Keeping Up With Karen…

You know that scene from Alice In Wonderland when the March Hare scurries past Alice exclaiming “I’m late, I’M LATE!”? Well, that pretty much sums up how my week has been… scurrying around exclaiming I’m late – though when I say ‘scurrying’ I actually mean hobbling *rolls eyes* There’s been so much to do and so little time. Between preparing for our trip to Wales as well as Em’s 1st Transfer Test… there hasn’t been a free moment to catch my breath this week.

Thankfully the first of the 3 transfer tests went without a glitch. It seems such a horrid process for any little primary 7 student to go through as the workload has been utterly gruelling. Seeing her and countless other primary school children flood through the gates of the local grammar school on Saturday morning was heart wrenching. So many anxious little faces and equally anxious parents. There hasn’t been any of this process I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed. Worse still, after her last test in December there’s the waiting game for the results in January, followed by more waiting (well into 2017) to find out what secondary school each child has been accepted into. Such a dragged out process for everyone.

At last we have our trip to Wales to look forward to this week – a break from exams and all the other pressures will do us all the world of good I’m sure. As I’m away, there’ll be a small Blog & YouTube vacation as I very much doubt I’ll get the time or energy with the wedding schedule and family catch ups arranged. However, I do promise I’ve a few super exciting posts lined up over the weeks after I return so I’ll certainly be making up for it!

As for this week’s shenanigans, if you’re in the mood for a glance over what’s been happening on Confetti & Curves lately then why not take a peek at the snippets below. As always, you’re more than welcome to leave a link to any blog posts you’d like me to check out too!

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1000 YouTube Subscribers… THANK YOU

Tuesday’s post paid tribute to reaching yet another awe-inspiring milestone = 1000 YouTube followers!! I still can’t quite believe my little channel has snowballed this far… a huge thank you to everyone who’s clicked the subscribe button! You’ve made me one very happy YouTuber ❤

If you’ve a channel you’d like me to check out be sure to stop by and leave a comment – I always love meeting new YouTubers!

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How To Promote Your Nail & Beauty Business On A Budget

Did I mention I’m obsessed with marketing? Actually, it’s one of the business topics I’ve always thrived in! On Wednesday’s chatter, I discussed a few useful hints and tips on how to get the clientele for beauty business rolling in, particularly if you’re on a budget. Definitely worth a watch if you’re self-employed or freelancing in the beauty industry!

Don’t forget, you can *Click Here* to subscribe to the Confetti & Curves YouTube channel so you never miss an upload – and there’ll certainly be more to come on freelancing!

As always, thank y’all so much for the support, comments, re-tweets, shares, likes & just darn right loveliness. You lot really are an awesome bunch. Do feel free to pop a favourite link from your blog in the comments below for the rest of us to check out, otherwise do stop by & say a quick hello!

Cheerio Chums…

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How To Promote Your Nail & Beauty Business On A Budget…

Be prepared, be very prepared… as today’s chatter is one heck of a verbal marathon gals! How I managed to whittle on for that length of time without stopping for water (or air seemingly) is beyond me, HOWEVER, it may be a really useful chatter for many budding beauty enthusiasts out there, as well as being one that’s close to my heart…

So many of us, every day, make the brave decision to go self-employed. It’s an exciting aspect, but it’s also one that fills many of us with dreaded thoughts such as… What if I don’t get enough customers? What if I don’t make enough money? What if it fails? Usually, a lot of these fears are united around one aspect – advertising to ensure enough people know your business exists. But how do you do that when you’ve already emptied your pockets on making ends meet, stock & paying general bills etc. It’s tough, really tough.

Over this past year, I’ve spent quite a lot of time on Facebook interacting with others in both nail tech and beauty groups. For many that either dream of freelancing, are in the process of setting up or are struggling to fill their appointment book it can be a stressful and frustrating process. But what if you don’t have to spend the earth letting people know you exist? Cue today’s upload of useful promotional tips…

Okay, so I may not have a masters degree in marketing or business studies, but what I do have has certainly been worth its weight in gold for me – hands on experience. Heck, I’ve made mistakes, BIG mistakes – but each time it was part of a learning curve. Get your fingers burnt once and chances are you’re not going to be stupid enough to repeat the process. However, it does make celebrating the successes even more meaningful!

So in a nutshell, if you have a dream to be your own boss and fear is holding you back, stop and evaluate exactly why. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your goals, and furthermore never give up on them. For those that are embarking on their journey in the beauty industry, in whatever role that may be, I really hope you find this video useful in helping to inspire you to promote your business without having to spend a fortune – which may make reaching your goal seem that little bit more achievable. Who knows 😉

Once again guys, a huge THANK YOU for helping me reach my YouTube goal of reaching 1000 subscribers! Wow, I still can’t quite believe it! And if you haven’t done so already, why not *CLICK HERE* to pop by and subscribe too – you’d certainly make my day!

