Blog Post 4: Out of the Box

When I first started the Social Media course, I was only on the most obvious platforms. Facebook, Instagram ,Twitter (hardly) and LinkedIn. I learned that Twitter can actually be quite beneficial for getting people back to your main website, in my case, my blog. I have started to post to Twitter much more frequently, which in return has given me some more followers, and more traffic to Love Learning A Mom’s Journey.

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Two of my favorite unexpected applications I will take away from this course is Hootsuite and Brand24. Now, they may be very popular to others, but to me they were brand new. I loved using Brand24 for an assignment in a previous course and Hootsuite is definitely my favourite content application. It’s great for scheduling and staying on track of things. Sprout Social was also one that I enjoyed learning about and hope to get the chance to use in a future career.

What I love most about social media is that it is such an evolving field. I was on ICQ, AOL, MSN… and now I am doing live video sessions with the potential of having hundreds of people watching. How cool is that?

There will always be new applications coming out, there will always be new platforms to learn about. It’s so exciting, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store!

This is been so much fun, and I am so glad to have taken the Social Media course. If you are reading this somehow and are debating taking the course…do it! There are tons of jobs out there in the field, and it is only going to keep growing.

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Assignment 5: SEO for Social Media

“SEO for Social Media” is a course I took on Linkedin Learning. I chose this event because throughout the entire Social Media course, SEO is the one thing I have had a difficult time wrapping my head around. I know search engine optimization is very important in social media and therefore I wanted to take the opportunity to expand my learning on it.

Gabe Villamizar was the instructor, and unfortunately because this was not a live event, I wasn’t able to interact live with him. However, I did add him to my linked in account, and will not hesitate to contact him, if ever I need to know more about SEO. I found him to be a great speaker and very intelligent. He knows his stuff.

            He mentioned some things I already knew how to do thanks to the social media course (such as hyper linking in a blog post) however, he went on to explain how important adding these links are for SEO. He also mentions that articles that are 2000+ words get more top 10 places in searches. That was definitely something I learned that I will keep in mind. I also learned that when doing B2C the best platforms to post on are Facebook, Instagram (which is almost a 50-50 balance of men and women users) and YouTube.

Gabe explained how important profile optimization is when working in social media. Something he said is the quote I will take away:

“Begin seeing your accounts and profiles as your digital worldwide billboard on the busiest freeway where hundreds, thousands and millions of cars drive by 24/7, 365.”

He went on to explain how important is to make sure your accounts are completely filled out “Account Completion”  He also explained that consistency across all platforms in the name of the game, which I remember learning throughout the social media courses. All of these things help with SEO, which in return gets you the results you want, traffic to your website.

I will definitely being attending more courses and events when they are offered on LinkedIn Learning. I believe they are credible and I take a lot away from them. It is great that there always seem to be new videos/sessions coming out and so I can always improve my skills.

Blog Post #3 – Professional Networking Now and in the Future

I recently had an interview to be a social media specialist and this question actually came up. The lady doing the interview emphasized how important it was to her that we network online. Just like our notes say, more and more people are online today, and gone are the days (especially for at least the next few weeks, if you live in Ontario…) of in person networking, so we have to concentrate on online networking. Fortunately, tools like messenger, facetime, zoom, etc. are at our fingertips. I also feel like new tools and technology will always be surfacing and I am excited to see what people come up with.

If hired for this position (keep your fingers crossed!) I plan on reaching out via e-mail to past colleagues of mine, or sending them messages through facebook messenger to touch base and possibly talk about collaborating and/or pointing me in the direction of more people I can talk with. I would also start posting Instagram and Facebook call to action stories, tagging some of these friends and colleagues in stories to peak some interest in hopes that they will reach out and we can start chatting about future projects to collaborate on.

As for my personal blog and Instagram for Love Learning a Mom’s Journey, I plan to reach out to more moms and talk about going live with them. It’s so much fun and definitely gets some attention. I am also going to share, like and comment on more posts that I see in my feed that relate to my brand. The more love you give, the more love you will get in return.

