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SOCIAL MEDIA: HOW TO GROW YOUR INSTAGRAM


Let's talk social media, today let's talk Instagram growth in particular. Getting consumed in social media is not a good thing at all, but if you have an online business, want to get work opportunities, establish yourself as a blogger, brand, influencer or want to grow your community, whatever it is, social media plays a big part in it. So, instead of wasting time on social media and stalking people, let's make it grow and help you with your goals.
And remember, it's not just about numbers, it's about content, aesthetic feed, bio...it's all about how you present yourself, let's get into it.

USE YOUR BIO RIGHT
What's your bio like at the moment? I personally find it difficult to describe myself in bios, and I think it's the same for most people. I mean, it's pretty difficult to describe/brand yourself in just a few lines, right? But you gotta do it if you want people to follow you.
Think about what can people expect from following you? Maybe you post about beauty and fashion? Maybe about healthy lifestyle? Make sure to mention that in your bio, so people who are interested in that will follow you. Maybe you like inspiring people through your posts? so it means you can bring value to them. Then make sure to mention that.
When it comes to your bio, make sure you give people reason to follow you and don't leave it blank.

WHAT IS YOU PROFILE PIC LIKE?
Think about what your Instagram page is all about, then choose the right profile picture for it. Are you a travel blogger? A picture from one of your travels would work well. Are you a makeup guru? Use one of your makeup photos. Are you a business owner and want people to trust you? Use a high-quality head shot, so people can see right away who they would be doing business with. Or maybe you're all about fashion? Then use your favorite outfit shot.
Your profile picture gives that first impression, so make sure it shows what you want people to see.

THE AESTHETIC FEED
Everyone loves a pretty feed. You can get really creative with it, or keep it simple. Maybe choose a color pallet? or use the same filter on all your photos, so that they all would go together well. 
Also, now there are apps such as Preview, that let's you plan out your feed, so you can make sure it will look exactly how you want it to.

CAPTIONS CAPTIONS CAPTIONS
I have to admit, I'm so bad when it comes to Instagram captions, I love creating visuals, but writing captions is such a struggle for me. The thing is I love creating captions for my clients, but when it comes to myself, or especially promoting myself it becomes really difficult.
If you're at all like me, try to change that, it will make your followers engage with you more. Share your thoughts, experiences, favorite books, quotes, recipes, ask questions, and don't be scared to promote yourself, only good things will come from it.
Captions helps you create relationships with your followers.

BE CONSISTENT
Remember, if you want to keep on growing, be consistent with your Instagram. Plan ahead. Especially if you don't have time to be taking photos each day, just set one day a week or so and take all the photos, that you need for the upcoming week, you can even schedule your posts.
However, if you prefer to just take photos and share them in a moment, that's also great, as it's a more in a moment interaction with your followers, just make sure you take photos consistently then.

SCHEDULING INSTAGRAM POSTS
If you want to be consistent on Instagram it's a great idea to schedule your posts.







Onlypult is one of my favorites, easy to manage and you can use it for a few different accounts, depending on your plan.
Later is great too for adding multiple accounts, you will be able to see what your feed is going to look like, plus it's insightful when it comes to Instagram analytics. 
I think Hootsuite is great, but somehow I don't like it for Instagram as much, but if you want a scheduler for Facebook or Twitter, I really enjoy using it for that.
Oh, and if you prefer scheduling and planning on your phone, Planoly is really nice.
However it's usually best to try it out for yourself and see which is one works best for you, as most of the scheduling platforms give free trials.

DON'T FORGET STORIES
Instagram stories is such a great way to interact with your followers, even from just a simple good morning story you might get messages, and that way you'll start building relationships.
Take a picture of your breakfast, sky, show what book you're reading today, what TV series you're watching, ask for movie recommendations, whatever comes to mind, just play around with it.

