In March of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I shut down my newly launched food venture, which gave me more time to blog. That couple of months led to a surge in web traffic, and I got to flex some of my content marketing skillz (yes, with a “z” jus cuz).
I did not start the blog solely for that reason, and it was always part of a larger plan, which is spelled out in my Mission and Vision statement (yea, it’s not a generic one copy and pasted from somewhere).
Plans For 2022
Everything I do is all in and around the same vision, which is to promote the diverse global and Japanese food culture in the United States because we can not rely on the corporate/mainstream media to get it right.
I am still debating if I should take free things, and I have to admit, I have on a few occasions. Although the majority of the time, I refuse to.
So from my recent experiences over the last two years and the uncertainty the pandemic has created, I am treading cautiously with my mission’s approach, which will consist of:
- More interviews: I enjoy doing interviews, and I want to do more of them although I need to improve its appeal since most people do not like to read (possibly some sort of push to video content).
- More of the same thing: I really enjoy long-form content, so I plan on doing the same content although I will probably branch out to a broader range of industries (not just food and restaurant, but I am mindful that it goes against the brand).
- Better photography: my imagery on my blog does not reflect my extensive product photography portfolio for several companies/brands. It does not look that way because I have slacked, and my focus has been on written content. Except with the increased site traffic, I need to improve my imagery for the sake of your eyeballs.
- Event(s): there is still trepidation over pandemic, so I plan on doing some food events that will ease people back in/outside. These events will be done under “303 Food Culture,” which will currently only be in Colorado to help shape the food scene in my birth state.
- Affiliate: I have been on the fence with this from day 1 because the point of the site was not strictly to make money. Although with the tremendous growth it has had, in order to maintain the site and content, I have to make all the work put into this site worthwhile. So, I will be adding affiliate links, but I will blatantly tout I am doing so.
Hopefully I do not get too caught up with my work, and I can still dedicate time to the blog. Although I will be more focused on work since I want to focus even more money towards my investment portfolio.
Happy New Year everybody
