The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media

I realize that generally speaking, this article is not needed for most people under the age of 19, however, even as an avid social media user, it’s so easy to just post away (or not post at all) without even thinking. I used to be one of these people and in the past few months have been determined to utilize social media, not only build brand awareness, but to grow an engaged community. In reading multiple books and articles on this subject, I think I have the general formula down - at least for now! Whether you are starting a business, want to grow your online presence, or have never posted a picture in your life, here are some go-to tips to help you be successful!

Do Use Stories:

You may feel like you’re coming across conceited and think “who cares what kind of smoothie I drink in the morning?” Honestly, a lot of people. How many times have you gone down an Instagram or snapchat hole watching people doing the most mindless things and are totally engaged? I’ve watched Retta (follow her, she’s hilarious) make coffee almost every morning for a year and it still doesn’t get old! Stories are where you want to put the day to day haps of your life while showing authenticity and a less edited version of yourself.

Don’t Post Pics that aren’t Quality and/or Edited:

Especially if you have a business account, you need to treat your Instagram page like it’s your portfolio. If you’re a photographer, model, or business owner, this is extremely crucial to people taking you seriously. Whoever is looking at your profile should know within 7 seconds who you are, what you look like, and what you do. If you’re posting just for fun, know that a quality image goes a lot farther than a blurry picture of your dog’s tail as it runs away.

Do Tag friends and brands:

Tagging can help multiply your viewers extremely fast, as well as help out those your tagging. By tagging your friends, they may share it, which gets their followers eyes on your post as well. By tagging the Nike shoes you’re sporting, your post could likely come up in a search for sneakers that leads to a follow of your page instead. And if you’re looking to get into the influencer market, tagging can help let brands know of you and may even lead to a campaign or two.

Do Use Hashtags:

Remember - hashtags are your friend! They are a great way to organize your posts for an event or bring a lot more visibility to your content. If you’re a make-up artist, use hashtags like #makeup #glowingskin #weddingdaymakeup so people who search that tag will hopefully stumble upon your post. If you’re hosting an event or launching a product, having a hashtag is an imperative way to get people involved and get a collection of pictures/videos that you can use for promo down the road.

Don’t Drink and Post:

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stumbled across someone’s story that I respected professionally, but after viewing their crazy night out, had second thoughts about working with them. I know it can be as enticing as ordering multiple Amazon packages after a few cocktails, but it’s never a good look. Especially if you’re a professional or use social media for your business. If you must record, just save the videos to your phone and look it over in the morning after a strong cup of coffee.

Do use multiple platforms:

I hear people say “I don’t need ANOTHER profile” a lot, but in reality each platform has it’s own unique purpose. While there are new apps and social media platforms coming out daily, I’ll break down the most obvious ones:

Instagram: Here you want to upload quality and thoughtful images that express who you are and what you’re up to on your profile, while using your stories for more BTS, candid moments. Especially if you’re launching a new product, releasing a new song or video, or promoting something, you want the post to be polished and the stories that day to be engaging. Example: I played at the West Seattle Beer & Music Festival last weekend and partnered with Peridot, a local boutique for my look. I posted a quality and engaging image of the entire outfit while tagging them as well as the brands I was wearing. Then, I posted on my Instagram story while the festival was going on, including me having fun in the outfit, at the event in real time.

Outfit Sponsored by Peridot Boutique, Seattle.

Snapchat: Snapchat is awesome because what you post is pretty non-consequential. Here you can be picky of what you snap, who you send it to, and which people see what. I love using this platform to send funny videos of my stepson to my friends. I tend to use it for more personal reasons, as opposed to posting a lot about my private life on other platforms. There are some people that don’t mind posting lots of pictures with their kids and some that are very hesitant to do so. This is a great way if you are more of a private person, to control your content and who sees it. And it’s a good way to send videos and let people know what you’re up to without being an annoying over-poster.

