Blog Brunch

We are so thrilled to have Kira from Her New Leaf guest posting today! Her overall knowledge on social media and interacting with her followers is superb, check it out!

In this month’s Blog Brunch, we chatted about ways to increase your following on Facebook. I believe that the best strategy to increase a following anywhere, be it on your Facebook, your blog, or in your personal life, is to be generous. Be generous with what you have and what you know. Social media is all about sharing; the reason why people are on social networks like Twitter and Facebook is to gain and share knowledge. Your Facebook page, like your blog, should teach your followers something!

But how to you get Facebook users to “like” your page and keep them coming back for more? You need to create incentive for them to do so. Using a simple Facebook app, you can create two versions of your Facebook page – one for the general public who has not yet “liked” your page, and one for those wise, wise people who have clicked the thumbs up for you! Using this app, you can create a page with exclusive content that only your Facebook fans can see.

Step 1: Install the Static HTML app onto your blog’s page. (http://apps.facebook.com/static_html_plus/)

Step 2: In the “Public Content” box, enter what you wish those people who have not yet liked your page to see. You can enter a simple text greeting, or create a graphic to illustrate what your fans will receive when they “like” your page.

Step 3: In the “Fans-Only Content” box, enter what you want your fans to see once they have “liked” your page. You can include a personal thank you, download links, or even an entire blog post available exclusively to your fans! After someone has liked your page, they will have access to your fan-gated content at any time.

What should my fans-only content be?
It’s definitely a good idea to relate your fans-only content to you current blog topics. Are you a food blogger? Offer an exclusive, original recipe. Are you a style blogger? Share your top 10 trends for the summer? Can you make graphics? Give your fans a blog-planning calendar to plan their own posts.

How does fans-only content translate into long-term fans?
I was curious about this myself – couldn’t someone just “like” my page for free stuff, then “unlike” after they get it? Sure, they definitely could, but in my experience, they don’t. My blog’s Facebook fans have nearly doubled in one month since I added fans-only content to my Facebook page. Your Facebook page can have that success too! Be generous with your readers and your audience will continue to grow.

My name is Elise Grice (formally Elise Ostermann) and I am currently the Art Director/Co-Owner at “Hey, Sweet Pea”. Our business specializes in branding development and custom online marketing designs for websites, blogs, and social media. Our branding company is all about business health.  Just like our body needs fresh green veggies, our clients need fresh marketing/branding/design. They need fresh ideas. Our goal is to help other businesses thrive, grow, and flourish because we believe every business deserves an awesome brand.

We also believe every business should have a rocking social media presence! Long gone are the days of traditional marketing. We are in the age of DIY free marketing. Yes, it takes time, devotion, and skill, but anyone can learn how to turn their Facebook page into an extension of their brand/blog as a portal for new clients/fans and business/blog buzz.

LIKEable content

One of the first ways any brand page can create this buzz, is by creating notable content. What is that? LIKEable content is simply posts that people like to see and read. Two of my favorite Facebook pages to date are ones that post awesome and hilarious tidbits for me to chuckle over (See wordsmith rock stars:  Jasmine Star and Baby Carrots ). When I chuckle, I LIKE. I, along with many, many others, also love visual content that stirs my emotions or catches my eye. I see pages that post beautiful work, inspirational photos, or any other kind of visual eye candy and I’m instantly hooked. What do I do? I click LIKE (See visual rock stars:  Sassyfras Studios and Volume 25 ). See how that works? The first step in getting people to interact with your page is in your court. This is your page, your brand, and your image. It’s your job to create content that people see, relate with, and interact with.

REACHable curator

After you’ve created notable content, it’s your job to keep the conversation going. If someone posts on your photo or status, acknowledge that they did so! If someone writes on your content, Facebook allows you to tag them on that content afterwards! Which means you can directly respond to people who write you, by not only responding but speaking to them directly (also, this means they’ll definitely get a notification that you wrote them back)! If people are taking the time to write you, make sure to take the time to thank them, appreciate them, or answer their questions. People love knowing there is a real person who cares behind the Facebook page. So if someone writes you, seize the opportunity to connect even deeper with them!

