Deborah Beau has built a large following of over 90,000 people across various social media platforms such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest through her compelling and community-building content. She emphasizes creating original and surprising content to inspire and draw in new readers while also curating and sharing content from others. Beau stresses being humble, polite, generous and supportive in order to build strong relationships and an inclusive community around her work.

1. Growing Community – a Personal Perspective
Deborah Beau - The Hive 2013

3. • Blog
• Twitter
• Tumblr
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Other
(flickr,linkedin,etsy…)
= 90,000 + followers

4. “Besides her prodigious
blogging, Deborah Beau has also
been an incredibly active
networker, bringing together the
best bloggers, creating links and
building a nice community
around her”.
Florence Ronaldo, Pirouette.

5. Social Media
Evolution

6. Blogging at the core:
1) Compelling content
2) Community-
building content
3) Content for others

7. Surprise – Create – Curate - Share

8. Inspire
Your regular stream of original content
will draw in new readers, build loyalty
and get you noticed, thus helping to
forge a solid online reputation.

9. «Be humble and nice.
Don’t separate yourself
from your readers and
‘tell them stuff’ but rather
know that they are just as
interesting (possibly even
MORE interesting!) as you.
Assume you can learn
things from them, ask
them questions and invite
them to be part of the
things you want to do. You
never know what will come
of being friendly and
inclusive!»
Pip Lincolne, Meet Me At Mikes
What do you think?

10. Invite readers to create content. Organise
giveaways & competitions, take part in memes…

11. Guest posting can be fun. It keeps
you on your toes and gets you out
of your comfort zone!
Another blog means another audience.
A good way of reaching new readers.

12. Collaborate – you never know what it might lead to!
Babiekins Magazine

13. Show a more personal side on facebook, perhaps by
sharing snippets of your daily life.
Connect, exchange and have fun with your friends.

14. PINTEREST
Pin
Re-pin
Be pinnable
Comment
Keep track
Group boards
Secrets!
Enjoy!
Show off your
curation skills!

15. Get a life!
Get out there and meet your
community. Socialise with
fellow bloggers, make new
friends. Be real!

16. Believe in yourself & seize every opportunity offline!
Poppytalk sept 12

17. Creating & Growing a Community Takes Time

18. BE:
• Passionate
• Creative
• Original
• Polite
• Generous
• Supportive
• Hardworking

19. Be Honest, Be Flexible, Be Dedicated, Be a Leader
BE YOU!
Furze Chan

20. « Blogging has given me an insatiable hunger for life,
a wonderful international collection of friends, and a
feeling of being connected and also of being a force for
connection. It is great the way that you can find a
little-known artist / designer / illustrator and because
you have blogged their work, suddenly, like the roots
of a tree, news of their creativity spreads, leading, I
hope, to lots of opportunities for them ».
Hazel Terry, Uppercase Magazine, Issue 15

21. Thanks for the support & visual inspiration:
Pip Lincolne, Florence Ronaldo, Hazel Terry,
Sophie Carré, Csil Cb, The Shop at No. 57,
Present & Correct, Happy Emotion, Michel
Joy, Kedublock, Shusha, Pyrodesign,
Uppercase Magazine, Poppytalk, Hussam
Elshereff, Chris Theiss, Furze Chan,…