Facebook: The younger generation say it’s dead, the older generation is ALL ABOUT IT. Facebook has become somewhat of a catch-all for baby announcements, political rants, and everything in between. I personally use Facebook mostly to share my content I make elsewhere to people that normally wouldn’t see it otherwise. It’s definitely still necessary, especially for businesses, and can be great for posting live videos of musical sets, special moments, and connecting with an audience that isn’t able to be there in person.

Twitter: This platform is great for politicians, comedians, and anyone that likes to share their thoughts one at a time. “Live tweeting” is extremely popular where people can broadcast their thoughts during a television show or event in real time. It’s a little harder for content creators because of the limitations with video and word count, but still an amazing way to connect to people from around the globe and stay current on what’s going on.

Whether you don’t understand social media at all or are pumped to start to use it more efficiently to market your brand or business, I hope these tips are helpful and get you on your way to more followers and an online presence you can be proud of! Also, feel free to follow me on instagram, facebook, and youtube, to join me in my social media journey!

Much love,

-SG

Why I May Never Make another Album...

Ok ok, that was a bit click-baity but it's true! For the last six months or so, my sights have been set on making a new EP. I found producers that I love, I've been experimenting with producing and recording on my own, all in the name of prepping for this new album. As I've been getting the songs finished one by one, I get so pumped to share them and work them out for my live show but my excitement fades once I realize I have to wait until the other ones are finished and the release is fully planned, which can take months! It's no secret to those that know me well that I'm an extremely impatient person. My music is no exception, in fact, I'm probably way less patient when it comes to that. So I've decided to scrap the concept of an EP/album and do something a little different...

The past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. I've been fortunate enough to enter into the ambiguous yet fascinating world of social media influencers. While I still have a ton to learn and a long way to go, I've been having a blast engaging in partnerships and sponsors that make sense and I really love the ability to post mutually beneficial content that lets my followers know what I like/use!

That being said, with platforms like this one, my youtube channel, Instagram, and other lifestyle publications, I have the ability to keep my followers up to speed on my day to day activities and a look behind the scenes of what I'm working on.

As opposed to seeing only the polished photos on insta, or the edited vlogs and videos on youtube, this allows me to be more transparent with the realities of being a singer/songwriter and lifestyle writer. I find it's a lot easier to care about a finished product when you see the process...the obstacles that come up, the less glamorous side of lugging around a keyboard and a dream. :) I follow this one videographer and his daily stories at the time consisted of him working on Chris Brown videos. Once the video actually dropped, I couldn't wait to see how it turned out since I knew some of the elements that went into it.

So basically, I wanted to create that experience for the people that are coming along with me on my journey as well. I've decided to put out whatever my team and I create almost immediately after it's done. Whether it's a blog post like this, a new song, new music video, whatever it is that I'm excited about, I want to get it to you all as soon as possible! It helps with my impatience because I'll constantly be striving to make the next project better than the rest and it gives you, the consumer, a steady stream of content as opposed to large gaps where you don't hear anything new from me. It keeps me motivated, excited to create, and always able to adjust based on your thoughts and input! One of the biggest joys I've experienced in the past couple months has been the direct contact with all of you so thank you and please keep it coming!! Make sure to follow me on instagram, facebook, and subscribe to my youtube channel to get updates on everything! Send me a DM to ask me questions, let me know what you want to hear, or just say hi! I love hearing from you and I can't wait to continue to show you what I'm working on!

Much love -

SG

80's vs 90's Party

The 90's will always win.

Growing up in the 90's has left me with fond memories of overdramatic G-rated comedies (everything on TGIF), rollerblading to angsty Alanis, and all the boy-band greatness in the universe. So when one of Seattle's premier DJ's, DJ Indica Jones, asks me to perform at one of his epic decades shows, it was a no brainer. My only point of concern was whether or not to lean towards Britney or Christina when it came to cheesy pop covers (Blackstreet and Lauryn Hill are always a given - duh).

I've done one of these shows before but last time I attended, I wasn't necessarily on the bill ahead of time and it quickly turned into one of my "impromptu performances" that my friends know all too well.

This time we did a look behind the scenes of Tractor Tavern in Ballard and showcased some of the other local artists that DJ Indica brings with him. It was awesome! Go check out my vlog below if you want to see how it all went down, my throwback Aaliyah/TLC outfit, and a local hype man that will blow your mind!!