BRANDable look

One of the best things you have going for your page, is the fact that you can now easily brand it to be visually pleasing. The cover image across the top is the perfect opportunity to showcase your work and your branding.

Tips for Branding Profile Graphic: Keep it simple, keep it clean, keep it recognizable. I think one of the best solutions to this is simply using your logo. Logos are meant to be designed in such a way that people can quickly recognize them. They’re perfect for creating brand recognition in your fan’s overwhelming news feed. And hopefully it sets you apart from all their friend’s posts (See rocking profile graphics:  We Heart Photography & The Define School ). The optimal size of your profile graphic should be 180x180 pixels.

Tips for Branding Cover Image: Keep it visually interesting! Make sure it looks balanced with your profile graphic (and that the profile graphic doesn’t cover any vital words or information) and pulls in some elements of branding and photography. Since your profile graphic is already rocking the logo, you don’t necessarily have to include that in your cover image. Instead, perhaps use an image of your products, your work, etc. and possibly your tagline. I also recommend using a photo on the left side and branding elements/words on the right, that way the page looks balanced (See cover image rockstars:  With Love, Design & Nakate). Just make sure that you use the cover image to it’s fullest potential and take advantage of the free branding space! The optimal size of your cover image should be 851x315. Make sure it doesn’t infringe on any of Facebook’s rules found  here, (Section III. B.). 

WANTable page

Everyone’s number one question is how they can get more likes. First of all, more likes doesn’t necessarily mean more clients, more blog readers, etc. I firmly believe it’s better to have 20 fans pulling for you than 200 fans who could care less. With that being said, everyone wants those 20 faithful fans to grow to 200 faithful fans! How do you get there? By following all the steps above PLUS being nice. Can it really be so simple? Yes, it can! People like pages that are positive, encouraging, and helpful. They like rooting for your company when they care about the people behind the company OR because the company is sharing something worth liking (and hopefully SHAREing).

Get this: the more people who LIKE content, comment on content, or share your content, the larger the reach of your page becomes. Because if you create content that people LIKE, that content shows up in their friend’s feeds. Then when their friend’s like that content, it shows up in THEIR friend’s feeds. See how that works? The more your current fans interact with your page, the more fans you can accrue! Some things we’ve found helpful for growing our fan base is by: giving free/helpful advice, sharing important articles/info that will help our fans, sharing visual encouragement (such as daily encouragement, quotes, etc), posting about OTHER people and our colleagues’ pages, writing on our fans’ Facebook pages, posting LOTS of visuals, and staying true to ourselves by writing things that are REAL and US. People come to our page to be encouraged, to be inspired, and to learn. As Mark Twain said, “The really great make you feel that you too, can become great.”

Let’s go out and make GREAT Facebook pages together, in hopes that we can inspire others to do the same!

For more questions you can find me around the web at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeySweetPea

Twitter: @EliseOstermann

Website: www.heysweetpea.com

For all those interested in further one-on-one coaching (I love skype coffee dates):

http://heysweetpea.com/#/coaching/

For all those interested in our online branding class & online DSLR filmmaking class (perfect for bloggers & creatives alike)!

http://heysweetpea.com/#/workshops/

And for all those worried about the new Facebook algorithms… here’s some helpful information from the awesome, Wonder Forest here and here!

We know you are all dying to read the Facebook recap from this weekend’s brunch! This month’s brunch was packed with so much juicy info. So many people had great ideas to share on how to maximize using Facebook for your blog. For those of you that missed all the great info this recap has all you need to know! Thank you to all who joined us for brunch!

Q1: Why is it important to have a Facebook page for your blog? What are the advantages? 

@floralandfrayed: Facebook can be a great way for people who don’t regularly follow blogs or non-bloggers to connect and view updates.

‪@HitchDesign: Facebook is great for creating a more personal social platform with your readers.

@ParkerEtc: Facebook will hit the 1 Billion-user mark soon. It’s an easy way to maximize brand visibility and reach new readers.

@katelynbrooke88: Most people are always on Facebook. It’s a great opportunity to get to know your audience and remind them about your blog.