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Blog Post #2: Strong and Weak Organizations

An organization I feel is doing Social Media right is The Happy Sleep Company. If you’ve read my earlier posts in other courses, you’ll know I am a huge fan of this company. Their feed is just done so right. They have consistent colors, logos, tone, etc. She shares videos that are 100% appropriate to their target audience and they keep things real. They are selling a product, however, they also share so many tips on their various platforms that really do help out first, second and even third and fourth time parents. They just recently posted a reel about two different moms making completely different choices for their families, and the company emphasis that it is 100% okay to do things differently. They make it a key point to say “Do what works for your family.” They are very consistent with posts, and share many stories. They go love often, and have recently started a podcast.

An organization I feel could use a better Social Media Strategy is Lots of Dots. I know they are new to social media, but they definitely could use a better social media plan. They are in the industry of arts and their main object is to sell paintings. They have an Instagram account, Facebook account, and a website. They are inconsistent with postings and don’t post nearly enough on either platform.  From my understanding they are going through some changes, so hopefully we will see things like more consistency, a solid color scheme, more posts directed at a targeted audience, and more engagement out of them soon! I feel they would sell a lot more paintings and reach a much larger audience if they were to adopt a better social media strategy. Even just by being more consistent and using more platforms like Twitter, they would start to see the results they are after.

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COM0015 Blog 1: Tools and Sources

Where do you listen?

One of my favorite listening tools for Social Media is Instagram and hashtags. Being a blogger, I follow many hashtags related to my target audience and not only is it great to find out what other bloggers and instagram influencers are talking about, but it is actually great for coming up with ideas on what to write on if ever I am stuck for a post. If there is something trending, and a hashtag has been generated for it, I always find when I do use that hashtag in a blog post or Instagram post, my reach is a lot higher. I also find most of my target audience is on Instagram, so it definitely is a smart decision for me to follow along on it.

Another great tool I have used for listening is Brand24. I used it for another course and fell in love with it. I will definitely use it in the future. I love that you can add or delete words and really tailor it to what you want to be listening to. It has so many great features and I am so glad to have been introduced to it.

My two favorite sources for news and updates again, are Instagram, and Twitter. Personally I find Twitter to be much more reliable than other sources such like Facebook, I don’t know if it has to do with who I follow, but I find there is a lot less drama and “fake news” on Twitter. Being able to follow people who are my target audience is easy on Twitter, and also directs me to their blogs and Instagram accounts.

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COM0014 – Blog #7: A Look Back

Storytelling, along with the right tone to your audience is so important because it helps connect to those who are reading your material. Especially when working with a personal brand, telling a story rather than dictating to your audience will go a long way, it builds trust, and trust is something you want with your audience to keep them coming back and engaging.

This course has taught me many tricks that will help me go forward with my blogging. Knowing the difference between what tones to use, writing compelling content and believing in y story are things that I will continue to do with each blog post. I always found that writing from the heart and being as real as I am with my audience always worked out, and this course has definitely confirmed that writing this way does capture the audience.

I will continue to tell my personal stories of motherhood, and share the good bad and ugly throughout the journey, taking into consideration everything learned in this course. One of my favorite things learned is not to bury the lead, and the inverted pyramid. I think it is such a great concept and have used it a couple times now on my personal blog now that I know about it!

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COM0014 – Blog #6: Who Am I? What Do I Do?

Who am I? What do I do? Simply put, I am Mom, and recently became a blogger. Ever since I was a little girl, all I wanted to do was be a mom. I have a lot of love, and just about the same amount of patience, and those two ingredients are among the highest ones needed to be a mom.

I am very fortunate to have been able to stay home with my 3 and a half year for most of his life, and with school just around the corner, we made the decision to put him into daycare to build his social skills. While on maternity leave with my second, who just turned one, I decided to go back to school into social media. It is what made me create my blog and I am so excited to keep going with it. I hope that my blog helps other parents, and moms, just like me, through this journey that is full of ups and downs. I want it to be a safe place for parents to share their concerns and reach out if need be.

With my toddler starting school in September, I do plan on looking for a career in social media however, I do plan on keeping my blog, Love Learning A Mom’s Journey up and running, as it is something I truly am proud of, and have fun doing.

