I'm into my 4th month where I post something very real, and something that holds me accountable for the goals I set for myself. I took the last few months off, but I'm back this month and hoping that by sharing my social media stats and marketing plans it will encourage you to set goals for yourself and your business as well.

Feel free to leave a comment and then join me in my Facebook Group for Wedding Pros where I'll be posting and asking my members to join in the conversation.

My main goals each month are of course to keep increasing my following within my niche market and continue being engaging. In return, this will lead to an increase in sales and conversions to my promoted link. Our social media efforts should be resulting in rewards for our time, right? And, while the higher numbers are wonderful - please remember that they won't mean anything if they aren't coming from your targeted audience.

Whether it's making connections, gaining new clients or growing our email list - we all need to have goals with our social media postings. What will your October social media goals be? Continue reading to see how my September ended up and then share your October goals in the comments . . .

So, here's my social media following numbers from July 1st to September 30, 2016
{please note - this is a 3 month time span}

Pinterest: from 11,642 to 12,520 > gained 878 {average gain of 292 per month}

Instagram: from 3,406 to 3,815 > gained 409 {average gain of 136 per month}

Twitter: from 19,747 to 19,940 > gained 193 {average gain of 64 per month}

Facebook: from 3,699 to 3,782 > gained 83 {average gain of 27 per month}

Periscope: from 623 to 651 > gained 28

Google+: from 607 to 620 > gained 13

I had a gain across all social media channels like previous months. My biggest gains were with Pinterest and Instagram which are the ones I continually put the most focus on as they are continually driving traffic {and sales} back to my site.

In addition to continually growing and building my social media following - these are my goals for October 2016

1. I'll continue to share marketing tips with Wedding Pros in my Facebook Group

2. I'm finishing wrapping up my very first Instagram Challenge which is receiving amazing feedback {partnerships, higher engagement, etc}. Once this challenge is finished - I will be announcing something HUGE - so please stay tuned.

3. I will continue promoting my FREE Social Media Content Calendar for Wedding Pros which is an entire month of content ideas to make social media fun and relevant to your followers.

4. I also plan to launch my brand new logo which I've slowly been getting ready for with the introduction of orange into the color palette of the graphics and text on the blog :)

Now, it's your turn to leave me a comment and let me know what goals do you have for October with your business? Let's hold each other accountable.

Stop! Are you hurting your growth on Instagram by making these three big mistakes?

Here’s the top 3 ways Instagrammers are hurting themselves and the growth potential of their business when they post. But, have no fear because they are easy to fix :) And, I have a special surprise for you at the end of this post :)

1. Are you tagging photos with other Instagram accounts to get their attention?

If tagging others in a photo with vendors that are involved in the photo, you are totally a-ok. However, I often find myself tagged in photos that I had no involvement in at all. They weren’t styled shoots I worked on. They weren’t features from my blog. I usually have not even ever had an interaction with this company before. They are simply tagging me in the hopes I’ll notice them. I always remove myself from the tagged photos I was not involved in as I don’t want these photos showing up in my photo feed on my account. While I simply remove myself from the tagged photo - you do run the chance of being reported. Some will report your photo instead of removing their tag and this hurts you and your account as your account can be shut down or temporarily disabled if reported too often. If I’m repeatedly tagged by another company, I will message them asking them to kindly stop.

Bottom Line: Don’t tag others on a photo unless they were involved. You don't want them looking likes this.

2. Are you using automated replies for commenting?

This is a huge no no. While you might think you’re making your life easier by not being fully 100% on Instagram and automating your replies - this will hurt you. People in a niche businesses {ex. weddings}, often follow the same people and engage with each other. When they keep seeing the same reply {and often the reply doesn’t even apply to the photo being shared} it sheds a bad light on you and your business.

Bottom Line: Never used automated comments. It makes you look bad all around.

