want control and independence, can you open up some of those areas that you've closed off you know, in exchange for maybe some new perspectives and new opportunities? So be open to teamwork.
[00:18:14] I think you probably already are. But. But are you open to teamwork everywhere? Can you share a little bit of that control? Okay, last one, number nine. This is my husband. And while my husband did not create the blog, he, if he were to create a blog or if you're feeling like a peacemaker type nine out there, then you're likely did this because you wanted to create a beautiful, positive environment for your readers to find a place to learn about whatever it is that you're blogging about.
[00:18:48] So you probably put out a steady flow of content and you're really good at balancing your personal life with your blogging life. My husband is very good at, at the balancing act. And when you engage with your community, you're most likely very positive and very supportive. Now, on the other hand, what you hate about blogging is when you have to face conflict or confrontation.
[00:19:17] And sometimes that confrontation, it might not necessarily come from us. But it might come in the form of pressure on yourself or from brands pressure to do something, pressure to say yes or tight deadlines. So if you're, if you've got you know, a brand contract and they put you put you in a box with regard to a, a date and a time that can make you feel really uncomfortable.
[00:19:47] So my call to action for you is to set clear goals and deadlines and maybe even offer those goals and deadlines up first when it comes to your brand, really your brand partnerships or any collaborations that you're doing so that you can set. Them in such a way that makes you feel comfortable.
[00:20:11] So you probably try to avoid conflict by going with the flow, whatever's going on out there is just great, but sometimes that can lead to procrastination and then you feel you're, if you're put up against a deadline that you've been, you know, boxed into, then it's harder to stay focused and be productive in that area and probably in the other areas of your.
[00:20:36] blogging career. Okay, friends. Whoo. That was a long one. I don't know if these are all right. Some of you, you might be a six and you might say, Leslie, that wasn't me at all. But if it did, if it matched you, I would love to hear from you. If you're a five, please let me know. Also, If you don't know what you were, but you listen to this and you're like, Oh, I definitely fall into this category.
[00:21:00] Let me know. Let me know. Let me know. But here's the most important thing. Okay. Don't go before you hear the most important thing. If this was fun for you, how can you use this in your niche with your target audience or with your personas to capture email addresses and promote the content on your site?