EngagementAnnouncementIdeas forSocial Media (2)

Before I jump into this next post, I recently reached 50 followers and wanted to say a quick THANK YOU! After becoming self hosted through Bluehost, which you can get here, I realized that my posts were no longer showing in the “reader.” Therefore, I’ve had to work harder to gain followers and it’s definitely been more challenging than I thought. So, a HUGE THANK YOU is in order to all those who have followed me.

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Now onto the post. I recently watched a free webinar by Melyssa Griffin explaining tips and tricks on using pinterest. To be honest, I was pretty clueless as to how pinterest worked or how it can be effective in gaining more viewers. But, after watching this video, I feel like I have more knowledge on how it works and wanted to share a couple things I learned. Unfortunately, the webinar that I watched doesn’t seem to be available anymore but if you are interested in watching any of Melyssa’s other videos, check her out on youtube. You can also check out her website here.

1. Pinterest Is Similar To A Search Engine

Pinterest is more similar to Google than it is to Twitter or Instagram. Therefore, your hashtags are irrevelant and unecessary. Instead, you want to focus on descriptions that people would be searching for like they do on Google. It’s also important to use more than just one word descriptions. For example “ootd” is a very generic search term and will most likely get lost in a sea of thousands of other “ootd” pins. Instead, use terms like “how to wear white in winter” or “ways to wear leopard flats.”

2. Become a Curator Not A Hoarder

It’s important to remember that your pinterest is for your viewers and NOT for you. For example, if you’re a travel blogger, your viewers probably don’t want to see pins about kale salad or home decor. So, make sure everything you pin will attract the right audience to your blog.

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3. Include Your Content In Your First Board

When you are organizing your Pinterest boards, make sure you put all of your own pins from your blog onto your first board. You want people to see your own pins first in order to draw attention to your blog and hopefully convert them into readers. You can easily drag and drop this board to the front.

4. Pin EVERYTHING From Your Blog

Make sure to pin EVERY image from your blog. This includes all featured images that have titles on them. I wasn’t doing this because I didn’t realize that pinterest was more like a search engine than say, Instagram. You’ll see below that I pinned all my “featured images” to the first board.

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5. Free Updates Page

This wasn’t a pinterest tip but I thought it was a good idea. Melyssa suggested to add a page in the menu offering “free updates” with an opt-in page. She made a valid point saying that a viewer is more likely to opt-in to receive emails if they actually have to go to the page to do so.  A viewer is less likely to sign up for emails from one of those annoying opt-in pages that flash when you first go to th website.


I only recently implemented all of these changes but in the past couple of days, I’ve noticed I’ve gotten a few visitors from pinterest that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. Like, everything in life, this is going to take some time but I’m willing to continue to make upgrades and wait patiently for greater results.

So, what do you think of these tips? Have you tried any of them? Don’t forget to check out my Pinterest here!

p.s. here’s an outfit pic I wore over the weekend because this is a fashion blog after all.

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SHOP THE LOOK:

Diana

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I know there has been debate over whether or not a monetized site is unappealing to viewers but like everything else in life, if you don’t overdo it, it’s a great way to make some extra money. For example, I went to a site the other day that was covered in ads. I found this very unappealing and I got the impression the blogger only cared about making money. I think that it’s very important to enjoy blogging and connect to other bloggers who have the same interests rather than solely focusing on making money.

I’ve been blogging for a couple of months now and decided from the beginning that I wanted to monetize my site. This might not be the right choice for everyone but I figured if I was going to promote a product, why not make money off it? Readers never get charged for clicking on a post, so I failed to see any harm from monetizing my site from the get-go. Here’s the 3 best ways I’ve found to monetize my site. 

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1. ShopStyle Collective

My favorite way to monetize my site has been through shopstyle collective. Their system is incredibly easy to use and offers different ways to monetize. One way that I use shopstyle is through the “shop my style” widget where I am able to upload my looks and link the products all in one place. Another great way to use shopstyle is through “link it.” Simply download “link it” to your browser and whenever you see something you want to advertise, just click “link it” and it’s as simple as that! Another feature is that you can also easily pin your looks to pinterest allowing you to reach more of an audience. Ohh, and what’s really great about Shopstyle is you can favorite items you like and when they go on sale, you get an email. You can then alert your social media or on your blog of the new sale. Who can resist a good sale? The only down side is that Shopstyle pays per click and they don’t necessary award you commission if an item is purchased through your link. However, they do offer higher price per clicks the more items you sell.

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Easily search for items on ShopStyle.

 

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ShopStyle makes it super easy to track what items are being clicked and purchased the most. 

 

2. Amazon Affiliate

My next favorite affiliate program is through Amazon Associates. The great thing about this program is that their cookies last 24 hours. Meaning, someone could click on your link, decide not to buy the item, go back within the next 24 hours, purchase a hoola hoop and a pair of socks, and you get the commission! Since, everybody always needs something on Amazon, it is likely that you will get commission on many items you’ve never even heard of. The only con is that you lose money if someone decides to return an item and the initial waiting period to get paid is a couple of months. Other than that, it’s been a great affiliate source so far!