‪@PassageHill: It’s a way to be sure fresh content is always in front of your fans.

@17thandIrving: The average user spends 405 minutes on Facebook per month - good visibility where people are spending their time.

@cubicle57blog: I found it was important for me to start using Facebook so I can interact with companies on Facebook as my blog and not personal.

@mspinkandblue: My friend says, “I always click on stuff in my news feed, that’s now I get my news/blog updates.”

@Sandrat212: You can get some discussion going at a faster pace than in your comments section.

@HitchDesign: There is a whole unique audience that connects through Facebook. Almost everyone is on it.

‪@Djubilation: Facebook allows you to reach people who don’t follow blogs, but would appreciate your blog’s niche through quick posts and images.

@ParkerEtc: Facebook has it’s own analytics page called ‘Insights’, this gives you yet another peek into the data of your blog.

@pinkletandc: I have been creating albums with portfolio images or photos of projects.

@poppylindsay: I always make sure to post something interactive. Polls, Questions, & Thoughts of the day.

@cubicle57blog: I try to share what’s beyond my blog posts. Like if I have a post with a few images I’ll post the “rest” that didn’t make the post on Facebook.

Q2: Should you use Facebook different than Twitter? If so, how and why?

@17thandIrving: If you post the same thing in both places, people lose incentive to follow both.

@ParkerEtc: YES. They are different outlets with different reaches. Treat them that way. 140 characters is heard differently than a status update.

‪@sister_mag: Yes, we use it differently. Twitter is more for reaching out to new people, Facebook is more content-rich.

‪@Sandrat212: Twitter is fast banter - Facebook you can go back to it later and engage further. Once a tweet is out there, it’s gone.

@erinecurcio: They are both for getting the word out, but maybe twitter is the enticer and Facebook delivers the real “juice.”

@imbreannarose: You have the opportunity to be MORE visual with Facebook - take advantage of that.

‪@HitchDesign: Use twitter for little snippets and Facebook for a more in-depth part of your biz or blog.

@Sandrat212: Twitter is the cocktail party while Facebook is the dinner party.

@ParkerEtc: Be mindful of linking tweets to Facebook. Without proper planning, @mentions and URLs can feel spammy and overkill.

‪@sister_mag: Twitter is also great for reconnecting with people you met at conferences etc. - you don’t want to befriend everyone on Facebook!

‪@mspinkandblue: Yes, offer new content and phrase things different – offer a more in-depth look at your content, repetitive is uninteresting.

‪@ParkerEtc: As always, curation is KEY. Be cognizant of not overdoing it with cross platform integration, but see what works best where.

@HitchDesign: Put effort into your social media because what you put in you will get out!

@lalalovelythngs: Facebook is a great place to share more detail & share more of your personal voice.

Q3: Are there any effective ways to grow your following on Facebook?

MsPinkandBlue: Advertising and giveaways is MAJOR. With ads you can narrow down demographics; age, and interests.

Clothandkind: I have done ad campaigns on Facebook with great success. Specific targeting availability, I like to reach friends of current followers.

ParkerETC: A page with clearly defined, eye-catching custom tabs and interface has edge over those that don’t.

HitchDesign: You want to make sure it grows naturally or else all those followers will not be loyal or engaged.

PoppyLindsay: Making sure that you interact with your followers is a great way to grow. More interactions mean people are paying attention.

JessicaJPackard: Also, creating an “event” and inviting friends to the launch of your blog/business page was helpful for @WithLove_Design.

Djubilation: Use Facebook insights to see what your audience likes, what posts got the most shares, and what’s generating interest organically.

Thebootblog: The pages I’ve noticed that have high number of likes do a lot of mentioning and shout outing to other pages! Exponential exposure.

CaseeMarie: I also think Facebookers are using the share button more often, too. Catering content to that may help grow your audience.

ParkerEtc: It’s the same as your blog. Be consistent, curate your content, engage with readers & comments and keep it updated.

Erinecurcio: Sometimes it can be as simple as asking readers what they want to see more of. Your dedication in finding that = their loyalty.