Have you ever wanted to set up your own business and become your own boss? Do you have fears that hold you back? Is self-employment a goal you’re aiming for in the near future? Whatever your thoughts I’d love to hear from you in the comments below so do stop by for a quick chatter 🙂

Cheerio Chums…

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Catch me on:

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How To Boost Your Blog Traffic Using TweetDeck…

As many of you already know, I’m usually technophobic when it comes to embracing new technologies – heck it took me months to familiarise myself confidently with WordPress, and I’ll not even disclose how long my Twitter account sat idle before I forced myself to embrace the world of hashtags… it wasn’t like it was 14 months or anything, pffft *blushes* But every now and again I stumble across something that really holds its value, particularly when it comes to blogging and you guys know how much I love to share my findings!

TweetDeck has vastly became an essential tool when it comes to promoting blog posts, features, interactions and images, when using one of the most powerful social media tools in the blogisphere = Twitter. In fact, whenever I pre-schedule Tweets that include a link to my blog, I quite often see a spike in traffic nestling boastfully in my stats; thanks to just one of it’s nifty features!

So if you’re eager to check out TweetDeck & the benefits it can bring to your blog then today’s feature just might be of interest…

 

In a rather simplified nutshell, TweetDeck is pretty much a personalised browser that enables you to manage your Twitter account (or multiple accounts) by viewing all user features on one screen. Sounds fab? Well, that’s because it is chums. Basically, you can pretty much see everything that’s going on with your Twitter account(s) right before your very eyes – think of it like the ultimate control panel that’s super easy to use! As well as overseeing all your Twitterly needs, it’s also perfect for scheduling Tweets to help you keep on top of networking even when you’re not around.

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• You can add as many Twitter accounts as you like… which makes your task of pro actively managing everything under one virtual roof easy-peasy & stress free.

• If you’re not a fan of constantly scrolling up the column of your Twitter news feed then the live stream enables you to view in ‘real time’ so you constantly see new Tweets flash onto your screen from the moment your Twitter buddies post them.

• You can make it visibly easily on the eyes by customising colour schemes and text to suit your individual preferences.

• The layout enables you to view your timeline, interactions with other users, messages and scheduled Tweets on one screen. That’s right, everything you need to see right in front of you.

• You can easily arrange the columns to suit the information that you want to prioritise so you’re not viewing stuff that’s not important to you, nor are you missing the information you want to see.

• The search function also comes in really handy if you’re following a certain hash-tag or if you want to find something/someone quickly. You can also specify the content that comes through on your activity feed which will keep you updated with things that are trending across Twitter.

• You can easily schedule Tweets for dates/times that you’re not online… even when you close your TweetDeck panel it will continue to post whatever you’ve scheduled.

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This is where is becomes really valuable… well, it certainly has been for me! One thing many of us overlook is that when we’re cosily tucked up in bed (for example) there’s millions of users the across the globe just logging on. By promoting tweets during key hours throughout the day or night, you’re reaching out to a whole other audience that may not normally see what you’ve been posting previously (unless they personally choose to visit your page). This is super useful for rectifying what you could potentially be missing out on = valuable promotion to pick up new readers & increasing the virtual footfall on your blog. What takes seconds to prepare on TweetDeck can end up becoming extremely valuable for your blogs potential & traffic in the long run! Okay, I agree, blogging’s not just about the numbers, but c’mon, who wouldn’t be thrilled at new readers taking an interest in those features we pour our hearts and souls into, right?

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If you’re anything like me, then you’ll probably appreciate a visual when it comes to taking the first steps into grasping something you may not be familiar with. If TweetDeck sounds like something that could help you, (particularly when scheduling Tweets) then here’s just how easy it is to get started…

Step 1: Click on the compose Tweet symbol on the top left of your TweetDeck browser.

Step 2: Write your tweet – don’t forget to include your link & image if required!

(Check out how to shorten long URL’s further below)

Step 3: Insert a time & date for when you want your Tweet to be posted.

Step 4: Your scheduled Tweet will appear in the ‘Scheduled’ list. Don’t forget, you can easily schedule multiple tweets, saving you both time & hassle!

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Of course when you’re composing a Tweet the number of characters you’re limited too can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you’re trying to cram info, links & an image all at once. In order to help you save a few of those valued characters you can easily shorten the link (URL) that you want to include. If it’s not something you’ve tried before then here’s a quick visual on how to get started… it’s super easy peasy, promise!

Step 1: Highlight and copy the link/URL that you’d like to shorten – in the example above I’ve used a recent blog post.

Step 2: Get your Google on by searching ‘shorten URL’. I tend to keep the direct link saved on my browsers ‘favourites’ tool-bar, so it’s always easily accessible!

Step 3: Paste your copied link/URL into the ‘Shorten URL’ box & click the small blue box. A more compact version of your link should appear in the top right hand corner, along with a preview of the page your link corresponds with. Simply copy by hitting CTRL + C, then paste into TweetDeck as normal. Voila – job done!

Have you tried TweetDeck yet? What’s your thoughts on scheduling Tweets, is it something you’ve tested out to help increase traffic to your blog? Whatever your thoughts, I’d love to read them in the comments below so do be sure to stop by and say a quick hello 🙂

Cheerio chums…

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Catch me on:

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