MAKE INSTAGRAM FRIENDS
Now you have the perfect bio, profile picture, your feeds looks beautiful, you even started writing cool captions, but it seems like there's still not enough engagement?
Well, that's easy, you have to start interacting, show the love. Go and like some photos, write some comments, follow people, reply to some Instagram stories, get yourself out there, what you give, you'll get back.

OH, AND #HASHTAGS
Hashtags are great if you use them right, decide what's your niche, who's your target audience, then do your research on hashtags in that niche and use them. Remember not to use the ones like #love #friends #life, but rather be specific to your niche, that way you'll be noticed by the right people.



What are your tips on growing Instagram accounts?
Do you have any questions?

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES


I absolutely love watching Christmas-y movies when December comes, and maybe you do too, which is why I wanted to share some of my favorites with you all. Here goes my list.



Home Alone
Fred Claus
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Elf
Christmas Vacation
Jingle All The Way
Four Christmases
Serendipity
A Christmas Story
Miracle on 34th Street
Surviving Christmas
Gremlins

I'm pretty sure, that I've missed some, but these are like my ultimate favorites, from the ones, that I have seen so far, of course there are still soo many Christmas movies, that I haven't seen yet.

What are your favorite Christmas movies?

SELF-REFLECTION: JOURNALING | 50 JOURNALING PROMPTS FOR SELF REFLECTION



Do you take time of your day, week. month for self reflection? It's such a good way to check up on yourself, realize if you should make any changes, remind yourself what you love about yourself, it helps you re-think your goals and set new ones. Journaling is like therapy - you learn so much about yourself.

When self-reflecting you look at yourself from a distance in a non-judgmental way, you're being completely honest with yourself and focus your attention on what’s happening in your life and how you’re feeling. You think about it, write about it,  process it and learn from it.
It's best if you can take time to journal each morning and evening, however if you feel like that's too much, do it weekly, or at least monthly, take your time - it will definitely be worth it.

Some people find writing easy, so they just go with the flow and write whatever comes to mind, while others like to have a question list and answer them daily.
Today I compiled a list of journaling prompts for self reflection, if you prefer to have some questions while journaling use these ideas for inspiration:




  1. Describe your perfect day
  2. 10 things you're grateful for in your life
  3. 3 things you're grateful for that happened today
  4. Is there something in your life you need to let go?
  5. Do you spend enough time with your loved ones?
  6. Write a letter to your younger self
  7. Write a letter to your future self
  8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
  9. How do people around you treat you?
  10. How can you give back?
  11. How would you like to be described?
  12. How do you treat other people?
  13. How would you like to be remembered when you’re gone?
  14. How do you deal with negative people?
  15. How do you deal with change? (new job, moving places, new people, new challenges...)
  16. How do you deal with rejection?
  17. How do you react to criticism?
  18. How fulfilling is your life? What's missing?
  19. What are you good at?
  20. What are you bad at?
  21. What sets your soul on fire?
  22. What are your priorities at the moment?
  23. What was the last thing that made you laugh?
  24. What are you most proud of?
  25. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  26. What makes you genuinely happy?
  27. What makes you unique?
  28. What was the last thing that made you cry?
  29. What are you most proud of?
  30. What makes you unique?
  31. What were your goals last month? did you make them happen?
  32. What are your goals for upcoming week? month? year?
  33. What is your most treasured possession and why?
  34. What's your biggest secret?
  35. What do you value the most in other people?
  36. What are 5 things you love about yourself?
  37. What does your self care routine look like?
  38. What is something new you would like to try?
  39. What is your favorite quote to live by?
  40. What are your biggest dreams?
  41. What would be your perfect job?
  42. Are you learning something new?
  43. Are you trying out new things?
  44. Are you using your time wisely?
  45. Are you stepping out of your comfort zone?
  46. Are you taking care of yourself?
  47. Are you staying true to yourself?
  48. Are you happy?
  49. Are you letting matters that are out of your control stress you out?
  50. Are you kind enough to yourself and others?


Have you been journaling? What are you favorite questions to ask yourself? Does self-reflection help you? Do you have any tips when it comes to it?