Back To Basics: Do You Even Need To Be On Social Media?
Back To Basics: Do You Even Need To Be On Social Media?

Social media used to be a world of posting whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.

Just looking back at tweets from my old personal profiles makes me cringe – most of what I tweeted was about what food I was eating! We posted about ourselves and so did everyone else.

For me, it all started with MySpace and MSN Messenger. Facebook and Twitter didn’t even exist until much later.

It was as if they came out of nowhere. 

What’s even crazier is that when I was doing research for this post, I found out that LinkedIn was actually started in December 2002. That was my first year of high school – I had no idea it existed until I started university in 2009!

Thinking about where all these social media channels started many years ago, it’s unbelievable how far they’ve come. Instead of just documenting our lives, we can use social media to grow a loyal customer base and even start a business. The possibilities are endless.

But there’s a question I always see people asking: “Do I actually need to be on social media?”

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Holly Suttonbenefits of social media, online communities, online presence, social media, why you should be on social mediaComment
May: A Month In Review
May: A Month In Review

I’m going to skip over the part where I freak out because we’re halfway through the year and get straight to it.

So – welcome to the final post of May where I review everything that’s happened in the world of A Branch of Holly this month. I did think about scrapping this monthly series, but after some lovely words from my readers I’ve decided to keep it. I hope you can gain plenty of encouragement and inspiration from this, and also take a look at any behind-the-scenes action.

Let’s see how we got on then!

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Holly Suttongoals, life, month in review, monthly goals, monthly reviewComment
16 Blog Posts You Need To Read In May
16 Blog Posts You Need To Read In May

First of all - let me apologise for not being around for the past few days. I've been suffering from a very bad cold that made me just want to sleep all the time. And then I took a long  trip down to London on Sunday which didn't help! So yesterday, I took a break and didn't even look online all day. Boy, did I need it. 

But it's back to normal now and as we're nearly at the end of the month, here's a great round up of some amazing blog posts for you to read.

So grab a brew, relax and get ready.

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Holly Suttonblog posts, monthly round up, round upComment
How Guest Posting Can Help You Get Really Good Links
How Guest Posting Can Help You Get Really Good Links

Heard the rumours that guest posting is dead?

Think again.

It's actually one of the most vital and successful ways to grow your online presence. Forget everything you've heard. Today, Tom is here to talk with you about why you need to start guest posting right now.

Splashing your own carefully crafted unique content across your website’s blog is often as enjoyable as it is rewarding, to know that each final piece has been read or, even better, shared. The content that was once just an idea in your head, now entering the minds and provoking thoughts in numerous others. 

Sometimes even in the most unlikely of places.

A blog keeps your website fresh and keeps it growing. A growing entity will gather pace and, with persistence over time, a dedicated readership too. People will come to your blog not always knowing what they expect to read, but with an expectation that they will enjoy it and get something from it, regardless of the subject. By this point, you will have a clear image of your present audience – age, gender, interests, concerns etc. – to build on for the future, and the future starts with branching out. 

One way of achieving this, social media promotion aside, is through guest posting.

 

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Holly Suttonbacklinks, guest posting, seo, social mediaComment
Building Brands & Traffic Training - A New Exclusive Series
Building Brands & Traffic Training - A New Exclusive Series

Today, you're getting to see something big.  Huge in fact.

I want you guys to know about it. Yesterday, this was revealed to my VIP tribe of newsletter subscribers. They were the first ones to know before it was published on here and before I shared it on social media. After today? They'll be the only ones who know about it. You see, I'm starting a brand new series called Building Brands & Traffic Training.

But after today, it's only going to be available to my newsletter tribe. It won't be published on here and it won't be talked about anywhere else. You have to sign up to get it.

So, are you in?

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Holly Suttonanalytics, blog traffic, google analytics, online presenceComment
101 Of The Best Sites Online Right Now (Part 1)
101 Of The Best Sites Online Right Now (Part 1)

Haven't you always wanted to have 101 really amazing websites all in one place?

Welcome to 101 Of The Best Sites Online Right Now.

This five part series will reveal the digital marketing, blogging and social media experts that can completely transform the way you create for your website. Whether you've been blogging for a few years or a few months, or you've not got a website yet, it doesn't matter. I've spent my time picking websites that I know  will be of benefit to you.

So let's get on with it, shall we?

This series will go through websites in five groups, with twenty or twenty-one sites in each so you've got time to look through and bookmark each one. These are websites that have all helped me someway in my journey which is why I'm including them for you. Please feel free to share this first chapter with friends who might find these websites useful too. 

So, for numbers one to twenty, let's welcome the first group!

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Holly Sutton101 series, 101 websites, creative websites, creativityComment
How to Create a Great Twitter Bio with These Key Ingredients
How to Create a Great Twitter Bio with These Key Ingredients

Every second, 6,000 tweets are sent on Twitter. 

That's 350,000 every minute. 500 million per day. And 200 billion tweets every year. These are incredible numbers. But there's so much more to Twitter than just tweeting. And you definitely can't do well on Twitter without a great profile. You'd think it would be simple to create a really good one. But it isn't.

