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As a retired beauty queen, Diary of a Debutante has connected to many followers to share her passion! Here is her interview of her social media secrets and tip to online success. 

Tell our readers about yourself and your blog

Diary of a Debutante is a fashion and southern lifestyle blog from the perspective of an entrepreneur, advocate for eating disorder awareness, and retired beauty queen. My blog’s mission is to promote body positivity and mental health awareness through a variety of affordable fashion, realistic beauty, and healthy lifestyle topics.

Tell us how you first got into blogging.

I was out of work for around three months during a period of medical leave from my financial day job a few years ago, and I started blogging to pass the time and keep myself busy. One of my best friends started her blog a few months prior, so I basically had my own personal business coach to help me grow Diary of a Debutante into what it is today.

Photo Credit: @foto_by_freas

How did you establish your “theme” or brand?

I competed in pageants for two years, and I needed some “fun facts” to add to my Miss America resume. I’m not sure how we landed on the idea, but my friends and I started a (mildly) political podcast called Debutante Disclosure in college. As silly as it was when it came time to name my blog, I just kind of ran with that theme!

For your theme or brand, do you have things that you do consistently?  

Of course– what effective brand doesn’t? I spend a designated amount of time on social media daily in order to organically interact with my readers, I post 3-4 blog posts a week on a set schedule of days, and I’ve “themed” my days of the week in order to stay organized and ensure nothing gets left behind (administrative work, tech updates, photos, etc).

Where do you find the inspiration for your blog posts?

I get most of my inspiration from magazines, reader feedback, and random ideas that pop into my head. I try not to look at other blogs in my niche since I don’t want to (purposefully or inadvertently) copy another creative’s ideas. Originality is huge in finding success in the blogosphere.

What do you think is the best strategy to get more traffic to your blog?

Utilizing Pinterest to it’s fullest potential is a must. If Pinterest isn’t in your top five traffic sources every month, you’re doing something wrong!

Photo Credit: @eschenroeder

What’s your favorite social media platform?

Pinterest! It’s vital to bringing traffic and readership to my blog. So many companies place a huge emphasis on Instagram, and it just doesn’t convert like it used to. There are too many fake followers, fake likes, and algorithmic glitches to gain genuine interaction (and results) anymore.

How do you gain followers?

Posting quality content is a key factor– but so is interacting with other platform users. I try to do an equal combination of both.

Once you have the followers, how do you keep them?

You’ll always lose a few followers here and there, but asking for feedback has worked well for me. What do your followers want to see– and what questions do they have? Keep the conversation going, and engagement will always improve.

How many times a week do you post?

It varies for every platform. I post 3-4 times a week on my blog, every day on Instagram, 6-9 times on Twitter, 2-3 times on Facebook, and 15-30 times on Pinterest.

Is this a part of your strategy to keep gaining followers or do you post at random?

It’s strategized.

What are some misconceptions about social media?

Those managing 5-6 social media platforms is child’s play! It’s hard work– and it takes a lot of work, time, and dedication to cultivate a genuine and engaged following!

Photo Credit: @ashleybrookenichlas

Do you have photos taken professionally or do you take them yourself?  

A little bit of both. I have a Canon 70D camera, and my boyfriend takes a lot of my photos. I also work with photographers regularly– it just depends on the time sensitivity and budget of the project at hand.

What are some tips you can give in order to take a good photo?

Find yourself some good lighting! There are places I go back to time and time again because I know the lighting at any point throughout the day (unless there’s severe weather) will be great.

What’s your favorite location to take photos?

I love taking photos on the beach. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but you get to hang out on the beach after. 🙂

How do you find relevant hashtags for your photos?

You can google “best hashtags for fashion bloggers” and “best hashtags for beauty bloggers.” Once you find the ones that deliver results, you just keep using them.

Photo Credit: @ashleybrookenicholas

What are your top 3 favorite emojis?

I LOVE this question– the crown, the cry/laugh face, and the fire.

How do you keep your website updated & relevant?

I work with a website designer to keep my blog looking up-to-date.

What apps would you recommend to our followers?

Aside from all the generic social media apps, I really like using Facetune for editing photos on my phone, Piczoo for creating double-pain photo collages for Instagram, and Buffer for scheduling social media posts via mobile.

What else do you want to add to help small business owners?

Work smarter, not harder. It’s a mentality that I’m still adopting myself, but if you don’t manage your time and resources wisely, the quality of your work will suffer.

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