Do you ever feel like there are so many places on social media you need to check or you might be missing out on something? When I started my blog almost 11 years ago, it was the only place where I shared information with all of you. There wasn't even Twitter back then and people just came to your website if they wanted to read it. But now, there's Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Periscope, Snapchat and others where I spend my time trying to keep up and share in all the ways I can. I won't lie…it can be overwhelming. Right around spring break this year, I almost had a melt down with feeling overwhelmed with all the social media out there and trying to keep up with it. But I took a step back, I refreshed my mind a bit, and focused.

It could be easy to close yourself off from the social media world or avoid using it for your business, but the reality is that the internet has given the opportunity for so many small businesses to grow and be seen. So rather than shy away from it, I always encourage people to use it in a way that makes sense and best fits each person. Right now you can find Oh Joy in a handful of places and you can choose to follow me on all of them, some of them, or none of them. But since I have never officially defined what I share where, I thought I'd do that here so you can see what best suits where you want to follow along. And hopefully, it will help you decide the best places for you to be as well (for yourself or your business).

Oh Joy blog – This is where longer content appears: DIY's, home decor tips, fashion posts, and other content in which a story needs to be told that is longer than what I could share on a single image elsewhere on social media.

Instagram – This is a mix of single moments that inspire me that I want to share (beautiful, simple, colorful, funny moments). I also share more personal photos here from my life as well as peeks and updates on Oh Joy products.

Snapchat – I avoided joining Snapchat for a while but finally decided to start using it about a month ago and am really enjoying how it allows me to share more behind the scenes of what we do at Oh Joy as well as some moments on the weekends when I'm out and about with my family. I love the imperfection of it and how it all goes away a day later so there is no need to obsess about what your whole feed looks like. You also don't know how many followers you have (only how many people view your stories), so there is none of that comparing your "number" to others – which I love.

Pinterest – This is my online scrapbook of things I like and things that inspire me. It's a tool I use everyday for my own workflow as it allows me to easily save things I want to reference later. The plus side is that others who follow along can get a glimpse of those inspirations, too.

YouTube – Here's where I share DIY videos which are a fun alternative to sharing them simply in a blog post when you can see me make something in real life.

Facebook – I use Facebook to amplify our daily blog posts as well as share other snippets from around the web that are fun and interesting. I also share our Shortcuts videos here exclusively.

I have started using Facebook Live in which you can find live broadcasts of product reveals and DIY's. You can interact and respond to me directly or ask questions in the comments afterwards. If you're following Oh Joy on Facebook then you'll see these notifications.

Twitter – While I am not as active on Twitter as I used to be, I still use it to amplify blog posts and Instagram posts. I also use it as a newsfeed to follow a lot of local Los Angeles businesses…especially food trucks and places that change locations.

Periscope – Every Friday, I try to give a chat about a specific topic. Last week, we talked about the importance of a squad (basically your support system). I've also talked about social media, business advice, and given peeks at new products. This one is where we talk more face-to-face and you guys can ask me anything you want. It's like sitting down and having coffee and a chat!

I hope that helps give you an overview of what we share and where. One thing I always suggest if you are newer to social media for your own business is to focus on just TWO social media platforms. It's too much to try and start it all at once and I have slowly added them on one-by-one.  Hopefully, this has shown you ways in which social media can be helpful for your business based on how we break it down. 

{Photo of our by Casey Brodley}