3. Are you posting and not including hashtags? Or not enough hashtags?

Remember hashtags are like the icing on your Instagram posts. Without them, your posts just won't live up to the sweetness they deserve, because . . .
• Without hashtags you lower your engagement
Hashtags help you get into Top Posts which increases your chances of being seen even more
• Without hashtags you reduce your chances of being seen by new clients
Maybe you’re a photographer in Phoenix Arizona - brides might be looking for you in #phoenixwedding #phoenixweddings #phoenixweddingphotographer #phoenixbride #arizonabride #azbride - but without properly tagging your photos, you miss out on being seen
• Without hashtags you significantly reduce your chance of reaching new business leads
Properly tagged photos will increase your chances of being seen by other vendors in your area/niche and without them - you could miss out on a potential big collaboration

Wouldn’t you rather have 100+ likes and comments and engagement from potential clients/customers and collaborators instead of just 20 likes and no comments? So, let’s get those hashtags in there and not miss out on any business opportunities. You can use up to 30 hashtags and I personally suggest between 25-28 so you have room to add a few more down the road if needed for future features with other accounts.

Bottom Line: Never put up Instagram posts without hashtags. {hashtags can be placed in the first comment to be hidden and make your post look cleaner} You want hashtags so you give your Instagram post the exposure it deserves for engagement and reaching clients/customers.

One last thing with hashtags - never ever delete your hashtags! Deleted hashtags mean you are gone from your targeted hashtags forever and future clients will never see you.

So, let me ask you this - are you guilty of any of these Instagram mistakes? It’s ok of you are, but now you know how to start getting more engagement and growth potential with your Instagram account, right?

Want the complete list of 10 Instagram Mistakes you could be making right now that are hurting your growth and engagement?

Download the Top 10 Instagram Marketing Mistakes to Avoid today and be on your way to better engagement and an Instagram account that stands out in all the right ways.

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Hurry and Grab your copy of Top 10 Instagram Marketing Mistakes to Avoid for Wedding Pros for just $9. Click the Buy Now button above and it's all yours to create an amazing Instagram feed to propel your business to the next level.

This is now the third month where I post something very real, and something that holds me accountable for the goals I set for myself. It's been receiving a great response, so I'm going to continue it again this month. I hope you feel encouraged to set goals for yourself and your business as well. Feel free to leave a comment and share your goals or join me in my Facebook Group for Wedding Pros where I'll be posting and asking my members to join in the conversation.

It's already July, how is this possible by the way? Since we're already into the new month, it's time for me to tally all my social media following from June and see where I increased from the previous month. I'm now only setting 3 goals each month so I don't feel overwhelmed since it is summer and I want to be sure to enjoy the fun and sun with my family too. My goals are to keep increasing my following with my niche market and in return - increase sales and conversions. Because, our social media efforts should be resulting in rewards for our time, right? And, while the higher number are wonderful - they won't mean much if they aren't my targeted following.

Whether it's making connections, gaining new clients or growing our email list - we all need to have goals with our social media postings. What will your July social media goals be? continue reading to see how my June ended up and then share your results/goals in the comments . . .

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So, here's my social media following numbers from June 1st to June 30th, 2016:

Pinterest: from 11,246 to 11,642 > gained 396
If you're curious how I can keep up my Pinterest growth momentum - please take a peek at my 15 Days to Power of Pinterest Course built for Wedding Professionals. I invite you to Join Me as I will help you and your business grow with Pinterest by bringing traffic back to your web site and/or blog as well as reaching your target audience in just 15 Days.

Twitter: from 19,698 to 19,747 > gained 49

Facebook: from 3,692 to 3,699 > gained 7

Instagram: from 3,265 to 3,406 > gained 141
A little insight - I joined an Instagram challenge last month and was rather disappointed that I didn't see the results that were being promised. I wasn't the only one that felt this way as I chatted with several other wedding pros about this. Going forward, I'm going to stick to my own methods for growing a niche Instagram following. It's been a great decision because it's really working! If you want to join me and others as I share my Instagram tips, please join my Wedding Pro Only Facebook Group.

Periscope: from 604 to 623 > gained 19

Google+: from 606 to 607 > gained 1

I had a gain across all social media channels like the past two months - my biggest gains were with Pinterest and Instagram which are the ones I continually put the most focus on.

