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| don’t mind Milo in the foreground |
for other posts in this series, check out Getting Started, Next Steps, Growing Your Readership, Finding Inspiration, and Staying Organized.
one of my favorite aspects of blogging is using social media. i’ve always been active on social media, even before i started my blog. this day in age, it’s how we stay connected with people, keep up to date on news, and discover new businesses and people. for blogging, it’s a great way to give your blog readers an inside look into your life, a ‘behind the scenes’ aspect of what they see on the blog. it allows your readers to get to know you more personally and see things that they may not typically see on your blog. it can give a ‘real life’ feel to the edited, staged, and planned things that they see on the blog. it can show that you are, in fact, human and not a blogging robot with a perfectly organized home and a great hair day every single day.
as a blogger, social media is inspiring. i follow a lot of other bloggers on instagram that inspire me with their outfits, home decor, DIY ideas or whatever else. twitter is a place where i can get to know them better and see a different side of them, it personalizes it for me. it’s a great way to interact with the people you follow and build a relationship with them.
different social media platforms have different strengths. for me, Facebook is where i share links to my new posts each day and sometimes ask questions (about topics you’d like me to write about or different things you’d like to see on the blog). Instagram is great for sharing some ‘what i’m doing now’ moments and behind the scenes things that aren’t shared on the blog. and my cats, obviously. Twitter is for interacting with my readers and sharing quick updates or funny things i see/experience in real life. altogether, they let people into who i am on a more personal level, while also building my ‘brand’ (i use the term brand loosely here, as i can’t think of a better word).
the most successful social media platform for me is Instagram. i enjoy using it the most and have the most interaction with readers through it. then comes Twitter and Facebook. different people will use the different platforms differently (should i keep using the word ‘different’?). no matter how you decide to use them for you and your purposes, consistency is key. update them regularly. remind your followers that you’re still there and using them. this will encourage your existing followers to go to your blog and/or continue following you, but also encourage new people to start following you.
if you’re new to using social media or just started a blog and are transitioning from using social media for personal purposes to ‘business’ purposes, start out slow. post something new each day or twice a day – set goals for your self. once you get used to doing it consistently, it may become second nature to you, like it has for me. at this point, i really feel kind of strange if i don’t share something on Instagram or Twitter during the day. it’s a noticeable ‘void’ for me, since i really enjoy using social media on a daily basis.
social media, when used effectively, will be a great way to gain followers and introduce people to your blog. so, use it!
