Hey y’all! This is my second Q&A post! You can find my first post under The Most Common Questions About Blogging. This article is a continuation of my two-part series Q&A with Reese Woods (fellow blogger - but she’s all about nutrition & fitness). We have teamed up to bring you the most commonly asked questions I get about growing a social media account and how to network. So let’s just dive right in! 

Q: How many social media platforms are you on and how do you incorporate them into Value Minded Mama?

A: I’m on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for my blog (VMM). I have links at the top & bottom of my blog for easy access for others to follow along on those platforms. I also have an Instagram widget on the sidebar of all my blog posts so people can see my 6 most current grams. All Instagram posts simultaneously post to Facebook and Twitter (in-app). All blog posts simultaneously post on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter (from platform). It’s pretty automatic.

Q: What platform (blog or social media) do you get the highest engagement from followers on your posts?

A: Instagram for sure. Then my blog. Next would be Facebook.

 Q: What strategies have you used to build up your Instagram account to the current following that you have (nearly 10K) in your first year of blogging?

A:

• Loop Giveaways. Everyone hates to participate in them because they take forever to enter, and the accounts that host them on their page pay to be apart of them, but you can get real followers, fast. But you will also get a significant decline in followers after the giveaway ends. It’s a great way to boost your account & get potential keepers though!

• Joining engagement pods with other bloggers in my niches (fashion & moms). Edited: I have since quit all types of engagement pods. They only hurt your account and Instagram will ban/block your account if they realize you’re doing it. It’s happened to me several times.

• Organic engagement (liking & commenting on the hashtags I’m using regularly OR bigger accounts engaged members - usually mom related).

• Following/unfollowing (this does NOT work and is a waste of time - you lose the people that you unfollow because they’re doing the SAME thing. Or you’re stuck seeing a bunch of random people you don’t care about in your feed. Just don’t do it! This is considered the lowest of the low and I don’t know anyone that does this anymore.)

• I “bought” followers in the beginning BEFORE I started blogging… then I just used that same account for blogging and ended up losing all those followers when Instagram changed their algorithm to get rid of unused/spam accounts. Again, WASTE OF TIME, don’t do it. Your engagement will show it and no one will want to work with you.

Q: What is the best way to begin networking with other blogs and social media accounts to help cross-promote and build your audience?

A:

• Just reach out to them! Ask if they want to do a collaborative post/IG story together (THIS post is an example of a collaborative blog post)

• Engagement pods and Facebook groups are an excellent source too! Edited: Again, no to the engagement pods. It’s inauthentic engagement.

• Shoutouts in IG stories OR on your feed. Basically “Follow Friday” but not restricted to Friday or any certain number of accounts. These are SO FUN!!

• Have the brands/companies you feature (either on your blog or Instagram), feature you in return on their social media sites.

• Giveaways - either private, small or loops.

Q: How do you plug into engagement groups and loop giveaways for blogging and social media?

• Engagement Groups: Reach out to someone (on instagram) in your niche that has at least several thousand followers. Make sure they have 15-20 comments on most posts. Ask them if they are a part of any engagement pods that you can join. Ask several people. You’ll have your pick of groups. Simple as that.

• Loop giveaways: Find someone (on instagram) that has a live giveaway going on. Ask them who runs the giveaway and if you can have their information. OR search in Instagram “accounts” under “loop” and several loop giveaway accounts will pop up.

All right guys, that’s all I’ve got for you! Hope you found these tips helpful in growing your blog and social media accounts. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to leave them in the comments below. Good luck, and I can’t wait to hear your success stories!!

Don’t forget to check out Reese’s page for nutrition, health and fitness tips! She is an amazing instructor and I always feel like I learn something new from her. She doesn’t just want to help you on your fitness journey, she wants to help you on your life journey! I can’t think of anything more genuine :)