Tag Archives: Instagram

Has Instagram taken over fashion blogging?

November 17, 2019 By in Blogging Tips, Fashion Tags: , , , , , , , 8 Comments

Since the Instagram showed up, life on the web has never been the same. Instagram has pretty much taken over the whole world. It is like we have all gone mad for the gram! Back in the early days of my blogging, fashion blogs were fun to follow and keep up with it. I had a few fashion bloggers I really liked and they inspired me to create my personal style posts. However, many of them have now abandoned their fashion blogs and only focus on their Instagram pages. Which brings me to the question behind this post – Has Instagram taken over fashion blogging?

 

fashion blogging image

 

I have had a love and hate with Instagram from the start and it is because it is the fakest social media platform ever! The fakery is so annoying but I need to have a presence on them because it is so popular at the moment. If I had my way, I won’t even bother with the social media platform, but my feelings with Instagram tend to change on and off, so who knows how I feel about it next year.

 

Has Instagram taken over fashion blogging?

It is sad to see Instagram has fully taken over fashion blogging. The fashion blogs I fell in love with many years ago are hardly updated these days. All they do is post their outfits on the gram and who would blame them. Blogging takes a lot more work and effort. It is a lot easier to just post images on Instagram with a brief caption and hashtags. They don’t have to worry about SEO and all the other blog related issues. Promoting their images on Instagram plus their following is sure to get them a lot of engagement on their posts and if all that fails, they can easily cheat their way. This is not the case with blog posts so it is easy to see why fashion blogs are now neglected and attention is now firmly on Instagram.

 

Blogger UK Picture

 

 

I do miss the good old days though. The days were fashion blogs were fun to watch. I could check on my bookmarked fashion blogs and get daily dose of fashion inspiration. Personal outfit posts and fashion news were my favourite kind of posts to read. These blogs taught me some of the things I now know when it comes to being a better blogger. It is sad to see these blogs are all gone. It would be nice to bring back the good old days of blogging.

Change is inevitable and we have to embrace it. It looks like Instagram is here to stay and it has changed a lot over the years as well with more changes scheduled to unfold. Change is part of life and as bloggers we have to embrace new social media platforms that are popular with the general public. The one thing I won’t ever do is neglect this part of the web though. Social media platforms come and go. They are free to use but can be taken away any minute. That thought keeps me grounded and focused on those things that really matter.

 

 

 

Social Media Tips – Instagram is for art and creativity

July 31, 2019 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , 21 Comments

The first mistake I made as a blogger was treating every social media platform the same way. It took me years to understand how each one works, and how I had to use them differently. I wrote a few weeks ago about how Twitter is mainly for chit-chat and networking. It took me ages to figure that bit out and it took me even longer to fully understand the ever changing world of Instagram. Instagram is not my favourite social media platform but it has grown on me. It is one of the trickiest social media platforms at the moment and one of the hardest to grow, which is why many influencers find it super frustrating.

 

Beige flute sleeve sequin maxi dress picture

 

I made so many mistakes in the early days of being on Instagram and I am still learning how best to use the platform. It is not quite as straightforward as Twitter. The ever changing algorithms make it more difficult to find the right technique to grow your account, which is why many  users end up using bots to increase their engagement and following. However, this is not recommended.

Instagram is a social media platform to showcase art and creativity. It is all about pretty photos, videos and catchy captions! Here are 5 tips you may find useful in making the most of your Instagram –

 

Treat it as a standalone

Instagram is a standalone kind of platform. It doesn’t allow you include links in your photos/videos like other platforms, so you don’t get much blog referrals from it. The best way to handle Instagram is to use it differently from how you use other social media platforms, and not to promote every single blog post on it. The users of Instagram don’t want to be redirected to another platform. They want to stand on it, and Instagram has created the app to do just that. Trying to send your followers anywhere else won’t work.

My approach to instagram is very different now from how it was years ago. I don’t promote every blog post on it, only a few. I hardly even talk about my blog on there these days. I just share photos with captions that work. My blog link is in my bio so it is clear I have a blog, but I don’t try to drive every engagement I get over to the blog anymore.

 

Use the Instagram Stories

Another way of making the most of your Instagram account is by putting up stories. This is  something I only started doing regularly and I can see the results already. My engagement rate has increased massively so I know Instagram likes when you use the stories feature. I now put on stories everyday and my views keep increasing tremendously. So start putting up daily stories if you want your account to grow.

 

Fashion Image

 

Spend money on Instagram Ads

Now I know many people would not want to put spend money promoting their posts on Instagram, but if you want some form of growth, another way is to spend money on Instagram ads. I do this quite regularly and it has helped. The trick to this is to make sure the post you are promoting is worth the amount you are spending. I also spend the minimum amount I can most of the time and I am happy with the results I get.

