How to Use Social Media to Create Community as a Blogger

When I first got into blogging, like really got into it, it was hard for me to figure out what exactly I needed to do to create community in the blogosphere. I wasn’t trying to make it big or even grow an audience at that time (although I did want maybe a few people to read what I was writing…talking to yourself is no fun). I looked into it and found many articles and classes from people offering advice and “5 easy ways to grow your audience” or “Bloggers guide to 5,000 followers” but for the most part there was nothing really informative regarding how to simply build a community of bloggers.

Blogging Communities

What I was looking for exactly was a space with bloggers from different niches, of different ages, with varying levels of experience. A space where we could exchange knowledge, ask questions and support each other as we worked our way from novices to “experts”. Why is this important? Because we can learn from each other. Collective knowledge benefits a community. I also wanted friends who blogged. It’s easier to do what you’re doing when you have people you are close to who are doing it too. Friends who understand the grind of the late nights, weekends packed with content planning instead of going out, the stress of brand building and putting yourself out there all over social media for the job because…you have to. I knew this was necessary yet I had no idea where to find this community I was so desperately seeking.

So, Do you Need All the Social Media?

How to use social media to build community as a blogger by Nicole Eva

There is an assumption that in order to be a noticed blogger you need to be EVERYWHERE. And maybe they’re right…as being everywhere can be helpful to getting out there and being seen. But it can also be quite overwhelming. I’ve found that as someone who really is almost everywhere, it is really hard to be everywhere well. You can maybe do a few platforms consistently and productively, but I don’t believe (unless you are the actual QUEEN of multitasking) that you can do them all at once and cater to them in a way that produces the ideal two sided engagement. (I am a FIRM believer that engagement should be two sided…I’ll rant about that in a later post…stay tuned). You’ve got to narrow down your platforms to the ones that serve your needs best. But how do you do that?

What are You Looking For?

I really and truly believe there are some social platforms that work better than others at helping you achieve your blogger goals. Determining which platforms work for you is dependent on what your goals are.

Right now, my goals are to build a community. My socials have been primarily filled with friends, and although I love my friends we all know that friends are not always the most active supporters of your craft, and they’re not supposed to be. They are with you for you, not what you do. There comes a point though, when you as a developing professional blogger (or YouTuber) need to be actively surrounded by people who are with you for what you do. These are going to be the ones who understand the work you’ve put into your craft and why it matters that they like, comment & share your work. They know, so they’ll do. So you need to find them.

In this video I talk about which social platforms I feel have done the best so far at helping me build a community as a blogger. I’m a part of a lot of them (Snapchat, Instagram , Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook and bloglovin’) and I have been for a while. As you would probably assume, some are significantly better than others at creating the community that brings life to your craft. I am not an expert, just someone sharing their experiences so far! If you are someone looking for the best ways to build community as a blogger, this video will help you out. Afterwards, let’s discuss your thoughts about the platforms I’ve mentioned. Have you had success with these platforms? Do you have hesitations about using any of these platforms? Are you struggling with them? I’d love to chat about it with you!

The Goal

My goal with this post is that you will feel a bit more knowledgeable about the platforms available to you and how to use them to build a community as a blogger/vlogger. These communities have helped me significantly which is why I am so eager to share them with you! If you need any help figuring out which pages or groups to follow let me know and I can share the ones I’m in with you!

Happy creating friends!

Till next time,

Nicole

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