Building Your Brand and Influencer Marketing

Of the many hot topics in Online Marketing, Hafsa from @happilyhafsa and myself discussed ‘Building Your Brand and Influencer Marketing’ on Instagram Live. I’ve been following Hafsa on Instagram for a while now and watching her grow her community (notice how I didn’t say followers) has been exciting to watch. She is a motivational Muslim mom who helps moms feel happy and has created an outstanding business by doing that.

Influencer marketing will continue to grow and where we are now is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much room for it to evolve into the digital age of authentic advertising. Those who will stay on top are definitely those who create REAL content and content that has VALUE. Word of mouth has always come on top before any other marketing. Building that trust with your community, your audience is what makes you an awesome influencer. Keep in mind the emphasis on being authentic. It’s the best feeling ever when I get messages from people telling me they tried what I recommended and they love it. As a viewer/follower, engage and learn. Ask questions. A great influencer/blogger/content creator will try their best to respond to you. Whether it’s a reply in DM, a story or a full on blog post.

HumJK

In case you missed our Instagram live, here’s what we talked about. Not including the side conversations that were extremely entertaining.
You snooze, you lose. 😉

Tell me about Happily Hafsa?

Hafsa first started with the mindful glutton. She was sharing recipes, specifically instant pot and talked about her weight loss journey. At the same time when she started talking about mom life and body positivity, her audience resonated with that content a lot more. In Feb 2017 Hafsa and her husband who is a consultant; worked on new branding and HappilyHafsa was born.

She is very clear about what her brand represents. Helping moms, be happy. Hafsa also does blog coaching and makes sure that she coaches those who fit into her niche of happiness.

Video, IGTV and Experiential Marketing is going to be huge for 2019.

HumJK

Let’s talk about a time you discussed a topic and the positive impact it had on someone?

Hafsa did an Instagram Live where she discussed her trip to Toronto after 6 months and she got hammered with comments about her weight gain. It was a challenging experience, and she was told by her husband “no one can make you feel bad about yourself unless you let them”. Months later a viewer contacted Hafsa and told her how that live made a positive impact on her life. This live got 1800+ views and helped so many with being body positive.

Celebrate yourself, regardless of how you look.

HappilyHafsa

For those who are trying to build a brand, what is something they can start doing to determine what their personal brand is?

Your brand needs to be an experience. That includes your brand values, your voice, colours and images. Be clear on what that is and your experience will become consistent and will resonate with your audience.

If you’re struggling with building a presence, get on Instagram stories. Hafsa’s first story she recorded 30 times before she felt comfortable with it.

Things change and the more you practice, the better you’ll get.

HappilyHafsa

Hafsa suggests if you’re not comfortable showing your face then show what you see. Or share your experience, like if you’re walking in the mall. Also, if they turn out to be amazing then add them to your highlights. 4

A community is the foundation to building a brand and being an influencer. What do you recommend people do to create a community?

Hafsa did a research project on Instagram stories. She asked her viewers why they like the bloggers they follow. 70% of the words that were used, pointed to REAL. They love people who express the reality of life.
Be real, be yourself and be authentic. People relate to people who are showing the reality of life. Be true to your values.

You don’t have to have everyone like you.

You just need the right people to like you.

HappilyHafsa

For brands who sell products, show behind the scenes. Allow your customers to see how your product came about. Even as an influencer, there’s a huge opportunity on Instagram stories to show the other side of your life outside of your curated content.

When you’re trying to grow and find your niche, focus on your audience vs. your competitors. Focusing on your ideal audience is very important. Do research on hashtags that your audience is using and engage with those people.

Don’t focus on the numbers, your community is what matters.

HumJK

Your community could be like minded individuals who are under the same category as you are. Having a good balance of following those who are in your community, who inspire you and then those who fall under your own personal or brand interests is very important in building your community. Hafsa mentions to have a balance so that you’re not being influenced by your competition to create the same content that they’re creating.

You’re never too big to connect with your audience.

HappilyHafsa

I had so much fun doing this Instagram Live with Hafsa, and I’m positive I didn’t cover everything we talked about. Stay tuned on Instagram for my next IG live and make sure to follow @happilyhafsa.