 

Have an interesting bio

Since Instagram is all about art and creativity, it makes sense to be as creative as you can with your bio. Anyone who visit your page should know what you are all about just by reading your bio. You have a limited word count to use in your bio, so make every word count.

 

Use hashtags

Using the right hashtags can introduce your page to a new audience every time you post. I like to keep my hashtags to 30 or under and I use relevant hashtags with less than a million posts most of the time. It works but I won’t say it works massively. I do get an average of an extra 50 – 80 likes when I use the right hashtags.

 

 

What do you think of these Instagram social media tips? Do you have any tried and tested tip to share?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should you be on every social media platform as a blogger?

February 25, 2019 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 26 Comments

This blog post has been on my mind for some time and I decided today is the day to blog about it. Many bloggers wonder how they could possibly manage being on all social media platforms without overworking themselves. The last time I counted, there are about 7 active social media platforms and I am happy to say I have an account on all platforms but I don’t post regularly on all of them.

 

Should you be on every social media platform as a blogger?

Should you be on every social media platform as a blogger? Well my answer is yes. You should be on as many social media platforms as you can manage, just so you have your online presence on these platforms. You don’t have to be active on all the social media platforms you are on. There is no way I can post regularly on all the many social networks available. The best way to go about this is to pick a few you are interested in and focus on those platforms.

 

 

Lifestyle Blogger Cheshire UK Image

 

Top Social Media Platforms

At the time of writing this post, the top social media platforms are –

 

Instagram

I have a love and hate relationship with Instagram. It is the hardest social media platform to grow because almost everyone on there plays the follow and unfollow game. I still like it and will keep using it as long as it stays active. Brands love it, so I have to keep at it. I was late to the Instagram game. I didn’t set up my account immediately and when I did set it up, I neglected it for many years. So I am currently playing catch up.

Instagram is where the money is, many bloggers with about 10,000 followers on average, get as much as £300 for a single shot or story, so if you ever plan to make money online, Instagram is the social media platform to start with. You can find me on Instagram here – Fashion and Style Police.

 

Facebook

I love Facebook so much. It is definitely my favourite social media platform. It is a lot more relaxed than Instagram and the Facebook ads do help grow your following. I also find it more real than Instagram. People genuinely comment and like your posts on Facebook and not to get anything back in return like on Instagram. I also find that you get more regular people on Facebook.

I have been on Facebook for many years now and set up my Facebook Page, the same time in 2012 when the first blog post went live. You can find my page here – Fashion and Style Police.

 

Twitter

Twitter is all about chit and chat and it can get a bit noisy but I like the noise. It is a good way to spend 10 minutes. I have been on Twitter for many years and I have succeeded in growing my following. Hashtags really come in handy on Twitter unlike other social media platforms.

I tweet everyday and thanks to Buffer, I can schedule tweets in advance and plan my content for the platform. I also scout for jobs for my blog and my digital marketing career. If you are after growing your net worth, Twitter is a good place to start. You can find me here – @fashionstylepol

 

 

 

Outfit Post Image

 

Pinterest

Pinterest is another interesting social media platform I am currently loving. I have recently started pinning a lot and I enjoy how my feed now looks and the amount of engagement and views I am getting. The views are also pouring over to my blog which is great. If  you are after a bit of blog traffic and interesting photos, then Pinterest is the platform for you.

I am late to the Pinterest game so I am slowly growing my followers but I am not that bothered about those numbers to be honest. I am more interested in the engagement and views I get because it spills over to the blog which is great. You can fine me on Pinterest here – Fashion and Style Police pins.

 

Snapchat

Snapchat is a platform I am registered on. I got an account with my name on it just incase I need it in future but I can’t remember the last time I went on it. It is not a social media platform I am interested in growing at the moment.

 

YouTube

I sent a YouTube channel last year after many years of contemplation. There are a few short videos on my channel. I have a few more I need to edit and upload. That should be done in a few days. It is another platform I currently don’t really have the time for but I am hoping to upload maybe 2 or more videos a month. You can watch my first YouTube video here.

 

Linkedin

Linkedin is a professional social media platform and I use it for just that. So you won’t find me chatting away on there like I do on Twitter. I use it to network and find like minds. I also scout for jobs on there and follow relevant people in my industry. You can find me on – Fashion and Style Police.

 

 

As you can see, I am not active on all the social media platforms, but I have an account on all of them. I think that is the smart thing to do as you never really know which one you may be interested in and you don’t want someone else using your blog name on a social media platform. That creates a lot of confusion. So if you have not done so already, register your blog name on all social media platforms. Also, ensure you use the same photo on all of them, so it is clear you are the same person. That is a great way to distinguish your brand.

 

Are you on every social media platform? Which is your favourite and why? Do sound off in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading and commenting, have a lovely week ahead.

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