How to Succeed on Social Media

Hi Hi Hi! I hope you're having an amaaaaazing week! I've been getting SO many questions regarding social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) and how to gain engagement (followers, likes, saves, etc.) and I wanted to take some time today to come on here and talk about it and give you my honest advice! I feel like a share everything with you guys, so there's really no topic that's too big or small! Social media has always been something I've been very interested in and obsessed with. When I was in college, I worked in 2 different jobs where I managed social media. The first job was for a start up and a second one was a summer internship where I did social media and online engagement for a huge tech company in Seattle. Any who, I loveeee social media and think everyone should get to be as successful as they want to be, so here are my tips for you!

Aani's Tips to Succeed on Social Media:

1. Social media is SOCIAL! I can't emphasize this enough! Social media is not a place for you to post something and then leave. It requires you to be social. Before you post, try to spend a couple minutes a day (or a few days) before, where you comment, like, save, and engage with comment you love! This will not only help you make friends, but will help you see SO many new types of content out there!
2. Follow people! But don't do that follow/unfollow thing! When you follow someone, do it because they have an amazing feed, awesome content, and you know you'll enjoy seeing their content on a daily basis. Do not follow someone because you want them to follow you back. You'll be left disappointed if they don't, and that should not be the reason for you following someone.
3. Post frequently! People love following people who post daily, or every other day. Very rarely do I follow someone who hasn't posted in weeks. However, when you post, make sure you follow rule number 1!
4. Use hashtags! Use the hashtags you think your photo will be looked up by. If you were looking for a cool cafe in Seattle, you'd search #seattlecafe. You wouldn't search #cafe or #coffee. Be choosy with your hashtags to attract loyal followers that are interested in what you're posting! Sure, a lot more people will see your photo under #coffee but are those the people that will follow you? Is that what you're looking for? Ask yourself these questions :) 
5. What you do comes back to you! If you're being an ideal citizen - liking, commenting, and letting people know you love their work in a GENUINE manner, you will definitely have it come back to you! Take the time to write out genuine comments! I promise people will want to give you back the same love you're giving them! 
6. Don't be scared to take risks! Reach out to brands, bloggers, photographers, mutual friends - anyone who you think is cool/worth following! It's a SOCIAL platform so it's normal to take these risks. When I got my first brand collaboration, I was under 1,000 followers and NEVER would have expected the brand to say yes so fast! 
7. Make friends! The most loyal engagement you can have is the one from family/friends/people who love you! Also, some of my closest blogger friends are people who I had become best friends with over Instagram first! Instagram Friends is a real thing! 
8. Don't copy, cheat, or be annoying. This goes for life in general, but especially on social media. Try not to annoy people with fake comments, following and unfollowing them, or saying something just to say something. Also, don't use any apps to gain like/followers. One day, that app will die and it'll become VERY obvious. Plus, it's just not cool - don't do it and just be a nice person. 
9. Pursue Y O U! Sure, everyone is obsessed with photographs filled with lights and pictures of bloggers crossing the street. However, how many of those do you see a day? Isn't it kind of boring to post the same thing everyone else is posting? Stand out in a way that makes people want to follow you for your originality and share your content because it's so unique! You'll attract so many more people that way!
10. Learn about the technology and learn about design. Learn how to use the apps. Learn what looks good on the app. What size do pictures look the best? Is a link better in a text post attached to the picture as a hyperlink? What colors fit will with the rest of the post? There's so many things to learn about! Try Pinterest or Youtube for tutorials on Social Media hacks. 
11. Have good quality pics. I can't tell you the amount of times I've unfollowed someone because their Instagram stories are from a super low quality phone and I can't hear or see anything clearly. If it's a visual platform especially, make sure you stand out visually. 
12. Quality over quantity. Make sure you're not posting to post, but posting the most amazing content that you're actually proud of. Need I say more?
13. Look for inspiration everywhere! Create all the content you can, and always have an eye out for inspiration - it can strike at anytime :) Being a constant social media user means being engaged with the life you live, so sometimes (only sometimes) put down your phone and live your life!
14. It's not a competition! Social media is meant to be for you to share with others. It's not a sport or a competition. Do not worry about numbers, especially not about others numbers. I promise once you get out of your head, being good at social media will come natural. 
15. There's enough sunshine for everyone! Always remember this one! Just like sunshine, if you have some, it doesn't mean others can't. Social media has grown so much in the past few years that it really is something everyone can be a part of. Don't be scared to share resources or reach out to others for advice. For some reason, most people think that only a few people can succeed, when really, there's enough sunshine for everyone to be under the sun.

Hope that helped!

XXOO,

Aani