ParkerEtc: It’s a social network! Remember engaging via comments & likes will have the same community building effect it does on blogs.

UrdirtyLaundry: I let people follow my Facebook page naturally. ½ of them are family, friends & co-workers anyway.

EliseOstermann: Create an engaged environment with creative content people will want to like/comment on.

ParkerEtc: Just like in the real world, building relationships with people on Facebook takes time and requires a long-term investment.

Q4: How do you creatively use Facebook to interact with readers?

ChevronSarah: Though I just started my page I plan to use it for both posts and unique content NOT featured on the blog.

MsPinkandBlue: Offer “extra” stuff not necessarily that you want to write a huge post about, but things you want to share or find interesting.

Orangenmond: I like asking my Facebook followers questions like “What should I bake this weekend?” (I write a food blog).

ParkerEtc: Link @Instagram to your Facebook. Strong visuals always get prompt interactions & comments & give definition to your brand.

ChristyHomeMom: My fans know I’m a giveaway junkie; I share tons of giveaways on twitter and a few on Facebook.

Erinecurico: Take advantage of any events that could bring you together.

Urdirtylaundry: I try to respond back to every comment or like it on my Facebook page. Seems like I “know” my regular readers. 

CieraHolzenthal: Posting images instead of just links to blog posts. Also some everyday photos that are just for fun!

EliseOstermann: We use it to ask our fans about themselves! We also use it to promote fans/colleagues to create a community.

Q5: Who do you follow that uses their Facebook well? What are they doing right?

@17thandIrving: I like @lorenhope ’s Facebook page. She posts sneak peeks of things she’s working on, engages with fans. 

@chevronsarah: @designsponge does a great job of provide unique but relevant content and articles on their Facebook page. 

@HitchDesign: @sycamorestreet does a good job giving a connection to her shop and utilizing the platform.

@katelynbrooke88: Essie does a great job generating discussion about nail polish, of all things. https://t.co/k3LbH4Lv

@floralandfrayed: @FreePeople is awesome!

@JessicaJPackard: @TheEverygirl_ is another page I really think uses their Facebook page well!

@JulieLeah: @MatchbookMag and @katespadeny both have great FB pgs. They update often and keep followers engaged.

@HitchDesign: @BeautifulHello @amandagenther great place for biz advice and design inspiration always good stuff!

@boutique1524: @inhonorofdesign adds a genuine, friendly and personal touch to Facebook posts, which is the proper tone for the platform.

@JessicaJPackard: @eliseostermann is absolutely wonderful at engaging and providing unique information to post on her #heysweetpea Facebook page!

@HitchDesign: @amandagenther is one of the best users as a blogger I have seen!

‪@mspinkandblue: @designlovefest @hitchdesign @birchbox @refinery29@scoutiegirl all have rockin’ Facebook pages!

@ParkerEtc: The @Refinery29 girls kill it, along with @_IFB who have great relevant content and articles, also @chevronseclairs!

Hello Brunchers,

Can you believe June’s Brunch is already tomorrow? Are you all ready to talk about Facebook? We hope that you’ll be joining us this Saturday June 2^nd at 10 AM PDT/ 1 PM EST to discuss all that Facebook has to offer you, your brand and your readers. Be sure to invite any and all Facebook experts you may know so we can all gain some insight on how to effectively tie together our blogs with Facebook. Speaking of which have you seen our Facebook page? Well you might want to check it out we have been busy prepping it for this brunch! 

Here’s what we’re serving up for Brunch:

Q1: Why is it important to have a #Facebook page for your blog? What are the advantages? #blogbrunch
Q2: Should you use #Facebook different than Twitter? If so, how and why? #blogbrunch
Q3: Are there any effective ways to grow your following on #Facebook? #blogbrunch
Q4: How do you creatively use #Facebook to interact with readers? #blogbrunch
Q5: Who do you follow that uses their #Facebook well? What are they doing right? #blogbrunch

