Last week marked two years for Oils & Spoils, the blog. All thanks to readers like you, this labor of love has been a learning experience topped with much joy. The words from Pulling Out The Negativity on August 5, 2015 still guide the content for Oils & Spoils today:
I’m using this inaugural post of my blog, oilsandspoils, to set the tone for this and future posts and to share the first of several health and wellness tips. I try to be a positive person, but with all that’s going on out there, it can be challenging. So, I want oilsandspoils to be a positive, happy place where we can discover new things, share experiences and leave with a smile on our faces.
Oils & Spoils, the Blog
Over the past two years, Oils & Spoils, the blog, has published 70 blogs and gained 596 followers. To celebrate two years and when we hit 600 followers, Oils & Spoils will give a 5 ml bottle of Valor, a proprietary Young Living Essential Oils blend, to one lucky winner, randomly drawn from Oils & Spoils blog followers. Because it takes a little Valor to put yourself out there on a consistent basis. So, if you haven’t already, be sure to follow this blog for your chance to win.
I originally wanted to call this blog spOILed, but the name was already taken, which turned out to be a good thing. While Oils & Spoils’ main concentration is on essential oil education, including my journey toward aromatherapy certification, Oils & Spoils is also about, well, spoils – handcrafted, vintage and interchangeable jewelry; product reviews; herb gardening; DIY; and other useful and/or fun topics.
This past year, Oils & Spoils, the blog, became the soul of Oils & Spoils, the website. All of Oils & Spoils blogs are available in Archives and are searchable. Additionally, there are links to my Young Living Essential Oils , Magnolia and Vine, and Etsy sites, as well as some personal notes. Incredibly, the website has received 10,300 hits and has 48 followers.
Oils & Spoils, Social Media
This past year, Oils & Spoils also expanded its social media presence.
Facebook: Oils & Spoils’ Facebook page, links back to Oils & Spoils the Website. Oils & Spoils, Facebook has 669 follows and 665 likes. When Oils & Spoils publishes a blog, it’s also posted on Oils & Spoils, Facebook. However, the majority of posts contain information and pictures not featured on the blog.
Twitter: Oils & Spoils Twitter has tweeted 202 times and has 56 followers, and Oils & Spoils’ blog automatically posts to Twitter. Oils & Spoils rarely tweets outside of blogs or Instagram posts.
Instagram: Oils & Spoils Instagram has posted 133 pictures and has 180 followers. Instagram is the most spontaneous of all Oils & Spoils’ social media, as it’s super easy to spy and take a good picture with my phone and post. Oils & Spoils will typically share Instagram pictures on Facebook and Twitter.
Pinterest: Oils & Spoils Pinterest is much neglected and overlooked at the moment, but that is soon to change. I will be posting boards with Oils & Spoils blog series, like Certifiable, Herb Your Enthusiasm and 99 Bottles of Oils on the Wall as a start. But first, I’m going to remove the endless boards of makeup tips that I allowed as part of a contest I entered some months ago. Truly, I’m blushing as I write this, because looking at Pinterest just now was eye-opening. I’m thinking it might take a little time to put some Oils & Spoils boards together, but I think it will be time well spent. My good friend, Brandy, of Everyday Oils Solutions, Inc. fame, posted some of my blogs on her Pinterest boards many months ago. When looking at Oils & Spoils’ blog readership, blogs posted on her board regularly show up, particularly Oils on a Plane. The shelf life or staying power of items posted on Instagram is strong.
Full Circle
Taking a social media inventory every once in while enables bloggers and/or business owners to spot trends and prioritize use of their most precious commodity – time. I’ve observed that connections made across different social media vary. For example, Oils & Spoils may make a connection on Instagram that would not have made on Facebook or through a blog. So, Oils & Spoils will maintain some presence on the social media listed above, with more focus on Pinterest.
Like many of you, I work full-time and have a household that depends on me. That leaves time for little else. I’ve always been passionate about writing. As a kid, I would write stories in spiral notebooks (which I wish I had kept). Oils & Spoils today began with Oils & Spoils, the blog. While I aim for a blog a week, sometimes, I fall short, but not for long. I can’t wait to share something new I’ve learned about essential oils or some DIY or product that is the bee’s knees with the Oils & Spoils community, which has grown organically. Please feel free to share what you’d like to see more of and where there are opportunities for improvement.
Thank you so much for tuning into Oils & Spoils. Here’s to many more anniversaries. Until next time, Happy Anniversary, Reader, [always] got you on my mind.
Oils & Spoils 
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