3 Ways to Use Instagram to Grow Your Blog or Business

Instagram has been around for quite some years now, but it has been being used as a marketing tool as of late. People use their Instagram accounts to not only make personal connections with their customers and clients, but to acquire new customers, clients, and blog readers.

It seems one of the first things people do these days to figure out what kind of blog, business, or person you are is by looking to Instagram profile. It has become essential for your customers, clients, or readers to browse through your Instagram presence so here are 3 Ways to Use Instagram to Grow Your Blog or Business and make that impression count.

Create a theme for your photos.
This is something I have seen a lot of successful Instagram accounts do. They use the same filters, same background colors, same fonts, and even the same type of subjects in their photos to create a particular feel for their account. This is completely intentional and they plan these photos ahead of time because they want to make sure their the photo fits in with their theme and the asthetic of their Instagram account.

A few bloggers in a Facebook group I am a part of questioned why "staging" their photos is more effective than randomly posting photos from their everyday lives and I have an answer.

It's fun to post photos from your personal life to share with friends, but often those photos seem to get attention from your circle of friends and family. A "staged" photo on the other hand - a photo that is planned to fit your particular theme will resonate with far more of your followers then just your circle of friends and family.

Here's my rule of thumb: If you post every day, throw in a wild card or two from your personal life in a week and if you post a few times a week, post one wild card. This way you're connecting with your friends, family, and giving your followers posts that resonate with your brand or business.

Use up to THREE hashtags in your photos.
Repeat after me. I will not EVER use more than three hashtags.

People have this perception that by loading up your captions with every hashtag that comes to mind will allow more people to find your Instagram posts. Not true. In this case, it's definitely better to look for quality rather than quantity. So instead of making up hashtags like #atmygrandmashousehavingdinner and piling it in between other useless hashtags, how about searching keywords that fit your image and looking for which hashtags have been used most frequently and picking from those?

Plus, by using hashtags of relevance to your photos, people will land on your Instagram page, then hop on over to your blog or business and that means more business and more readers!

Join an Instagram loop giveaway.
This is a great way to meet other bloggers, business owners, and acquire customers, clients, and readers. If you don't know what an Instagram loop giveaway is, here's a brief explanation.

An Instagram loop giveaway is a giveaway solely hosted on Instagram where blogs/businesses who have Instagram accounts, post the same giveaway image at the same time. People then enter the giveaway by liking the photo and following that person and then continue following a series of accounts which will lead them back to where they started. 

It's a lot of fun for the hosts and easy for everyone to enter! Plus, you get a ton of Instagram followers!

I have done a few giveaways before and they ran pretty successfully. I have gained 1,000 loyal followers and am super excited to be hosting more Instagram loop giveaways in the future! You can sign up to be notified when new giveaway opportunities are available as well as find out everything you need to know about Instagram Loop giveaways here. 

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you have any Instagram tips of your own, please share!

I Did my First Periscope...and it was AWESOME!

Periscope quickly became something I wanted to try after I downloaded it and saw a few business owners and entrepreneurs scoping. They were simply talking about their businesses while sharing their knowledge and answering questions which seemed pretty cool to me!

If you aren't familiar with Periscope, its a live video broadcasting app where people host "scopes" and broadcast video while viewers can chat and send hearts (the native periscope currency similar to Instagram hearts or Facebook likes).

I strongly recommend using Periscope! Here's why:

People came and checked it out as soon as I went live!
It was unbelievable to me that almost 30 people viewed my scope as I was recording it. Trust me. It does not feel the same as it would if you uploaded a YouTube and then you received some views. This was live and people were watching me raw and unedited! It was both exciting and nerve-wracking all the same!

People encouraged you to keep talking.
I invited my best friend to the scope in case no one asked any questions or sent any hearts and in case I was stuck and started to show how nervous I was, he would be able to change the subject for me. But, it didn't happen that way. Once people were there, they wanted to have a conversation and loved tapping the screen to encourage you to keep the scope going by sending hearts!




It was so much fun!
Everything was fun - everything from learning to get over the nerves (because you're being watched live by people you've never met) to answering questions by people you've never met. There are some things I could have done differently, but the learning experience was also so much fun! I can't wait to broadcast another one!

Definitely follow me on Periscope to get notified of my next live scope!

Have you tried Periscope yet? Are you nervous to give it a shot?

I've Set Up Shop for my Blog + Web Design Business

After a whole year, I have finally launched my blog and web design business that I like to call Little Eternities. The reason behind the name is that "Eternity" means something that is infinite and does not end in time and when you are creating a little space on the web (a blog or website), you are leaving behind a little eternity.

It might sound a little quirky, but I love the name and I am sticking to it. Plus, I am sure my target clientele will resonate with the meaning behind it too.



It's both exciting and overwhelming how far I have come with projects like this one.

But, if I'm being honest, I'm also a whole lot nervous and slightly intimidated by it.

I'm nervous because I don't how it is going to turn out. Will I be successful in sending this message through every aspect of my business? Will my clients enjoy what I create for them? Or will no one even realize my business exists?

Business is a whole lot of risk and it's not just because you're investing time and money. What most people don't realize is that you're also investing an enormous amount of wishful thinking which definitely takes a toll on your mental health.

What I mean by wishful thinking is the mindset that business owners have where they believe that EVERYTHING they do will have a wonderful turnout right away when in reality, the big wonderful turnout happens years and tons of thousands of hours of hard work after the initial launch.