Yay! Get Ready to find out how to create relevant content for social media when you’re stuck on ideas - please check your email to confirm your subscription so each month you will receive the full scoop on creating content when your brain just won't think clearly. Copy and Paste the following link to access the July Social Media Content Generator: http://www.brendasweddingblog.com/july-social-media-content-generator

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

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For June, these are the goals I set - let's see how I did . . .

1. Continue scheduling pins/re-pins {at least 10-20 per day}
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Happy to say that while I may not have scheduled 10-20 each day, I did schedule pins and pinned live as well - and each week I ended up with 800-900+ repins

2. Get my posts shared on Google+ the day they go up
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Still need to work on this one

3. Try Facebook Live
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Still need to work on this one too

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So, here's my three social media goals that I plan to take on in July. Please share your goals for this month in the comments.

Whether it's 1 or 5 - I'd love to hear how you will be working with your social media accounts this month and we can hold each other accountable.

1. Continue scheduling pins/re-pins {at least 10-20 per day} as Pinterest is my number one traffic referrer so it's important that my social media focus is here

2. Get my posts shared on Google+ the day they go up - moving this one to July and we'll see what happens - I have to get better at this one :)

3. Engage and Grow my Instagram Account Even More - I want to make July my biggest growth month yet for Instagram. So, I'll be engaging more with those accounts that like my photos and hopefully posting twice a day most of the week.

So, what will you be working on this month with social media? Please share in the comments. I want to be your personal cheerleader :)

Yay! Get Ready to find out how to create relevant content for social media when you’re stuck on ideas - please check your email to confirm your subscription so each month you will receive the full scoop on creating content when your brain just won't think clearly. Copy and Paste the following link to access the July Social Media Content Generator: http://www.brendasweddingblog.com/july-social-media-content-generator

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Email Address

Download Now

Last month I decided to start doing something totally new, something very real, and something that holds me accountable for the goals I set for myself. It received a great response, so it's going to continue and I hope you feel encouraged to set goals for yourself and your business as well. Feel free to leave a comment and share your goals or join me in my Facebook Group for Wedding Pros where I'll be posting and asking my members to join in the conversation.

Since June is now here it's time for me to tally all my social media following from May and see where I increased from the previous month. Since school is finishing up later this month for my oldest and her dance recital is this coming week, I'm going to only set 3 goals this month {instead of 5} as it's getting hectic. My goals are to keep increasing my following with my niche market and in return - increase sales and conversions. Because, our social media efforts should be resulting in rewards for our time, right?

Whether it's making connections, gaining new clients or growing our email list - we all need to have goals with our social media postings. What will your June social media goals be? continue reading to see how May ended up for me . . .

So, here's my social media following numbers from May 1st to May 31st, 2016:

Pinterest: from 10,837 to 11,246 > gained 409 {62 more than last month}
Twitter: from 19,610 to 19,698 > gained 88 {41 more than last month}
Facebook: from 3,655 to 3,692 > gained 37 {17 more than last month}
Instagram: from 3,060 to 3,265 > gained 205 {85 more than last month}
Periscope: from 568 to 604 > gained 36 {14 more than last month}
Google+: from 603 to 606 > gained 3 {4 less than last month}

I had a gain across all social media channels except for Google+ and like last month - my biggest gains were with Pinterest and Instagram which are the ones I put the most focus on.

For May, these are the goals I set - let's see how I did . . .

1. Going to continue scheduling pins/re-pins {at least 10-20 per day} as Pinterest is my first/second source for referral traffic each day - alternating with Google.
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I am happy to say I did amazing with this one as I LOVE Pinterest. Just last week alone I had 831 repins and that was with scheduling a few less pins due to a busy week outside of work.

2. Scheduling more tweets {with photos and hashtags} to bring traffic back to my blog
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Wasn't horrible and wasn't that great at this. I didn't necessarily schedule a ton - but I definitely sent tweets out as I utilize SumoMe on my blog and at anytime I can go into my blog posts and send out a tweet with a photo on the go. LOVE doing this!

