Almost everyday, I receive questions about social media and blog engagement. Navigating social media engagement can be tricky, particularly when algorithms change frequently. I have my own tips and tricks that I use to engage with my followers, but I wanted to reach out to some of my blog sisters to hear what they have to say.
Social Media Engagement- A Conversation with bloggers Miranda Mendoza and Kerry Miller
A Conversation with Miranda Mendoza and Kerry Miller
Miranda Mendoza
I’m fortunate to be surrounded by several talented bloggers. Miranda Mendoza and Kerry Miller are both great at engaging with their followers on social media. Please allow me to introduce you.
Miranda Mendoza was named “Most Buzzworthy” Blogger by Allure Magazine. Miranda started Slashed Beauty in her college dorm room and built a community of beauty lovers looking to stay up with the latest trend on a budget. Miranda recently wrapped up her Bachelor’s in Communication Studies. She is now working full-time on her blog, collaborating with nationwide brands and doing what she loves every day.
Kerry Miller is a lifestyle blogger and publicist. She calls herself a “creative creator and happiness inspirer” when it comes to all thing public relations and her blog. She is a big foodie, loves to shop, and loves movies. Kerry is incredibly supportive and loves to see people succeed. She loves creating great content that goes deeper than your average post. She strives to make others smile with her blog and PR work.
Let’s talk
I talked with Miranda and Kerry about their experience with blogging, social media, working with brands, and how to build an engaged community.
Follower Counts
Kerry Miller
Jennifer Quisenberry: Let’s talk about the nitty-gritty – the numbers of followers. People ask me all the time if there is a magic number of followers you need to have on social media. I love having opportunities to work with brands because of my numbers, but I find that it’s the engagement that grows my readership. When you are working for brands do you find that their interest in your engagement is more important than your follower count? Or is it more about your number of hits on your blog and social accounts?
Miranda Mendoza: I think that the number of followers is what draws brands in, but the engagement is what makes them stay and pay. Especially in the era when “buying” followers is unfortunately prevalent, a high number only goes so far if users are not interacting with the content. I am fortunate to work with some great brands who realize that a 4,000 follower count that’s highly engaged is more valuable than a 100,000 follower account that just keeps scrolling past content.
A 4,000 follower count that’s highly engaged is more valuable than a 100,000 follower account that keeps scrolling.
Kerry Miller: I see both sides of this as a blogger and a publicist. I have concluded that when I work with brands for my blog, their interest is more about the engagement and the content that comes from it.
Analytics and Measuring Your Progress
Jennifer Quisenberry: So it sounds like both of you agree that engagement trumps numbers ultimately. One of my sayings is you can’t improve what you don’t measure. What metrics do you use to measure your engagement? Do you track your posts against previous posts’ performance? Do you look for an average percent of comments and likes based on the number of followers you have?
Miranda Mendoza: I measure my engagement by comments and likes, typically. I definitely try to monitor my average likes and comment counts, only so that I can eventually see an upward trend. This also clues me in on what kind of content my audience likes the most, as this will tailor what opportunities I take from brands for maximum ROI on their part, and the ability to deliver what I promise on my end.
Kerry Miller: I use Word Press metrics to measure engagement; for Instagram, I haven’t used anything yet (need to though) ; for Facebook, I use the Facebook page metrics. I do track posts against previous ones to compare the subject matter that gets the most engagement and work on applying my discoveries while also staying authentic and true to myself and my blog. I do not look for an average percent of comments, but may in the future.
Quality over Quantity
Jennifer Quisenberry: So you both look at your trends more than numbers. I like to observe trends on my accounts too. To see what type of content or subjects spikes, what dips, and what remains steady. Are you more interested in building content or building your following?
Miranda Mendoza: Content and following go hand in hand in my eyes. I have tried to elevate my content so that each new reader browsing the web will get the best first impression of my blog as possible, hopefully turning them into a returning follower. I’d always prioritize content first, then following. Plus, even with a smaller following, great content is valuable to brands as they can repurpose for their own social channels, or simply for great SEO and content for brand awareness across platforms. Here’s an example of some content I created recently for a brand collaboration.