COM0014 – Blog #5: A Journey Through Motherhood

My personal brand is motherhood and is what I cherish most in my life, what I have always wanted to do, and it 100% what I am all about. I have devoted my life around my children and it is what I do best. I created a blog to share my journey through motherhood, and I also have started an Instagram account as well. Like many other moms, my characteristics and personal qualities aren’t better than the rest, but are unique to my own family. The best thing about my personal brand, is that we’re not really in competition with one another (or at least we shouldn’t be) we support each other. Mom’s need to support other moms, we’re all in this together and there is no one “right way” to do motherhood.

I like to consider myself a tough love kind of mom, my children know that I will be there for them every step of the way, but they also know that I have a line and not to cross it. My colleagues would say that my best trait, hands down, is my patience. Perhaps it is because I spent over a decade working in daycares, my patience has grown and grown. Some people say I am the most patient person they have ever met, and that goes a long way when dealing with a toddler – trust me. I am most proud of my children. I am proud of the way I am raising them to be polite, thoughtful, kind, and strong men. I am proud that I am teaching my boys to treat people with respect but to also stand up for what they believe in.

Follow along my journey as I share tips and tricks, activities to do with babies and toddlers, and personal stories from the heart. There will be laughs, teachable moments, and tears along the way, but I promise it will be fun! Find me on Instagram using the handle love.learning.a.moms.journey and find the blog by clicking Love Learning A Mom’s Journey.

I’m Shawna, and I am on the best journey ever.

My boys and I

COM0014 – Blog #4: The Happy Sleep Company

The Happy Sleep Company is a company based out of Ottawa but works with people worldwide. They help families sleep coach their babies and toddlers to get the healthy sleep they need to ensure proper development.

Erin Junker, the founder of the company does an excellent job engaging with her audience (and customers, new and existing) She uses a friendly, happy-go-lucky approach when addressing her audience, and uses bright filters and eye catching images. She has her brand image set in stone, and is very consistent with it. When you see her colors and logo, you know exactly who it is and what they represent. She also incorporates her own family into her posts, which gives us that personal touch. Her target audience is mainly new parents, and so she does an excellent job catching their attention with online giveaways. Not only does she please her audience with the giveaways, but she also gains tons of followers by doing this! She collaborates with companies that give things away that are useful to new parents.

I love how she does question periods with her audience. New and existing customers get the chance to interact with her live on Instagram and ask questions related to sleep. She does this quite often and it really helps out her customers, and definitely gets her more business. She uses catchy, heart warming messages like “Happy Sleep, Happy Parents” which are very eye catching to sleep deprived parents!

Her approach is absolutely working, as her followers and business keeps growing, she even has added more staff members to help with the work load. I know firsthand what she does is working, and definitely recommend her services.

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COM0014 – Blog #3: Target Audiences

When I first decided to start a blog, I knew right away who I wanted my target audience to be. Being a mom, I know the struggles that can come with parenting, so I wanted to create a blog to help out parents, and more specifically moms, throughout parenthood. The struggles of nursing, transitioning from one child to two, tantrums, and so on can take a toll on emotions, especially right after giving birth when so many crazy things are happening inside (and outside!) our body. My hope was to share my stories and reach other moms to let them know that they are not alone in this journey and that we are here to support each other.

I find when using a friendly, up lifting tone, my audience engages more. Being a mom, sometimes I need just a happy article to read, and so I will sometimes write in a comical way, hoping to put a smile on someone’s face who may have just been up all night with their baby. I also find when I use personal examples my audience relates more. When I share all the aspects of motherhood, not just the good, I tend to get more views and engagement. Parents need to know that they’re not alone when experiencing the terrible tantrums that our children go through. It brings some sort of comfort knowing others are going through the same thing. I also like to link to other sites that support my ideas, tips and tricks, such as Caring For Kids and The Canadian Paediatric Society. Another good strategy I like to use is posting real pictures of my family. It gives that personal touch, and shows my reader who I really am.

Follow along the journey here: Love Learning A Mom’s Journey