Hi there! Can you believe that 2018 is almost over? It feels like we were just saying hello to 2018 and now we are about to start a new year. Well we all know that with a new year we have new goals, new mindsets, and more knowledge. You probably want to be more organized on your day to day or even week to week life or business. For me this means staying on top of my blog and my shop better then what I did the year before. Now I can! I have found a content planner from Purple Trail that will let me track my growth, set new goals, as well as stay on top of my business.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Purple Trail provided me with a content planner to try for myself and review according to my own experience with the product. There are affiliate links in this post. To learn more about how affiliate links work please read our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for using our links and for your support.
ABOUT PURPLE TRAIL
First let me tell you a little bit about Purple Trail. Purple Trail is a company that creates planners, invitations, stationery, cards, and much more. They are a leading stationery company based out of Seattle. All of their products are handmade from start to finish meaning that each product that you order is created with love and care. Their goal is customer satisfaction which is why all of their products are customizable one way or another so you can get exactly what you need.
DETAILS ABOUT MY PURPLE TRAIL CONTENT PLANNER
I chose the Modern Striped Photo Collage Content Planner and personalized it with my own photos, business logo, business information and even an inspirational quote to keep me motivated to exploring the world more. Also, I went ahead and added a notes section so I can take notes. I personally think that having a notes section is very convenient to jot down random ideas that pop to mind and keeping them in a safe place till you can brainstorm a little more. Maybe ideas for the next year, new goals, or even key tasks that you want to get done before the end of the year (or week).
MONTHLY CALENDAR
My content planner is broken down into months and weeks. At the beginning of each month you can write down your analytics (statistics) for the 1st day of that month. You can also set goals for the month and even a theme if you use a certain theme for your content. I use this area differently. I use this area to set ideas for the month or a list of blog posts I want to have published.
After the first page of your month you will find the pages for the weeks divided by days. Underneath each page is a section for your blog and social media. I use this to jot down reminders of when I have to post certain content like collaborations with a brand (#ad or #sponsored content) or even blog posts.
ADD ONS
I did mention that I had added a notes section to my content planner but that is not all you can add to it. Some of the other things you can add to your content planner are:
- Passwords
- To Do List
- Bill Tracker
- Check List
- Graph Paper
- Important Dates
- Address Book
- Puzzles & Games
- Dotted Grid
- Appointment Tracker
- Travel Itinerary
- Account Tracker
- And much more…..
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR CONTENT PLANNER
A content planner is a great tool for influencers, online business owners, and bloggers to stay on top of their content, keep up with their analytics, social media platforms, blog, projects, and so much more.
There are numerous ways to stay on top of your content. As for me, I am an influencer, blogger, amateur photographer, and also have my own jewelry line so keeping up with everything can be difficult especially when you add mom life and homeschooling into the mix. The best way for me to stay on top of everything is by writing it down. If I don’t see it in my calendar or my to-do list, I am most likely going to forget about it. Here is how I use my planner to plan ahead and stay on top of everything.
PLANNING AHEAD
I have decided to plan at least two to three months of content. Usually I focus on my blog post ideas and plan my social media posts around the content that I will be publishing on my website during that time. While focusing mainly on my own website, I try to publish articles that my viewers like to read about most and have a good variety of posts. Some hikes or camping trips, packing guides, travel guides, family travel, and even blogging advice. If you are stumped on blog post ideas you can check out my article where you can find 55+ Outdoor Blog Post Ideas.
Once I have an idea of what blog posts I want to publish I will then write a few weeks before the deadline date of what I need to do to gather the best content for that post. This will include products, food, gear, take and edit photos, and even do some research depending on what the topic is about. I will add those friendly reminders for each project throughout my content planner so I can stay on track. Want to know more about my daily, weekly, and monthly blogging tasks? Check out this post.
WHAT TO INCLUDE WITH YOUR CONTENT PLANNER!
In order to stay organized and make things fun, bold, and more convenient I use various items when using my content planner. Some of these items include:
- Pens – I love these cause they are eco-friendly and good for our planet and they are also colorful.
- Pencils – I really love these sprout pencils can you can plant them after you are done using them and help grow a new plant.