Kerry Miller: I have struggled with this, but in relaunching my blog I have become more interested in building content that goes deeper, is authentic and fun and the followers will come when I stay true to me.
These are some terrific insights! Thank you for stopping by The Awesome Muse to share your thoughts on social media!
More about Miranda and Kerry
You can find Miranda Mendoza at Slashed Beauty and on Instagram and YouTube.
You can find Kerry Miller at KLM Fashion Style and on Instagram.
Alene A Geed says
really helpful information. So content is the most important. that makes a lot of sense to me. The first step is to get people reading or listening to the information right? And I am pleased to hear that engagement trumps a huge following!
Jennifer Quisenberry says
I’m in that camp too, Alene. I know there are a lot out there who will tell you that numbers matter the most, but for my way of doing things, engagement is king. I have had the pleasure of working with some major brands, and I find Miranda and Kerry’s points to be really right on. That said, this is about working with major brands. A different approach is needed for some types of businesses.
Jennifer says
Wonderful article and interview. I definitely agree that engagement is gold for both the short and long term. First time to this site and really like the site design especially the font. Keep up the awesome work!
Dan & Laurie Neumann says
Interesting information. It does make sense that content has to come first. Even if you have a lot of followers, to keep them coming and engaging, there has to be something of value there for them.
Jennifer Quisenberry says
Absolutely! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Candess M. Campbell says
This site is so full of tools I want to incorporate before you even start the blog. I really enjoy “A Conversation with Miranda Mendoza and Kerry Miller.”
Jennifer Quisenberry says
I’m glad you like it and find some of my bells and whistles helpful! Let me know if you need some recommendations. I tried quite a few plugins before settling on the ones I’m using. I’m still auditioning a few still. 🙂
Tandy Elisala says
Jennifer, these tips are super relevant and timely. I was reading something last week about likes and comments. So many of us measure the likes, comments and shares (and that’s important) but what we REALLY want are customers. We think one will lead to the other but there’s a process to convert people to raving fans and customers. I use these numbers to measure what my community wants and I also use google analytics and coschedule analytics… oh and the analytics with postplanner.
Jennifer Quisenberry says
Tandy, I totally agree with you. However, much of this conversation is geared toward working with brands who want sponsored posts which is a totally different ballgame. With those, it’s about driving buzz and product recognition which is different from how we approach it when we are trying to sell our own product. 🙂
Kristen Wilson says
Wow.. .those are all great… and I loved the analytics too.. if you don’t track it and review it.. you don’t know. Ain’t THAT the truth. Loved seeing you interact with peeps like this.. so cool and great insight into other industries… but some of the same principles. Thanks
Jennifer Quisenberry says
Thanks Kristen! There’s definitely more than one way to get to a result! Miranda, Kerry and I play in a different playground from how things are done in a lot of industries, so how we do things can vary. Oftentimes, when working with a brand, my content is a marketing tool. Something to drive product recognition, build buzz and that the brand can reshare. The content’s purpose may involve metrics other than net sales, so the goal posts are often different.
Robin says
So exciting that you got to interview such incredible folks. And interesting to hear their responses, and I agree with your conclusions. Great article!
Lorii Abela says
This is quite a relevant interview. Sometimes, because entrepreneurs are quite busy engaging, the analytics can be missed from being reviewed. This is a good reminder. And, once again it justifies the thought – “it takes a whole village to run a social media campaign.”
Jennifer Quisenberry says
Thanks for stopping by Lorii. I’m glad you found this relevant and helpful!
Carol Rundle says
I agree that engagement is far more important than the amount of followers/likes. I think it’s also important to speak directly to your avatar and not be concerned with others. Be yourself.
Stacey Myers says
Such a great post and I think it is good to get more than one perspective as well. Having great content is important. I am starting to dig a bit deeper with my blog post now than I used to. To engage the reader more and give them what they need to be successful.
Jennifer Quisenberry says
Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed hearing about it from multiple perspectives. I feel like sometimes I can talk to my audience, but it resonates more when they hear the same info verified from additional sources.