We also want to introduce our Blogger of the Month, Kristin from The Cuisinerd! Here’s a sneak peak at her interview: 
Is there a favorite column you write each week that you get excited about?
My blog is essentially a lifestyle site that revolves around the theme of food. Where I do love experimenting in the kitchen and posting new recipes, my true passion is figuring out how to combine food and design – sometimes literally. That being said, I really enjoy putting together my {DINE X DESIGN} posts, which range from Pantone color themed kitchen items to fashion trends transformed into a meal. Pink Ombré noodles anyone? Yeah, I went there. These posts really let me wave my design dork flag. We love her, and know that you will too so go ahead and read more…

We are trying something new with our Facebook page (speaking of Facebook). We are asking all of you that are attending to RSVP to the event on our page. This way you will be able to easily connect with other bloggers, talk on the event wall, and be closer in touch with the community. Feel free to add your twitter handle so it is easy to find you and connect. 

Don’t forget your note sheet for tomorrow’s Brunch! Download it here.

Happy Brunching! 
The Blog Brunch Team.

Hello June! Summer is now upon us, which gets us all thinking about backyard barbecues, light meals, and living the good life. It’s only fitting then that our Blogger of the Month is someone who has a knack for making cooking fun! Kristin of The Cuisinerd not only makes cooking fun, but she also blends it with elements of style and design. Not to mention that she is hilariously funny. What more could you ask for?! Let’s chat with her shall we?

Is there a favorite column you write each week that you get excited about?

My blog is essentially a lifestyle site that revolves around the theme of food. Where I do love experimenting in the kitchen and posting new recipes, my true passion is figuring out how to combine food and design – sometimes literally. That being said, I really enjoy putting together my {DINE X DESIGN} posts, which range from Pantone color themed kitchen items to fashion trends transformed into a meal. Pink Ombré noodles anyone? Yeah, I went there. These posts really let me wave my design dork flag.

Ideally, how do you see blogging impacting your career/future? 

It’s funny. Blogs have, in some way, replaced the resume…especially when looking to make a career change. At the first of the year I decided to leave my full-time job as a Creative Director in the Entertainment Industry and if it wasn’t for my blog I wouldn’t have a different kind of portfolio to reference my food writing and personal design work. I think a lot of new opportunities might not have happened without the blog since the majority of my professional experience is in an entirely different industry than what I’m currently pursuing. The blog and the exposure that comes with it have geared me up and allowed me to take things to the next level. I’m looking forward to partnering with larger sponsors, collaborating on special projects and writing for national online and print publications.

What sparks an idea for a post? 

Sometimes it’s eating a meal out, dissecting its flavors and recreating it at home. Sometimes it’s the guilty impulse buy at Forever 21 (we all do it) that then leads to curating a theme of homewares based on said purchase’s color or print. I need to get out of the house and expose myself to new places, colors and foods. I also need to have my iPhone with me at all times to make notes and take photos because inspiration strikes at random.  Sometimes a good song playing at the car wash and then breaking into jazz hands conjures up an idea or two. Like I said, random.

Has Blog Brunch changed the way you blog or think about blogging?

Definitely! Now that I’m focusing on my website and entered this world of blog conferences, tweetups and webinars I’m realizing the importance of being connected to a community. There are days, as a work-from-home freelancer, that I start talking to my plants. It’s not cute. Freelancing can get lonesome! Blog Brunch has introduced me to an entirely new network of creative and inspiring people who are jamming the online hustle and don’t consider “blog” a four-letter word. Twitter has become the digital version of my corporate watercooler. It’s nice to know there are people out there to chat with. It’s beneficial to hear people’s perspectives on head scratching topics while discovering heaps of new websites…. all making this crazy interwebz thing just a little easier to tackle on the daily.

Have any new creative opportunities arisen from being a “blogger”? 

Yes! I’ve finally recovered from the culture shock of leaving the corporate 9 to fiver and have the blessing of putting more love into the site. In turn I’ve had some very exciting past few months speaking at conferences, honing in on my brand as a business, exploring new ideas and creating new partnerships…and maybe there was a free meal or two.  Let’s be honest, being a food blogger has its perks. Delicious perks. I’m a gun for hire, beyond excited and ready to say yes to whatever’s next. Keep those opportunities coming world, I’m ready for ya!