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3. Bluehost Affiliate Program 

In order to go self-hosted, you need a hosting service. Think of it as buying the land to put your site on. I used Bluehost in order to accomplish this. It was actually very easy to do and the support was great. I’ve heard that they do an affiliate program where you receive $65 for every person that signs up through your link. If you’re interested in going self-hosted (I promise it’s really not as scary as it sounds), please use my link here. I also added an ad on the sidebar to entice people to click there. This is also easy to do by just adding a “text” widget and pasteing the code that bluehost gives you onces you sign up for their affiliate program.

So, there you have it! Any other ways you’ve found to monetize your blog?

Diana

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Although I find it somewhat ironic to blog about blogging, I wanted to share a few things that I’ve learned so far.

  1. WordPress.com v. WordPress.org  –  Prior to embarking on this new blogging journey, I had absolutely no knowledge about wordpress or the inner workings of the internet. Truth be told, I actually started my blog on wix.com. I was having trouble understanding wordpress so I thought this would be a better option. WRONG. Wix just didn’t offer the same things as wordpress. I’m sure it would be fine to make a regular website with but it really wasn’t blog friendly. So, after a week or two, I went over to wordpress.com. Once there, I had zero idea of what I was doing. I must’ve chatted with the WordPress “happiness engineers” about a 100 times. So much so, that I’m sure they argued over who would have to answer the “clueless girl” for the upteenth time. Once I got down the basics, many other chats revolved around why my site was limiting me from certain things. I was then told that I could switch to a self-hosted site. Upon learning that I had another option ( a.ka. wordpress.org,) I decided to switch. Before that moment, I had no idea what that meant but through tears and frustration…err, I mean trial and error, I found myself over at bluehost.com. I set up a hosting site through them which was actually easier than I thought. Next, I needed to import all my old content, transfer followers, and set up a new theme. Luckily, the “happiness engineers” came to my rescue again and were able to walk me through everything. To avoid a lot of hassle and irritation, I definitely recommend starting out with wordpress.org.
  2. Blogging Is Social – This blogging universe is an incredibly social place. Having strugged with social anxiety for many years, it feels great to be able to connect with people of similar interests and not worry about feeling judged. Everyone has been so supportive of eachother, which lets face it, doesn’t always happen in the real World. It’s been an empowering experience so far to have other females say things like “that looks great on you” or “I love your shoes!” I’ve definitely learned that it’s important to respond to every person that leaves a comment. If they’ve taken the time out of their busy lives to leave a comment, it definitely deserves a reply. I’ve noticed that I’ve left a few comments and as silly as it sounds, it hurts my feelings when I don’t get a response. Maybe I’ve been watching too much “13 Reasons Why” and my emotions are out of whack but I always appreciate a response back.
  3. Etsy Is The Way To Go – OK, again I had no idea what I was doing when I was designing my blog. I’m a total perfectionist and couldn’t figure out how to make my blog look “better.” When I was using wordpress.com, I was using a free theme. I went through a couple free themes over there because I just couldn’t decide on one. When I switched over to my self-hosted site, I purchased a theme through Mojo Marketplace which I DO NOT recommend. The first them I purchased wasn’t compatible with the jetpack plugin (which you need to install on your self-hosted site in order to operate similary to wordpress.com.) I went back and forth with the support team and they exchanged my theme for a different one. This theme wasn’t operating properly and was taking entirely too long to load. So, after reading another blogger’s blogging tips, I searched on etsy for wordpress themes. I was able to find the one I’m using now. It was super easy to install and the support was fantastic. I also found a woman to help me with a logo and so far she has been incredible.
  4. Don’t Compare Yourself To Others – This one is important! I’ve been incredibly guilty of this these past few weeks. I see bloggers saying that they’ve reached 1,000 followers in a couple short weeks and I start wondering what I’m doing wrong. I’ve learned that this is a harmful way of thinking. Everyone’s blog is different and each has something different to offer. If it takes a little longer to reach a large amount of followers then so be it! I’ve learned I’m learning to not compare myself to others and just continue on doing my own thing and be proud of myself regardless of how many followers I have.
  5. Images and Content – Last but not least, I’ve learned that images make a big difference. I’ve noticed some popular blogs that use a lot of white images which are more visually appealling. Thus, I’ve found programs to lighten up my images and I think (at least, I hope) that they look better. I currently don’t have a camera and use my iphone for pictures but I’m hoping I can get one at some point very soon. #goals. I’ve also realized that I use mostly images in my posts and not very much content. I’ve always been a visual learner and have had a hard time putting my thoughts into writing. However, I think more people enjoy reading posts instead of just looking at images. I’m making it another goal to write more on each and every post.Speaking of images, I just noticed this post doesn’t have any! So, here is a picture of sea otters holding hands. Why? Because how stinkin’ cute is that???

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    Phew! That was long! If you’re still here, I hope this post helps you if you are just beginning your blogging journey. I know, I could’ve saved a lot of headaches had I just done a little research first.

Diana