I remember thinking that posting pictures on Instagram would be easy, that it would be exactly what I had done on my personal account until then but with pictures of my looks tagged with the hashtag #ootd. I thought it would be something I would only dedicate 5 minutes a day with 3 simple steps: shooting with my phone, editing on an App and posting on Insta. Huge Joke. I mean that is something you can do, that is what I have done for a few months until I realized that there was so much more to the Insta game. I mean it is supposed to be a hobby but how do you explain that some people actually earn money from it? For me, it’s all fun. I love connecting with wonderful people everyday and it’s really not about counting likes and followers but it made me think about those who care about them. What are their strategy to having more than 100K followers? I started to become curious about their magic formula to success because in the end, who doesn’t want a pretty feed? Starting PB on Instagram has allowed me to learn from both sides of the equation: from corporate at a theoretical level to social media influencer at a practical level. But after a few months of posting and carefully observing each one of the person I am following, I would have never imagined that Instagram would actually give me more knowledge and skills about Marketing than the Master I was currently coursing. You get to try different things and realize what works, what doesn’t work and how you want to be perceived by people. I discovered that in the end, Instagram and blogging is all about marketing too.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR CONTENT
You are probably thinking: What the EFFFF Neg, I was waiting for a big revelation right now and you go with that Bull? It’s like we are in a thriller and I announce you the obvious, something you knew from the beginning: The mistress killed the wife because she wanted the husband to have him all for herself. But content is truly everything: You might be the most stylish person and have the best outfit on earth, if your pictures don’t look nice and are well presented: Nobody is going to want to follow you and like your pictures. One of the secrets of instagram is without a doubt having a nice feed: Pretty feeds seduce more hearts. Its as simple as that. People don’t want to see only your face on every single picture, where is the added value for them? Find the right balance between your posts: Show them pretty landscapes, pretty food, details, books, pretty quotes, stuff that you love seeing. Capture every moment and embellish it: Trust me it is so hard in the beginning but you get better with the time. Like everything you just need practice. Additionally, finding a balance is important but you also have to make sure that your feed the most uniform possible: Same code of color, same filters, same vibe everywhere. It has to be harmonious, don’t get all over the place and show your personality like you want people to see it.
I am a perfectionist, and I realized that I am having a growing obsession to find the best content for my feed. I spend more time on my pictures and interrupting my friends in the middle of a conversation to say: Hey, Hold on. Imma take a picture of this. Same thing happens to my post and videos: I spend time editing, finding ideas of what to write to try because in the end, I don’t want Persian Brunette to be only about Fashion as I am not comfortable in posting my looks without leaving a bit of myself and my personality behind. So I am constantly thinking in the best ways to traduce that personality into the best content possible.
INTERACTION AND COMMITMENT
In my opinion, It would actually my first golden rule because this is what I enjoy the most about the whole experience. You got to start somewhere, you won’t be famous the day you create your Instagram or Social media account. The likes, follows or retweets are not going to come quickly and you will probably fight for every single one of your first followers. Patience is definitely the key to this game.
You got to keep in mind who you want as followers, it’s too optimistic to think that you will have Beyoncé fan base because basically everybody likes Beyoncé (if you do, good for you my friend. I applaud you loud and strong). Following everybody in the hope they will follow back is not a good idea because you won’t be able to create real commitment and engagement from these users. Look for people you really like, that share similar content as yours and who’ll be willing to engage everyday conversations with you. Once you are part of a strong community that will follow faithfully everyday, other users will start following you because of the content you are posting and it will be easier to grow.
This step is also essential because it is what will make you grow: You can have the best content in the world but it is useless if you don’t show that their is a real person behind your profile. Be present, converse, like. Since I have started Insta, I always try to answer to every comment and visit everyone’s feed, leaving likes and comments behind me. Trust me, that takes a LOT of time but it is amazing to see that people take the time to comment your content and try to get to know you a bit better. However, this will happen uniquely if you do make the same effort towards them.
FIND THE PURPOSE OF YOUR DIFFERENT CHANNELS
If you want to know something: my intention was never to start a blog. It was a huge No. My friends would tell me that blogging was the logic next step to take after Instagram. My answer was clear: What would I blog? I already use Instagram to publish my looks, it is the platform I have chosen. It is easier, quicker and involves less work than a blog. I didn’t want another channel to put more of the same and if I had to have a blog: It had to be completely different than my Instagram, it would have to have something you cannot find there.
The more I would interact with people on IG, the more I would realize that a caption wasn’t enough to communicate my thoughts and that sometimes, I really needed to release my feelings. Writing has always been part of my life. I love writing, I love having an opinion on everything but I was just not ready to share this with anyone quite yet. After a long break on Instagram, I wanted to come back with something stronger than an outfit, more personal with the idea to get closer to my followers. After a lot of doubts and insecurities, I decided to film my first Youtube video. On youtube, I show you my goofy side by still sharing some things that you might not see on Instagram. However, something was still missing.
I realized persianbrunette was starting to be an important side of me but that I was terribly afraid to show it to anyone that weren’t my best friends and family. One day, I woke up deciding that I needed to proudly show that part of me. I needed to start telling my story, share that part of my life publicly because PersianBrunette is a project of personal growth which I am not willing to give up on because of my fears of people’s reactions and thoughts. On the blog, I show my most sensitive side. Stuff that I might have never told anyone, stuff that I need people to know, stuff that matters more than my monday shoes.
To me it is essential to share different sides of my personality on these different channels: every single one of them has its purpose with different content and stories. And that just makes it interesting.
BE CONSISTENT
When I speak about Persianbrunette with people that are close to me, they all tell me one thing: I love it because it is you.
And that is exactly what I was aiming for: I wanted my content to be the most personal possible, even if it is not blogger material, even if my caption are more sarcastic, or sometimes cheesy. I always try to be the same as if you would have a face to face conversation with me. And I do this everywhere: On youtube I don’t write a script (laugh but most people actually do), on my blog I write without any barrier or fear, On Instagram I converse just like each one of you were people I know in real life. Be consistent on what you sell because as Nur would say, personal branding is just everything.
When you are a publisher on social media, you act just like a brand and absolutely everything about you counts: What you share, How you share it, how you communicate, Your writing style, Your photography style, Your editing style and so much. People are going to get to know you by all these variables so you better make sure they all communicate the same thing.
My advice would to be real and not be afraid to open up. Don’t be afraid to show yourself just the way you are, with all the good and bad sides. Don’t forget that, Haters gotta hate and that you will never be able to please everybody. Or yes, if you are Beyoncé, or Vanilla… Yes everyone likes Vanilla. But then again there is just one Beyoncé and Vanilla is way too common: Don’t be vanilla and just present you like you were born: Nutella with Cream, Banana and sprinkles. (Okay, I might be hungry right now). But then again choosing to be yourself is personal, it what I have decided to do. The magic of the Internet and also one of its downsides is that everybody has the power to choose the person they want to be. Just don’t forget that creating an identity involves integrating it through all the touch points and taking care of all the variables we already discussed.
Hope you liked my lecture, Who would have said I would ever write about marketing huh?
Lots of love always,
Neguine