- Highlighters – I love these cause they are made out of wood making them biodegradable.
- Whiteout – I have yet to find a planet friendly option for this. If you know of one let me know in the comments. I would love to try it out.
- Washi Tape – I use this to box in important items, create sections or headers, mark pages, or even as bold bulletin points. It brings creativity to your pages and makes the whole experience more fun and not so much like work.
- Stickers – Purple Trail has some cute stickers for planners so you can stay motivated and organized throughout the year. You can find them here.
- Paper clips – I use these to put important reminders for that week. I also use them as a bookmark so I know where I am at in the book. These here are very cute.
- Pencil Case to put it all in.
OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE BLOGGING ESSENTIALS
NOTEBOOKS
Besides having a content planner I believe that having a notebook is very important as well. I am very old school and feel that sometimes sitting down with a cup of coffee, a pencil, and your notebook to draw up ideas and brainstorm can be very beneficial for your business. It is always good to have a place where you can jot down everything and anything that comes to your creative mind. A notebook is something more personal that you can go back to over and over again. It is also good to write down your rough drafts for your blog posts, take notes at conferences and from courses you may take, as well as do the math side of business. Check out all of these cute notebooks from Purple Trail. Some can even match with your content planner.
TRAVEL JOURNALS
Are you a travel blogger? Then these travel journals are perfect for you. Purple Trail has a wide variety of travel journals including four different options where you can fully personalize your travel journal from front to back. Oh and if you love hiking as much as I do then you would really love these one.
Related article: Gift Ideas For Bloggers
OTHER PRODUCTS THAT PURPLE TRAIL OFFERS
As mentioned before, Purple Trail offers a wide variety of products. Many are for businesses while others are more personal. Some of these products include:
- Christmas products such as invitations, stationery, cards, ornaments, calendars, and more.
- Gifts such as mugs, t-shirts, calendars, photo books, and prints.
- Planners for teachers, mom/parents, students, weddings, meals, and they even have daily and weekly planners.
- Books such as notebooks, address books, guest books, journals, travel journals, and even paper packs.
- Cards and Invitations for any occasion.
- Wedding products such as invitations, save the dates, thank you cards, planners, and much more.
- Business merchandise such as stationeries, cards, marketing materials, signs and posters, invitations and announcements, promotional products and gifts, and much more.
- All types of photo printing products.
- As well as all of your stationery needs.
- And you can even get a gift card if you are wanting to gift something special to someone.
PROS & CONS
Here are some pros and cons about my content planner.
Pros
Over all I really love my content planner. One of the things I really liked was that I can personalize my content planner any way I liked. The most convenient part was having the option to start my year anywhere. Most planners only do from July to June or January to December but with Purple Trail I can start my content planner at any month of the year. This made it much easier for me to make the switch.
Another thing I really like about my content planner is the quality of the paper. It is thick durable paper and I know that it will last me all year. The spiral of the content planner is also thick and high quality so I know my planner is going to last and not fall apart like other planners. The front and back cover are also thick and durable.
Cons
The only con I would have is on the bottom of every weekly page they have pre-included all of the social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. I don’t use all of these social media platforms so I would of liked it if I could had picked the platforms I wanted there but it’s ok. These stickers will fit right over the logo so I can use this space better.
Purple Trail is the best place to go for a content planner and any other products for your business or personal life. You know that your products will be handmade with love and care and you can’t find that anywhere else. Hope this post keeps your new year more organized and ready to tackle down any goals you set out to achieve.
Disclaimer: Purple Trail provided me with a personal content planner to review. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links listed on this post. I will receive a small commission when you make a purchase using my link at no additional charge to you. This money goes towards website maintenance, fees, gear, equipment, and any other expenses I may obtain for The Walking Mermaid. You can always refer to my Disclosure Policy for more details.
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2 Responses
This looks like an awesome planner for bloggers! I’m old school too and hand write my brainstorms in a notebook so you’re not alone there!
Yes. I prefer old school style to be so much more effective when brainstorming versus using tech like tablets and laptop. It’s more free. Thank you so much for reading Katie. You’re so sweet.