I cannot believe the blog just turned two! The past two years have flown by, but have been such a blast. Jason and I have learned so much and continue to learn more about blogging and social media ever day. Every blogiversary, I like to think back about what I have learned/gained from the experiences from the past year. This year, Jason and I have been focusing on what I like to call the Four Be’s Of Blogging.

  1. Be Yourself– Sometimes it can be really hard to be yourself when you are constantly seeing what other people are wearing/posting/doing on social media. It can be easy to lose yourself when you are trying to be someone else. This year I have been trying hard to stay true to my own style and esthetic.
  2. Be Authentic– This is such a big one right now. It is easier now than ever before to be tempted to buy followers, enter loop giveaways, and join comment pods. Personally, I do not use any of these to grow my account. There are multiple reasons why, but here are the big ones (warning: I am getting on my soap box for a hot second):
    1. It is not an authentic audience- This is such a HUGE one. I post my photos on Instagram to help others get new ideas for outfits and because I love to share my style. If I was to have followers from loop giveaways/buying followers, they would not be interested in photos and would not be following me because they enjoy my content. What is the point of posting content then? Then you are just posting for the numbers. The number of likes, comments and follows. These things are important, but this is NOT the way to increase them.
    2.  It is not sustainable- When you get followers from a loop giveaway, a majority of those people are following you because they want to get the free items, not because they enjoy your content. You will gain followers from a loop giveaway, but you a lot of them will unfollow you once the giveaway has ended. Then you will need another loop giveaway to get your numbers back up, it becomes a endless cycle. Purchasing your followers will give you similar results a giant increase follower without increasing your engagement. These followers will also start to dwindle away.
    3. Brands/Companies are looking for an authentic audience- Big companies will ask you if you have bought followers, been a part of loop giveaways and are part of comment pods before deciding if they want to work with you. This can hurt you in the long-run if you have been using these methods to grow your account. Companies can tell when an audience is authentic and when it is fake.
    4. It is hurting the market for influencers- I just read an article (here) about how companies are shying away from marketing with influencers because they are not trustworthy and using their own employees instead. We need to stand together and build trusting relationships with brands and our audiences.
  3. Be Creative– Doing what everyone else is doing will only get you so far. If you look at the big bloggers, they all are doing their OWN thing. That is why they got to where they are now. This means trying new thing in your posts, captions, stories, lives, just literally everything. Set yourself apart by being unique and yourself.
  4. Be Confident– You really can’t do the above Be’s without confidence. Confidence is a really hard thing for most people, including myself. It is so easy to doubt yourself, put yourself down, and compare yourself to others. It’s important to be proud of who you are, what you look like, and what you have to offer the world. Being confident is not only for the blogging world, but for everyone. Having a great support system makes being confident so much easier. Surround yourself with people that lift you up. With confidence, you can pretty much do anything, but remember there is a difference between confidence and arrogance.

I am constantly working on these four things every day. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love and share it with you all. It would not be any fun without you on this journey. Thank you so much for your support for the past two years! CANNOT WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT YEAR BRINGS.

Now, go and explore your #chardonnaystyle.

Cheers,

Taylor