If you're wondering why you don't actually get to hear the songs/live performances it's due to the fact that I do not own the rights to them and apparently (according to google) you can't play it for more than 20 seconds. Anyways, we snuck a little of a song or two at the end...

Thanks for reading!! Hit me up on instagram and/or facebook to ask me questions and let me know what content you enjoy the most. I would love to connect with you!

Much Love,

-SG

The Seattleite's love/hate Relationship with Summer

A true Seattleite will tell you the most glorious months of the year are July-September. We tell family to come visit then, we plan weddings and special events in those months, and this magical time is when Seattle's beauty is especially breathtaking. We all need this summer gloriousness to make January-April worth living here - and the much needed relief from the rain feels soooo good when the sunny weather finally does show up. And I love it! That being said, at risk of sounding like a complainer, here are some of the reasons why I have a hard time fully embracing this season....

SHORTS:

Shorts are the worst. They are unflattering on literally everybody and it's impossible to find a cute and comfortable pair. The current style consists of butt-cheek exposure and I'm just not down with that. If they look bad on a high school girl who has zero body fat percentage, something is just wrong. I find my options consist of high waisted cut offs that highlight the most unflattering 2-3 inches of my entire body, making it so they ride up when I walk because besides Karlie Kloss, real people don't have thigh gaps. Which in turn, makes me walk around in a penguin-like manner attempting to look normal and keep the bottom of the shorts to stay somewhat on my legs. The other option is to buy the long mom jean version that just screams "I'm not in my 20's anymore!!" I would love to grab a pair of Good American's that claim to fit every body type and are adorable but I can't quite justify spending $200-300 on a pair of shorts I can wear a couple weeks out of the year.

ANY TEMPERATURE OVER 82 DEGREES:

Unless I'm on a boat or in a rooftop pool, any temperature over 82 degrees is simply unbearable. Air conditioning is not a staple in the Seattle community so I find myself walking around, sweating, trying not to complain about the beautiful weather we've been not-so-patiently waiting for. It simply is too hot and my body doesn't know how to respond. Again, unless I'm on a boat, then I'm cool with it.

THE WEEKEND WEATHER LET DOWN:

We've all been there. It's a Tuesday, finally sunny and clear, and I find myself ecstatically making plans for BBQ's, beach trips, and every other outdoor activity we can't do during the winter. But then when Friday rolls around, unfortunately the clouds do too. All of a sudden that sailing trip doesn't seem so exciting when you have to bring a raincoat and other layers to ensure you won't freeze or you're trying to get tan through very minimal breaks in the clouds. I find myself checking that weekend weather with the same nervousness that comes along with checking your bank account. One-eyed and hopeful, but knowing you'll inevitably be a little let down.

WORK SHOULD BE CANCELLED ON BEHALF OF THE SUN:

Mostly because of my above statement, I strongly believe companies should enforce "sun days," much like snow days, where we just decide to bag our work responsibilities and enjoy the warm rays while we can! Especially in those first couple much anticipated nice days, you know that people are too jacked up to actually be productive anyways! I think most Seattleites would gladly trade a sunny day for a catch-up day on the weekend, especially if we could work from home. I mean, we are a city that's clearly a leader in the tech industry so do we even need offices anymore anyways? I don't think so.

LACK OF WARDROBE:

Most of my closet consists of sweaters, jackets, scarves, and fuzzy socks so when I do happen to find a cute t-shirt dress or go-to summer outfit, I'm not going to invest in very much of it. I'm a big believer in "cost per wear" so when most of my clothes budget goes straight to something I can wear year round, that leaves me with the same 2-3 outfits that I cycle over and over when it's super hot. But I simply don't care enough to buy more summer clothes.

That being said, I LOVE a good pair of shades so even with all the annoyances that a rain, sweater, and boots-lover endures in the summer months... wearing sunglasses all day every day makes it that much more fun to soak up the sun while we have it!

Much Love,

-SG