Welcome to today’s blogging tips post. Sharing these every Wednesday right now! Last week I spoke about consistency and creating content so now I wanted to share some tips and techniques on how to grow your blog and social platforms.
First things first, I have grown SLOW and steady over the years. I started this almost five years ago. There are times I feel frustrated and wish I grew faster, and times where I feel like I’m killing the influencer game lol. But if you’re starting out, please don’t get discouraged if you’re not growing as fast as you’d like as well. It happens to ALL OF US, and those who are really passionate about this, will continue doing it even through the annoying, frustrating times. Also, I can only speak for myself and how I’ve grown over the years. Other people may have different tactics but these are some things that have worked for me.
That’s why I shared all about this last week. It can be annoying to hear but this is THE #1 reason I’ve grown. I dedicate my time to posting every.single.week. I also did this when I was a full time student, on the exec board of my sorority, worked part time in a daycare, and interned at a PR agency all at one point. I think I cried 2x a week but I loved blogging and posting my outfits so I cut the excuses and still managed to post DAILY on IG and 1-2x on my blog. Over the last five years, it’s slowly paid off and the number one reason I’ve grown and feel like I have such an engaged, trusting audience.
If you’re trying to grow a social media following, STAY ON THE APP. You can’t expect to grow without helping and connecting with others too. I spend an hour each morning, an hour at lunch, and an hour before bed just COMMENTING. Replying to my comments, dms, commenting on others posts, scrolling and supporting other women in this space too. I’m a big believer in “you get what you give” and I think engaging with others and staying in the app outside of when you post can really help your engagement and follows.
Part two of this….. stay on stories too! This is a way to connect with your audience via ‘real time’ and share the behind the scenes of your life. Be open, share what you want, and find a way to connect with people.
This goes with the above but connect with others! Specifically, other women posting similar to you or other women in your city. Are you posting about your children? Connect with other girls posting about their children too! Are you posting bikini pics?? Connect with other IG influencers posting the same too. A lot of the times girls will comment on your pics after you comment on theirs which can help your engagement.
In a saturated online world, it’s important to be different. It’s okay to get ideas from other bloggers or girls on IG, but do it with your own twist! Why would someone want to follow two of the same people? They wouldn’t. People WILL follow and see your page if you’re doing something a little different, posting cool finds, etc. Your Instagram page (or whatever social platform) is essentially like your resume (for people looking to follow you and businesses who may want to work with you.) Look at it like that and create a page that’s unique, fun, and true to you. The rest will come!
This isn’t the case for everyone. I ADORE following a few girls on IG who take pics in front of their garage, or in awful lighting, and I still LOVE following them and they absolutely kill it. However, I think your page stands out more in the beginning if you have great pictures (you don’t need a fancy camera… just your iphone and maybe even portrait mode), awesome lighting (find overcast/shaded spots), and use a preset to edit your photos so that they are all consistent. Create a cool aesthetic that will make people do a double take on your profile to draw them in.
Try to find a good balance to post on multiple social platforms! I put a lot of focus into Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook… also Tik Tok now a days. Pinterest drives traffic to my blog and also IG. Tik Tok has been driving followers to my IG too. The big thing I’m trying to get across, is to utilize all opportunities for growth!
Don’t be afraid to ask close friends and family to share your stuff! My family constantly shares blog posts, friends comment on my posts and share different links for me, etc. Utilize all of your connections to further your growth.
Okay that’s all I’ve got for now haha! Hope this helps those of you looking to grow your platform. XO
2024 Audrey Martinez | Brand and Website by Embolden
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