So how do you make the most of yours?

This social media platform is one of the most important features of your personal brand. Interaction and promotion combined, this is one way you're guaranteed to be found.

I get new followers on Twitter every day, and since January my following has increased by over 20%. But what is it that makes someone decide to follow me? What is it that makes you want to follow them?

Here are thirteen steps you need to take to create a great Twitter profile.

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Holly SuttonTwitter bio, Twitter profile, online presence, social media, twitterComment
How To Create The Best LinkedIn Profile Ever (Part 2)
How To Create The Best LinkedIn Profile Ever (Part 2)

Regardless of your job role and how experienced you are, LinkedIn is a networking tool you need to be on.

In the first post of the series, we found out that almost 90% of recruiters used this platform to find new talent.  That means the other 10% probably use job boards. So let me ask you this. Think back to when you were last job hunting. Or if you’re job hunting right now, think about your process. Where do you spend the majority of your time? On job boards? Or on LinkedIn?

I started looking for a job last summer and I spent 90% of my time searching job boards. This was a mistake. Especially since the last two jobs I've had have come through LinkedIn. On April 16th  in the first part of this series, I said I’d had five job offers through LinkedIn. Since then I've had three more.

Three.

This might not seem like a lot to you. But it’s just proof that it’s possible.

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Holly Suttoncareer, linkedin profile, linkedin, social mediaComment
Buffer: Why Do People Love It So Much?
Buffer: Why Do People Love It So Much?

I bet you hear this word a lot. Buffer  this and Buffer that.

And I bet you've always wanted to know what the hype is all about.

I mean, it can't be that good - can it? Well my dear readers, that's what I'm here to talk to you about today. As a tried, tested and loyal user of this tool, I'm here to give you the lowdown on:

• What it is
• How you use it
• Why it's so great
• Why you should be using it

As of January 2015, Buffer had more than 2,000,000 registered users (source). I myself, have been using it for nearly two years. In all my time since I started using the Internet and all it has to offer, I can say without a doubt that this is one of the best tools that has ever been created.

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Holly Suttonbuffer, linkedin, social media, twitterComment
Tweeting For A Business? A Whole New Valuable Skill
Tweeting For A Business? A Whole New Valuable Skill

Did you know 500 million tweets are sent every day? (source). 

500 million. Millions of tweets about sport, fashion, news and, of course, for promotional uses. But there's a very thin line with the subject of promoting ourselves and our business on Twitter.

We have a common ground - it's something we all have to do in this industry.  When you're a one-woman show and you're managing social media for your own business, you're okay. You know what voice you want to use and how you want to come across. The problem arises when someone "thinks" they know Twitter, but then has to tweet on behalf of a small business. Do you tweet as yourself? Or tweet as the business?

That's what Tom is here to talk to you about today.

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Holly Suttondigital marketing, social media for businesses, social media for small businesses, social media, twitter for businesses, twitter, using twitterComment
April: A Month In Review
April: A Month In Review

Welcome to my collection of April goals, and a new extended version of this post.

Recently, I decided I was going to introduce a feature called Week In Review. But I've chosen to leave that for the time being, which you’ll find out about later. So I thought it would be good to include a review in my usual goals post. I think you’ll enjoy this if you like seeing an insight into other people's goals and progress; you need to be inspired to create your own goals, and you like a bit of behind the scenes action. 

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Holly Suttongoals, month in review, monthly goalsComment
The Thoughts Of A 20-Something On: Growth
The Thoughts Of A 20-Something On: Growth

When beginning to write this post, I thought I’d turn to Google.

Just to see what came up if I searched “how you can grow”. The results made me laugh. They all contained links to advice for how to grow taller.

Not exactly what I wanted.

This made me realise that perhaps the subject of growth is just too unique for us to generalise. Which was actually the original plan for this post. I was planning on writing about how we see growth. To go into detail on how we all grow in unique ways and how each of our versions of growth are so different. But it's for those reasons that I decided to go about this differently.

So instead, I thought I'd reflect on this month's theme by talking about my personal growth so far, and how I want to grow in the future. I'm sure some of these will relate to you.

I hope they will inspire, help and encourage you to continue growing on your own path, in your own unique way.

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Holly Suttongrowing, growth, lifeComment
14 Blog Posts You Need To Read In April
14 Blog Posts You Need To Read In April

This month, I've come across more new websites and content than I ever thought possible.

Some I've found have made me ask: how have I not found this before?

And some of my favourite bloggers have been creating some of their best content yet. Luckily for you, I've rounded it all up for you right here. This month, you'll find the best podcasts to listen to, social media tips and a bit of inspiration as always.

So get comfy and get ready to add some great content to your reading list.

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Holly SuttonBlogging, blog posts, content, creativity, favourite blog posts, favourite bloggers, round upComment
Two Amazing Pinterest Boards I've Made Just For You
Two Amazing Pinterest Boards I've Made Just For You

There are around 70 million users on Pinterest.

