A few weeks ago, I attended a web-marketing seminar at the Memphis Music Foundation. Hosted by *Elizabeth Cawein (Signal Flow PR), it was for musical artists, however, I’ve learned that the base of most seminars are universal teachings that anyone can use so it wasn’t something I wanted to pass up. Plus it was free, so how could I NOT go? In the business of (fashion) blogging, many of us use our blog as a springboard for other projects, so with the world (and media) becoming more digitally focused, knowing how to make yourself known (in a good way!) and navigating the social medial waters is essential. Here are a few tips I picked up for anyone that’s building their online presence. Successful web marketing means that it’s easy for people to find you Your aim should be in the top 3 search results when someone is searching for you/your product. Outside of your blog/website, you have to have a social medial presence in order for people to really know it’s there. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s a great way to build your audience. Engagement leads to investment Social Media is a conversation- you have to stay visible to stay visible. If you decide to invest in a Facebook, Twitter, or other SM platform, make sure you have to the time to update it, and actively be involved. While many of us synchronize our blog posts to their respective feeds, it’s still not enough. Each platform has a different audience so you have to figure out the best ways to keep them engaged and coming back for more (aka visiting your blog regularly). *This also carries over to blog comments. Unless you’re receiving 100+ comments on each post, it doesn’t hurt to respond to your readers. Scroll through – someone may ask a question or leave details on something you might need. You never know! Be cognizant of what you post This doesn’t mean be a drone and only post links to your blog or severely limit what you talk about- you’re human so people want to know more about you in order to invest in you and your product. It means knowing what is and is not brand appropriate. Do Post: · Rich Media: Photos, videos · Text: Status updates · Events Don’t Post: · Drama/Dirty Laundry · The same events/promos ad nauseam (you know how you see someone posting an event on his or her Facebook status and on people’s walls every 5 minutes? Yea, you don’t want to do that. Many people will either delete you as a friend or worse, block/mute/hide you and will never see what you post again). · Off brand text or Rich Media Contrary to popular belief, people DO pay attention to what you talk about. Recently, there was a celebrity stylist that I had to unfollow on Twitter after only 3 days because what he was posting was offensive and SO inappropriate that I couldn’t bare to read it. True, it was his personal account so he could talk about whatever he wants, but due to him having it linked to his website, I assumed that he WANTED people outside of his personal circle to follow him. IMO, that’s bad business. While SM is only a snapshot of a person, it can affect how people view you if used wrong. If you need an outlet where you can vent (and you feel that you may use language your mother might wince at ALL THE TIME), please get a personal, locked account and create one separately for your blog. Remember on The Hills when Lauren and Whitney were working on a party with Teen Vogue, and Lisa told them beforehand “You now represent us so everything you do should be Teen Vogue appropriate.” I’m paraphrasing but you get my point: most companies that hire you will tell you that you’re now representing them so just be on the safe side and watch what you put out there. Select the Social Media platforms that make sense Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, Style Page, Vimeo, MySpace, Google Plus: these are just the top Social Media Platforms at the moment. Which ones should you join? Which ones should you avoid? It will vary from blog to blog. The biggest thing to consider is which do you have time to update regularly? There’s no point in signing up for them all, only to update their content once a year (again, simply synching your blog’s feed is not enough). Only celebrities are able to have an account that they never update and no one think twice about it. Personally speaking, I’m on Facebook, Twitter, IFB, Tumblr, Pinterest, IG, AND Google Plus (I wanted to test them all out to see how they worked). I have time to update each one a few times a week, however, my schedule is changing and a few of the platforms are so similar in structure now (as opposed to how they were when they first launched) that I’m going to deactivate a few accounts. The ones I keep will serve a purpose but it all ties back in to getting people to read my blog. Being apart of Social Media in some capacity is a MUST in this digital age, but make sure where you invest your time makes sense. What are you doing to get people to notice your blog? Do you feel that you’ve mastered your Social Media presence? Any additional tips you would like to share? Comment below! *Elizabeth also shared some additional tips specific to Facebook and Youtube that I’ll share at another time. Ask Kimmie | Polka Dots & Ruched Frocks Photos | City Style via Memphis' Fashion's Night Out