Getting More Facebook Likes

The Facebook page for my style blog has grown by 81% in the past three months and I didn't resort to buying "likes" for it to do so. 

Here's what I did to give it a boost:

updated my page more frequently - For me, that means going from 1-2 times per week to 3-4 times. Why not every day? Because it turns into information overload and your messages become diluted. Instead of forcing stuff on my fans on a daily basis, I focus on sharing relevant, quality content I think they'll read, benefit from, and share. 



liked other pages as Discount Thief - This strategy has proven to be super effective for driving people back to my page. In order for this to work, you have to engage ethically on other people's pages. Simply put: no spammy, self-serving comments. Never ever do I mention my blog or my services. If the page owner asks a question, I answer it. If they're making small talk, I chime in. when I read something interesting on their blog, I go to their Facebook page and let them know the value I got from it. It's always about the page owner. Not about me.

Here's what others did to add to my numbers:

publicly recognized my work - The administrator from a group of local bloggers emailed me to let me know I was chosen as the featured blogger of the week. This was a pleasant surprise, especially considering I was no longer an active member of the Facebook group. Keeping with that whole ethics thing, I immediately advised them that I wasn't a member and told them I understood if they needed to rescind. Turns out, since the group is geared solely toward Austin area bloggers - that was good enough for them. Talking about grateful! 



gave me shout outs - Natasha from One Woman's Style and Evolution and Miss Rockwell from Thrifty and Shameless showed me love. Be it blog traffic or growing your social media presence, having people in your corner to toot your horn is priceless. Reciprocating and returning the favor is a must. Promote others and you'll get it back ten fold. 

Are you making progress with your social media efforts? What's working for you?

How Long Should A Blog Post Be?

Last week I participated in the #BlogTrends chat on twitter. The topic for the night centered around ways to  grow our blogs and new technology to aid in the process. 

At some point, somebody asked how long should a blog post be. Now listen. If you've never participated in a chat before this kind of question may seem off topic, but it's not. One of the things I like about twitter chats is that most have an open format. If a question pops in your head - you're free to ask and more than likely you'll get an answer. 

In this particular instance, there were lots of answers. And they were all across the board too. Some folks said they prefer reading longer posts. Others chimed in saying if a post was too short, they felt like it was rushed and half done. 

Here's my advice:

Instead of focusing on how long or short the post should be, focus on what you want to say. 

1. If you're writing a how-to post, have you detailed all of the steps?
2. What's the purpose of the post? What do you hope to accomplish?
3. If a reader lands on your blog for the first time, will what they read make them want to come back?

There's all kinds of blogging tips out there. Some I agree with, but most I don't. 

One thing I know for sure is if your primary focus is on how long your posts should be, you won't have a successful blog. 

What are your thoughts?

Work at Home Fail

There's no better way to start the new year than diving in deep with the intentions of making all the money you possibly can. If you're reading this and you're one of those people who thinks money is a four-letter word, this isn't the place for you. 

I believe in and seek abundance. The more I have - the more of a blessing I can be to others. 

I came across a work from home gig on Facebook. It was posted on a page that I trust by a blogger who specializes in finding legit opportunities. I read through it and set aside some time to start the application process. 

The position entailed calling apartment communities and completing phone surveys. Sounds easy enough doesn't it?! The pay was $10/hour and the project only lasted 4-6 weeks. Not bad at all. And you could even have noise going on in the background while making your calls.

The first thing you have to do is complete an assessment. 

Listen. This was no easy test. There were 30+ questions and almost every one contained multiple parts, which ends up being more like 70+ questions. And these weren't no multiple choice kinds of questions either. It involved reading - thoroughly - and writing out your answers. In sentences. 

After spending about two and a half hours and completing eight questions, I put it down to take a break. All of your reference materials weren't on one document. There were two different places you toggled back and forth to get your answers. I kept telling myself, "If you make it through this test - the work won't be that hard." I started back on the assessment again the next day and spent about 45 minutes on two questions.

Needless to say, I got a headache and tossed that shit aside. Permanently. 

Did I tell you if you miss more than THREE questions you won't be considered?? If this is what work at home jobs consist of - I ain't about that life! 

I totally understand having a process in place to get the right people to ensure the success of your project. But in my opinion, this was a little but too much. I seriously had flashbacks of studying for my real estate exam. 

So in conclusion: this initial work from home attempt didn't quite work out. 

I'll keep you posted on anything else I find.