That's a huge figure. And it's no wonder. This purely visual site not only gives us inspiration; but for some, it's a huge driver of traffic. Today, I'm not here to talk to you about how to promote your blog on this platform, or what to do to completely organise all your pins. Instead, I'm sharing two boards that I've been putting together recently, and that I'll continue adding to on a regular basis.

They're exactly what you need and I know you'll love what's on there as much as I do. 

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Holly SuttonBlogging, advice, business, creativity, digital marketing, pinterestComment
How Can I Create Something Of Value?
How Can I Create Something Of Value?

Generating value is misunderstood. But it's one of the most important things in this creative world. 

Over the past few years, the internet has completely changed. Before, people were able to stuff their content with keywords, sum a topic up in 300-500 words, publish it and get streams of traffic.

But today, it doesn't work that way. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Now we need to write content that creates value for our readers. That provides them with something, and that makes them take action. Content they can learn from, be inspired from and ultimately, content they want to go back to.

This sounds great, I know.

The problem is, how do we do it?

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Holly Suttoncontent creation, creating value, creativity, online businesses, valueComment
How To Analyse Your Website's Performance
How To Analyse Your Website's Performance

Stats. A word that a lot of people want to avoid.

Some keep track of them each month in order to see how they've progressed. Some keep track of them as and when they remember, just out of curiosity. And some just don’t check them, each for their own reasons. I know people in each of these categories. But I also know a lot of people don’t like looking at their stats because they don’t understand them. Honestly? Sometimes I’d even prefer not to look at them.

But I've come to learn that your data is key when it comes to analysing your website's performance.

Every digital marketing agency is different. But there's something that the majority of them will have in common - they'll do reporting. They'll report on their clients' traffic, monthly and yearly. This gives them explanation and identifies what it is important to focus on in the next month.

Reporting helps to see where you've been, where you are now and what to do to achieve more in the future. It might sound intense. But it's exactly the same as what we can do to analyse our site's performance.

And the best bit? It'll take you an hour, tops.

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Holly SuttonBlogging, digital marketing, website performance, websitesComment
What To Do When You Think About Giving Up
What To Do When You Think About Giving Up

50% of us suffer burnout at some point in our lives (source). 

Probably more than once. No matter how much we love our job or appreciate our lives, we’ll always have ‘those days. The days when we feel we’re not achieving anything. The days when we ask ourselves why we’re doing this. They just happen. Sure, most of the time we’ll bounce back from these situations. We’ll come up with an idea for a new creative adventure, or a solution to improve something we’re not fully satisfied with.

But what happens when you feel like you've lost purpose and meaning?

What happens when you just want to give up completely?

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Holly Suttoncreativity, giving up, life, motivationComment
Career 101: How To Create The Best LinkedIn Profile Ever (Part 1)
Career 101: How To Create The Best LinkedIn Profile Ever (Part 1)

Did you know that 89% of all recruiters have hired someone through LinkedIn? (source). 

And an even bigger 94% plan on using social media to recruit new talent (source). 

Fewer and fewer companies are spending their time looking on job boards. They’re scouring LinkedIn, searching for keywords and reading thousands of profiles in order to find the right match. The ones that get the interview are the ones that have a great profile. But how do you make your profile stand out? Is it worth taking the time to fill everything in?

That’s what we’re going to explore here. 

Originally, this was going to be one piece of content. But as I was researching and writing down the points needed to make a great profile, I came up with twenty things to do. So to make it easier for you, I thought I’d split it into two parts instead.

Today, we’re going to go through part one of what you can do to create the best LinkedIn profile ever.

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Holly Suttoncareer 101, career, linkedin, social mediaComment
Quality Or Quantity: Which Is Better?
Quality Or Quantity: Which Is Better?

A recent study analysed the quality and quantity matter with parents and children (source).

It found that it doesn't matter how much time parents spend with their children. What's more important is how they spend their time with them. So if you spend five hours with a child when you're stressed or tired, this could affect their development. But if you spend two hours with a child when you're happy and in a positive environment, the better off the child will be. What does that tell us?

Simply, that quality is more important than quantity.

But is this debate that straight forward? 

As beginner bloggers, we can be made to think that we have to publish content every day. There are plenty of people who do this, because they have big dreams for their blog and want to interact with their community on a regular basis. You can see why it’s an attractive thing to do. But I don't know if that necessarily means it's the right thing to do. 

So today I wanted to go through the pros and cons between quality and quantity, to see which one really is the best to aim for. 

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Holly SuttonBlogging, creativity, quality, quantityComment
How To Really Up Your Twitter Game
How To Really Up Your Twitter Game

By the time you’ve finished reading this post, you’ll be a Twitter goddess.

This is a social media platform that creators should be utilising.

Whenever I’m asked about social media, Twitter is always what I discuss. Sure, I know people who gain traffic from Pinterest and Instagram. But Twitter allows you to pull everything together. And it brings results. How do I know this? Well, I’ve done it myself. So today, I’m sharing a list of ways that you can improve your presence on Twitter and up your social media game. Many of these ideas can be done constantly, and some will definitely overlap.

So I encourage you to take each step one at a time and pick the ones that are most suited to you. 

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Holly Suttondigital marketing, social media, twitter, using twitterComment