This definitely takes a toll on your mental health because the results are out of your control and it becomes a constant battle between idealistic and realistic goals for the business that consumes you at every turn.

I'm intimated because I see all these great blog and web designers who design beautiful designs and I'm wondering how my designs compare.

And then I think, why do I keep comparing myself to other designers who have spent years developing their business when I've just started?

Regardless, I'm super excited for this adventure! Why don't you join the party? For a limited time get 25% OFF any pre-made blog template now until the end of September using code "LAUNCHPARTYSALE" in the shop!

Thanks for all your support everyone! You guys are awesome! I'd love to support you all as well! What are some projects or goals you're working on?

10 Things I've Come to Terms With

There are a lot of things in life you'll face in every part of your life. You'll feel out of place in a crowd, you'll have a bad day at work, you'll have to accept certain shows being knocked off the air, and your favorite products being discontinued.

Here are 10 things I've come to terms with:

I am not going to graduate college in 4 years. 
The reason being is because I am double majoring in Computer Science and Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and minoring in Economics. With these heavily weighted subjects and the fact I'm taking 6 classes every semester is why I've come to terms with it taking me longer to graduate.

Pumpkin flavored Iced Coffee is only served in the Fall.
Why Dunkin' Donuts must you take away the only thing that makes me happy?! But, I've come to terms with it, I swear. (Okay, maybe not completely...)

They cancelled that show Jane by Design on ABC Family.
I know it happened 2 years ago, but I've finally gotten over it.

I lost one of my favorite zebra print socks, but I still have the other to remind me it's gone.

Miley Cyrus was once my role model. NEVER AGAIN.

My most comfortable white capris no longer fit my waist. 
I'm not going to lie, I still keep it in my closet in case I ever become a size 0 again. EVER.

Public Transportation.
It sucks and everyone deals with it.

Paying for business services.
I've been running my Fragrance business for 3 years, but refused to pay money to business services such as storefronts, email marketing, and a business phone line because I did not make enough money to be able to afford it, but I've established a balance and am willing to pay for services that I have no experience in so I could do what I do best.

Going to work early and coming home late so I can have Fridays off.
This will pay off in the end, right?

Not eating Frozen Yogurt every day.
It's been my summer tradition since 2013 to have Frozen Yogurt on every summer day - rain or shine. Not anymore. Too much sugar = so not fitting into those white capris.

Right Place at the Right Time

In every business or entrepreneurship course I have taken, the instructor has always mentioned being in the "right place at the right time." 

Lately, I have been thinking about how this phrase applies to my own life and all the goals I have as an entrepreneur. 

It all started when I was watching episode 22 of season 4 of How I Met Your Mother the other day and it was titled "Right Place, Right Time."

The whole theme of this episode and one of the wonderful reoccurring themes of the show is the idea that the universe has a plan that's constantly in motion. That one day you could step outside and you're life could change forever. 

In the words of Ted Mosby, "All these little parts of the machine constantly working, making sure that you end up exactly where you're supposed to be, exactly when you're supposed to be there. The right place at the right time." 

It made me think of where I was at this point in my life and where on earth I  was going to go?

I know I seem like I have it all figured out, but perhaps I don't feel that way anymore and it has gotten me thinking really long and hard. 

People like me are constant warriors. We're warriors because we fight everything - we fight for what we believe in, we fight for our dreams, we fight for support, we fight those who try to tear us down, we fight the rules, and most importantly we fight ourselves (which is usually half the battle) because we know we can make change happen. 

But, even though those are conscious choices we make and actions we take. Somehow it's all part of a plan. A plan that slowly unfolds as life goes on. 

I just wish I could understand where all of this is taking me. Will everything I do today make me happy tomorrow? Where should I stand prepared so I can be there at the right place at the right time?

Am I the only one who feels this way? Any thoughts?

Summer is Coming to an End

Back in May,  I set out to do a whole lot this summer. I said I would (try) to have fun and not work 24/7, but I also said I would work on my web design business 24/7 which is an absurd contradiction. But, that's who I am. I can't help being indecisive about how I spend time. I've tried and I can't. I also set out to relaunch all my paused projects before the Fall semester starts the first week of September.

Summer is coming to an end and so it's only natural for me to try to revaluate my summer goals and see which ones I could actually achieve before August is over.

Instead of working on my web design business, I have been spending most of my time after work watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother. Something about the show makes me nostalgic of a time where I felt I was a great navigator in my own life. I wouldn't know how to explain it, but I know it makes me happy. Plus, I can't believe how many of these episodes I just overlooked...they're even funnier than I remember. I have also found that there have been blatantly obvious clues about who the mother is in the first few seasons. How didn't I catch them before?! I did, however start creating awesome templates which will be on sale soon!

I made progress on making my blog better. I just added my first media kit as well as advertising options so I can make better relationships with other bloggers. I would also be happy to swap a sponsorship ad or help you get the word out on your blog/business at no charge, just send me an e-mail! 

As for the fun part, it's not something I'm generally good at. Don't assume I'm a boring stick in the mud though. ANYTHING, BUT THAT!

I am pretty funny if I say so myself and I do enjoy working a whole lot. That's fun for me.

Sure, it's not what "normal" people think of as fun. Honestly, I wouldn't know how to have fun with my family on the beach or with my best friend at a movie. I would appreciate it, I just wouldn't enjoy it as much. Does anyone out there understand what I'm sayin'? 

Are there any goals you've set out to accomplish before summer comes to an end?