Back in the day ‘big bloggers’ were known for their kick-ass websites that stood pride of place on the totem pole in terms of traffic, engagement and marketing. Now with the rise of social media platforms there’s been a noticeable shift in this once dominant media. Instead of hearing about the big bloggers of the moment, you are seeing Instagram accounts break through and Twitter phenomenons take over. Where once the blog stood pride of place there’s a new wave of beauty ‘stars’ marking their stamp on the industry via these popular social platforms.
I’m one of the traditional bunch. If you were to get into the nitty gritty of numbers my blog holds the crown with Instagram following up on the rear and Twitter closely behind. But that’s not necessarily the norm any more. Bloggers are breaking into the scene with smaller websites backed up by a huge Instagram following. So what if your site numbers as less impactful when you have 15k people liking and commenting on the pictures you upload daily. Websites don’t lead the way any more and numbers that once deemed you successful are evolving.
Brands are also picking up on this shift. With campaigns targeted towards Facebook or Instagram, PRs are starting to capitalise on this massive following that’s growing away from a traditional website. Engagement is key now a days and sadly having a successful site isn’t always enough. Believe me I’m the first to put my hands up and say this isn’t easy. Where once you had the luxury of pouring your heart and soul into one single media channel, now you are expected to be social media moguls whilst breaking into the daunting world of YouTube.
Individuals can now get recognition without even having a website, something that 5 years ago would have seemed alien. Honestly, I do find myself putting my focus into a single channel, managing a full time job alongside my hobby means I can’t necessarily dedicate the time to building a strong social media presence. Do I mind? No because I love the flexibility this shift has created. You can build your online presence around your skills and passions – no longer are you pidgin holed into a single online space. For newcomers it can be daunting but scratch the numbers, it’s all relative at the end of the day. The main focus should be on empowering each other to push our limits and grow our brand and online presence using which ever channel we choose.