3. Scoping more as April was hard when I got sick {losing my voice and coughing aren't a good mix for scoping}. But, I did join in conversations on other scopes which helped me gain followers even though I wasn't scoping as I had planned.
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I did not do well with this one as I didn't scope at all in May {still gained followers though}. Despite not scoping, you know what? I'm ok with that. I came to the realization that my focus needs to be in my facebook group for wedding pros and I've loved the opportunity to work one-on-one with many wedding pros this past month and have even re-written Instagram profiles to take their accounts from "ho-hum to oh wow" and they are gaining followers and growing each day as a result. Literally brings a smile to my face to see that. And, when scopes started getting as gimmicky as the next webinar pitch - I just said enough is enough. When someone was scoping "How 20 oz of water a day saved my business" that pretty much sealed the deal. It's too much for me right now. But, I have a plan in one of my goals for June so be sure to see below :)

4. They say every 5th post should be a promo one for Instagram - I don't even think I do every 10. So, I'm going to work on that and promote both my freebies and services I offer. If it's not shared - how will anyone know what we offer, right?
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This one I did great on and my post yesterday afternoon was converting at only 23 likes. This made me smile as it proves that it's not all about the likes - but if you post something that attracts your audience to take action, you've struck gold!

5. Get my posts shared on Google+ the day they go up - hard to remember to add this to the mix, but it doesn't take long and does still help with ranking despite what some say.
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Unfortunately, I did not do well on this one at all. Moving this one to June :)

So, here's my three social media goals that I plan to take on in June. Please share your goals for this month in the comments.

Whether it's 1 or 5 - I'd love to hear how you will be working with your social media accounts this month and we can hold each other accountable.

1. Going to continue scheduling pins/re-pins {at least 10-20 per day} and want to bring back some past top posts with pin-friendly graphics to bring new eyes to the posts.

2. Get my posts shared on Google+ the day they go up - moving this one to June and we'll see what happens.

3. Try Facebook Live - remember how I had an idea above since I haven't been scoping? Well, I'd love to give Facebook Live a try on either my business page or my facebook group. The reach when a video is shared on my business page is huge so I'd love to see what it can do for me when I'm sharing tips to my followers.

So, what will you be working on this month with social media? Please share in the comments. I want to be your personal cheerleader :)

Can you believe that we are already into our second month of 2016? How was your January? Were you able to start on your goals for this year? If not, no worries - it's a fresh month with the chance for amazing things to happen. I have big plans for 2016 and in a way I'm calling it quits. Not, completely, but, with all the competition and inexperienced so called "experts" out there, it's got me thinking a lot about how I want to move forward this year. So, I'll be calling it quits in the ways that haven't been working. I'm going to be "following my arrow" and bringing my graphic design background more front and center in the new year.

I spent January doing lots of brainstorming and thinking about where I want to take my wedding blog in 2016. There's so many pop-up sites saying they'll do this and that for your business and they barely have any experience. They aren't even in the same industry and their numbers don't match what they claim. Makes me sad to see others fall for their sales pitches.

But, I'm not calling it quits and neither should you when things get a little tough.

One main thing I know for sure is that after 14+ years in the wedding industry - I am more passionate than ever in helping businesses just like yours reach the brides you want {need} and grow your business for success.

I'll soon be rolling out a brand new
section of business services just for you.

- Services that will grow your business.
- Services that will help you reach your niche market.
- Services that you will simply love to take advantage of.
I'm going to take your business from "ho hum" to "oh wow"!

In the meantime - is there anything you need help with for your business right now? Do you want to reserve a giveaway sponsorship and grow your audience at the same time? Please email me at bestweddingsites@gmail.com and let me know how I can help. 

PS: Have you received the 5 Key Components to a Great Instagram Post? If not, be sure to sign-up here and you will receive them right away.

You'll also receive access to my private {no drama} facebook group for wedding vendors only. It's all about business tips + tricks and special offers.

PS: the featured Follow Your Arrow coffee mug in this post is perfect for keeping you on track this year. Click Here to get your very own mug so you're reminded each day to "follow your arrow". {this is an affiliate link}