Six Ways to Enhance Your Brand & Social Presence During a Lockdown

As a travel blogger, being locked down at home is especially hard. I crave to travel - to see new places, try unique foods, experience different cultures. When I’m not doing it, I think about it constantly. I was like this before I worked remotely and could travel more frequently, and I’m like it now.

So when all the travel restrictions first started coming to fruition, I felt my heart sink into my stomach. And I realized, that not only would I be missing out on my greatest passion. But my next fear was that it was going to kill my momentum and progress on my blog. Something I have worked so feverishly on over the past year. ⁠

After some momentary panic, I straightened myself out and reminded myself of one of my greatest strengths in the workplace--my flexibility and ability to pivot when necessary.⁠ And then I realized that it didn't have to be the end. I just needed to exercise more creativity. And that thought alone helped it feel like a challenge....a puzzle to figure out. And I've always loved a good life puzzle!⁠

I realize that there are a lot of us in the same boat….we’ve worked exceptionally hard to build a brand…only to have our opportunities stifled just as we’re starting to pick up speed. So I wanted to share a few ideas for fellow bloggers/instagrammers to keep their platforms afloat and continue pushing their brands further....even when they’re restricted to home / close to home.

1. Sign up for a program like Later and start planning out your content. I’m sure fellow travel bloggers can attest to how hard it is to update your content when you’re on the road….there’s SO much going on between work, travel, and trying to update your social profiles. I often find myself slacking when it comes to getting new blog posts up or writing captivating Instagram captions. So use this down time to really get a hold on all your accounts….plan out your content for the next few months. I love Later because it allows me to load in all my future content and plan out my feed (easily moving things around to get everything just right). I’ve also been making it a goal to write a blog article every few days, so I can stockpile great content for the future.

2. Brainstorm interesting thought-starters and content buckets that you may want to explore. Now is a great time to rethink your strategy across all your platforms. Often times we start out going one direction on our channels, only to realize that we’re actually more passionate or useful in another area. Do a little soul searching and figure out what you should be talking about….talk to your followers - see what type of content would be helpful to them right now. Figure out ways to breakdown the different topics you want to discuss so you can develop more content from one idea. And take those ideas and develop them for each of your active platforms. A great place to search for new ideas is Facebook groups! Look at what people are talking about and how you might be able to turn that discussion point into a blog post or a few IG captions.

3. Go thru old photos, recycle content, and get creative at home. Most of us are currently restricted to our homes, the grocery store, and doctors offices…which leaves little opportunity to organically capture new imagery. So now is a great time to revisit some of your older photos and see what you can recycle. Do you have another angle of a popular photo from a year ago? Now may be a good time to post that image! Or even go back thru photos from before you started your channel...is there a cute photo of your first international trip as a kid? Maybe post that and share a nostalgic memory.⁠ And don’t be afraid to get creative with content captured around the home. Check out Jera.Bean’s Tiktok channel for entertaining & awesome tips for how to pose around the house and with simple props everyone has!

4. Research potential brand partners & outreach. Another great thing you can be doing is making a list of potential brands you could partner with and preparing a one-sheet. I recommend putting together a snapshot of who you are, your audience demo, and fees to work together that you can send out to brands and gain interest. I made mine in Canva….which I highly recommend because it’s super easy to use and makes you look very professional. I’ve gotten lots of compliments on mine! With your list of potential brand partners and one sheet in hand, you can begin outreaching to brands about working together - I think it’s always great to share a few ideas you have and explain why the collaboration would be mutually beneficial for both audiences.

5. Expand your brand to new platforms. It’s easy to get caught up in one platform when you’re really busy. But if you really want to hedge your bets, it’s essential to be present on multiple platforms. And now you finally have the time to learn and develop strategy for other platforms. Right now I’m on a big TikTok kick and I’m highly recommending you get on the bandwagon too. It’s the fastest growing social platform and for good reason….it’s easy to waste hours on the app. (And you’ll quickly find yourself wanting to create your own videos too lol!) I recently did Rachel Paul’s TikTok for Entrepreneurs and I would highly recommend this you’re like me and A) think you’re too old for TikTok and B) think learning a new platforms sounds daunting. She gives a nice overview of the platform, explains what type of content to produce, and how to produce it.

6. Revamp and re-design your platforms. With everyone in lockdown and unable to go about our normal routines, see friends, etc. It’s time to buckle down and get to work on making you platforms the best they can be—and this includes visually. Do an audit of your social sites and see what is working and what isn’t. Use this time create a logo, develop a custom design for your blog, or rewrite your social profiles copy. I have been using Upwork like a fiend to hire freelance designers and copywriters to help me on various projects. You can get some amazing deals by working with artists in other countries where the cost of living is cheaper than the US.

What are YOU doing to push your social presence and brand further?

xoxo

Lauren