The first thing I do when I go on Instagram is read and respond to my comments.
Then I’ll go to the people’s profiles who commented to see who they are, where they’re from, and what they do. I do this because I like to feel connected to my audience and show my appreciation for them taking the time out to comment on my stuff.
There are a few people in the Instagram industry who have an outrageously high engagement rate, like 170 comments and the person only has 19K followers or something. 19K followers is a lot for bloggers who have less than 19K, but compared to those with millions, it’s really not that much. Bloggers who have millions of followers usually get an average of 100-200 comments per picture. So to see a blogger with 19K followers getting that much is a bit alarming to me.
When I check these people out the comments range from the standard “so cute babe!” to “love your dress!” - nothing more. This is inauthentic and spammy engagement aka it’s not real. So, what’s my point? My point is that there are 2 places bloggers can choose to spend their time: 1. On other bloggers’ blogs, 2. On their own blogs. I choose the latter.
In other blogger’s businesses
When a blogger’s engagement to follower ratio is off, it’s most likely because they’re spending time in other people’s business more than their own. This is fine if you’re trying to grow your Instagram following, but as I’ve mentioned before, Instagram doesn’t make you money, your blog/business does. In fact, the only social media platform that does make you money is YouTube because of the ads.
So instead of trying to convince the unconvinced by forcing yourself onto these other bloggers through spam commenting/liking, focus on the people who are your most loyal fans, who actually want to see your content.
So much time is wasted when you’re focusing on other people’s businesses rather than your own. Even if you’re “just watching a quick video” or reading another blogger’s post, it’s taking time away from growing your own business because you’re ultimately helping them grow their businesses.
I’m not saying disconnect yourself completely from the industry - in fact, you need to stay up on current trends, strategies, and content curation if you want to stay relevant. But what I am saying is to spend the majority of your time on your blog/business. Stop browsing the web watching the latest blogger hauls and admiring how many followers blogger x, y, and z has. Hustle your own content!
On their own businesses
Now I’m going to talk about the bloggers who have turned/are turning their blogs into businesses…
The bloggers who aren’t “keeping up with the Kardashians” are too busy to stop and watch any tutorial or reality show because they’re working on their own stuff. They’re constantly creating, innovating, and marketing their own projects. The hustle doesn’t stop for these bloggers. From the time they wake up, ’til the time they go to bed, they’re making moves in the direction of their dreams.
They’re not concerned with how many inauthentic likes and comments they get on their social media channels because they are building an empire. These bloggers are communicating with their most loyal fan base and creating content they’re asking for.
The consumers are the bread and butter of your business and bloggers who are focused on their own businesses know that. So these bloggers are the ones who work on creating the best content, making attainable goals, and developing products/services that are going to better the lives of their readers. These bloggers are in it for the long haul and know the true value of adding value instead of trying to make a quick buck.
Ultimately it’s your blog and your business and only you can determine what is the best method for how you spend your time growing it.
Now the question is where do you spend your time? Tell us in the comments!
xx Britt
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You Should Also Read:
4 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out for the Holidays
The Best Way to Monetize Your Blog
How to Make Your Blog Content Shareable
