BLOGGING TIPS SERIES #2 - SOCIAL NETWORKING

Last time we talked about starting a blog and everything that comes with it. If you missed the post, you can read it here. But today I wanted to share my tips on social media and how to get the best out of it.
We all know the basics of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, but there is a lot more behind these and a couple of other social tools. Social media is not only a great way how to communicate with your friends, family or anyone else, but it is also an amazing way how to promote your brand/blog.
It is important to link your blog to all of the media's you use and choose an @name that is simple, easy to use and remember.

Twitter is a great way to connect with brands and followers. You can keep up with news that your favourite bloggers/brands are posting and share your own. Always share your newest blogposts with Twitter! It reminds people of your blog and shows that you are active and care about their opinion. I love that you can add photos to your tweets, it is a great way to catch a followers eye. Remember to tag a brand if you are reviewing their product or wearing it - they will appreciate that!

Instagram is amazing for showing what your blog is about, what you are into and sharing your interests with others.
What I pay attention to when browsing Instagram accounts is the quality of pictures and the theme. Be sure to post high-quality photos, best if they are your own, and follow one style. I sometimes can't follow this rule myself, but believe me, it does wonders. I really love when someone posts only black&white photos or ones that are kept in the same, simple, minimalistic style. I immediately know if I like what I see and if I want to see that on my dashboard.

Here are some great Instagram accounts that I follow: cathycouture, prettysickly, fakeleather, patrickpankalla,  amalielee, viennawedekind, hannaridell. 

Use the 'tag people' option! Only in fashion bloggers case you can tag brands if posting an outfit picture or a product. That way the brand will most likely see it.

Hashtags are something that people either use too much or too less. This is where it gets tricky. Everyone knows that a # sign is a great way how to get more audience to your tweet or insta-photo, but you need to be careful with which ones you use. Too much of #likeforlike / #followforfollow is never good. It is more annoying than helpful.
What I like to use is #fbloggers which clearly stands for fashion-bloggers, then you can add simple tags as fashion, beauty, style, ootd - whatever the picture is about, but don't go overboard.

Facebook pages - a thing you should totally do if you are serious about your blog and would like to share even more with your followers. Remember that you shouldn't post same content in all of your networking sites. It is not interesting to see the same content everywhere. A Facebook page is great for communicating with followers, sharing fun/interesting things, showing sneak-peeks of upcoming posts.

Tumblr is more like a moodboard for me than a blogging platform. I love to see inspirational photos on my dashboard and sharing the pictures with others through my Tumblr blog. It is a great way how to get inspired for your own blogposts, keep up with the trends (not just fashion related ones) and how to promote your blog as well! If you post your own photo on Tumblr, remember to state your source (your blog, for example), so when people see or reblog your photo, they know where it came from.

Pinterest, oh Pinterest. I wish I was more active on this one, but somehow I only go there when I need some inspiration. It is perfect for interior design and food. If you own a blog that is about these things, it is a great platform to share your work and ideas with others.

Lookbook.nu is a platform where every personal style blogger should be. You can not only share your own looks, but see thousands of others that fashion-enthusiasts all over the world have shared. I love that you can see where others have got their clothing and if you really like something someone is wearing, you can find it right away.
They also have a great forum, where you can find tons of cool topics and discussions, share your opinion and even find fashion blogger meet-ups!

Bloglovin! I could not function without this platform. I feel like every blogger and follower should be on this one. You can follow your favourite blogs and immediately see their newest content on your dashboard. Don't hesitate to make your own account and share it in your blogs sidebar.

And that's about it! Remember to update any social platform you have frequently. Take it as serious as your blog, because it is. :)

See you at the next part of these series!

Blogging tips series #1 - where to start

I remember when I first started blogging (gosh, it was like 6 years ago when I started my first blog), I didn't know what it was exactly, how to do it and what can you do with it. All I knew is that I need a place on the Internet which is mine and where I choose the content. And that is what a blog is - your space of freedom and expression.
I decided to make these series because I myself find these kind of things extremely helpful and inspiring, even if most of them have been drilled multiple times by different sources. Here is my little guide book. :)

First of all, before you even start blogging, think about it. Find your niche and think about what makes you excited, what are the things that you like and want to share. Be unique and post content that is different from others that you can find online. Big part of blogs is discovering new things and sharing them with others. That way the inspiration never stops.
When you have decided what is your niche, either it's fashion, beauty, lifestyle or whatever, try to stick to it. People who follow you for beauty tips, most likely wouldn't want to see how-to-build-a-birdhouse DIY's (well done Stefany, great example!). You get my point.

Next part is choosing a platform on which your blog will run. Mine is Blogger, but a lot of bloggers use Wordpress as well. There are multiple platforms out there, but these two are definitely the most popular ones. When choosing, do your research. It really depends on what you prefer personally.

Name! This is the tricky part. When choosing a name for your blog, remember that you will use it for quite some time. Of course there are possibilities of changing it, but once people know you by one name, getting used to another one takes time.
It is a good idea to, once your blog has gained some audience, purchase a domain to link with your blog. It makes it easier to use and looks more professional.

The fun part is dressing your blog up - the design. I have had a lot of designs before, until I found the one that I like. If you like to, you can choose a pre-made design on etsy.com Just type "blogger (or wordpress) template" in the search bar and off you go in the world of amazing templates that designers have made. It is worth to go through the page even just for inspiration. And think about the color scheme. It is always easier to read on light background than dark one. We don't want to hurt people's eyes. :)

Either you decide to make a banner yourself or use someone else's help, try to keep it simple. Don't drag the attention away from the content. Too many things happening at once in one place is never a good thing. Try to keep it simple. Less is more.

Remember about the sidebar (if you decide to use one). It is nice to see who is the owner of the blog, so I suggest you put a nice, small profile picture on the top of the sidebar. Then let your creativity float and add some social network buttons (will give you some tips about this one in the next post), archive, search bar or whatever you like.

Once the blog is named and dressed, it is time to feed it. Give it some content before you set it free in the world wide web.
And remember, the content is everything. There is nothing more important than that. Pay great attention to what you write and how you write. There might be time when you come across possibilities of working with PR companies and brands. Show your talents and use language that doesn't include swear words if you plan on being professional. This is a great tip for future reference.

About the text. I know that a lot of people love to use justify or center alignment for their text, but if we look at it from the usability view, it is not a good idea. It is much harder for an eye to read something on a computer screen than in printed version. Justifying your text gives it a lot of unnecessary spacing. And I know it looks prettier, but a human eye can get lost in the content and it is not what we want. The best way how to present your content is by aligning it to the left. (Finally I can use my knowledge from school haha)

Pictures! Important part of the content and it is the first thing that people will notice after the design of the blog. Think about the quality, lighting and setting. It is important that the pictures are enjoyable and pleasant to look at.
I highly recommend using your own photos. Everyone can find photos on the Internet, be different. Of course, there are times when you have to use photos from online stores, fashion shows etc. Always remember to state where the photo is from (source).

It is a good idea to add pages to your blog (navigation). You can add as many as you want and they are super helpful for "pinning" the important information. A must for every blog would be "about" and "contact" pages. Spend some great time when making these two, because everyone who will find your blog satisfying, will want to know more about the person behind it, and then, maybe even contact you.

Write what you would like to read, don't force yourself and write when you have something to say. Otherwise the content won't be appealing and neither you or the reader will be satisfied.

And note that Google is your best friend. :)

I hope this post was helpful and that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. These are just some of the things I have learned on my blogging journey and there are plenty to come so stay tuned. ;)

xx

(photo source: gholdist.tk)