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Marketing a Brand on Instagram with Jasmine Star

uh huh Marketing brand on instagram. Are you looking to take your business to the next level? On instagram? Good news, You're in the right place? The graham is my jam and I am wait the graham is my jam one of my 87. Okay, let me just say, I really like instagram and I'm very excited to share with you my proven tips and strategies with you today. But before we begin I want to share a little bit of my back story with you in order to paint a picture of how my experiences got me to where I am today, teaching you how to market your business on social media. My name is Jasmine star and I'm a photographer and business strategist from Newport beach California. But that's my life now back in 2005 I was a tired, stressed and overwhelmed law school student. I don't know if that sounds familiar to your life right now. Are you tired, stressed and overwhelmed? I know those are very common feelings with the way that the world is right now, not knowing what to do. Maybe not even feeling truly fulfille...

d. In 2006 I admitted to myself that I wanted to be a photographer so I did something crazy. I dropped out of law school to pursue a dream. I didn't even know as possible. It was pretty long uphill battle. But after starting my photography business in 2006 by 2009 I was voted one of the top wedding photographers in the world by 2010, voted top 10 most influential photographers and in 2012, most socially influential photographers. It was then that I also began to pursue a new dream. My new dream was to teach people how to grow their business without paying for ads. The same way I grew my business which led my husband and I to start Social curator, a company that empowers business owners to build a brand and marketing on social media. Did I know all the answers. No. Did I clearly and actually know what I was saying? No, I was just talking about my experiences. All I did was share my journey and it was those experiences and opinions that I started getting featured on outlets like Usa Today, Good morning America MSNBC and in 2020 yeah, the year of the pandemic I was named and entrepreneurs go to guide for social media by Forbes, which is crazy. I say all of these things, not because I think I'm cute, smart, funny, witty, rich, popular or cool. I'm definitely not an influencer and I am not charming, lucky, talented or endearing. I'm none of those things. And yet it was able to beat the odds. Why? Because they built a brand and that is what I want to talk with you about today. I'm a law school dropout turned photographer turned business strategist turned ceo of a tech startup who is taking all of my past lessons and experiences and sharing it with you here right now. If you haven't noticed, I'm a no nonsense deal it to straight kind of person. So I am going to make a big bold statement right about now and it might rub you the wrong way. The fastest way to grow on instagram is to build a brand. You want more followers, build a brand, you want more engagement, build a brand, you want more customers, build a brand, you want more sales, build a brand so you might be asking, Okay, but what is the brand? Well, I want to share with you some wise words by a brilliant man, by the name of Seth Godin Seth defines a brand as this. A brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that taken together account for a consumer's decision to choose one service over another. Why do you buy a Starbucks instead of coffee bean and tea leaf? Why do you buy Nikes instead of Reeboks? Why do you shop at Macy's instead of Nordstrom? You have your own opinions. You have your own reasons, right? Well, somebody once told me that a brand is what somebody says about you when you walk out of a room as a business owner, what is somebody saying about you? Can you parlay that metaphor onto instagram? Right? Like what are they saying about you on instagram now, have some good news. You don't need money, you don't need experience, talent education or connections to build a brand. The only thing you need is to make people feel something I can just about here, you on the other side of the screen saying, Jasmine. I did not come here to talk about my feelings or what people talk about. I came here first strategy. I came here to know exactly what to do. I can't build experiences, I can't make people feel something. And to that, let me say that I've been around the block enough to know the top three excuses as to why you don't want to do this? Excuse number one, Jasmine. I have a small following. You can do what you do because you have followers. But I'm on the struggle bus with only a few other passengers following along with me. My response to you is that there is somebody who has less and is doing more. And if you don't believe me, let me introduce you to a few users of social curator like Stephanie who has less than 2000 followers. She's done collaborations with lulu, Lemon Yoga Journal Anatomy trains. She does breathwork, talk about a niche within a niche and she's working and collaborating and monetizing with these big brands. Let me introduce you to Jamie who has less than 1500 followers. She did not have money for print or social ads, but by social media she scored a free six page magazine feature worth $10,000. That's helping her book more clients. Let me introduce you to laurel who is a farmer From Missouri who has 119 followers who use Instagram to connect with a local chef, Who will be using her produce, in introducing her to other chefs. And as if that ain't enough, let me introduce you to Leah with less than 2300 followers, she quit her 9-5 job. She works from home and y'all she doubled her income. These are people who may or may not have less and are doing what they want. So for anybody who says my following is too small. Let me share with you something that leah said, I show up as me, which has resonated with my audience. It's like Jasmine says a tiny step at a time to keep moving forward is all it takes. Let's see a virtual show of hands who here has less than 3000 followers. I promise you're not alone. You don't need a huge following. You need to make people feel something. Okay, So now let's move on to excuse number two what people say They can't build a brand. I don't know what to post. Well, I have news for you. Neither do I. Contrary to popular belief. I do not live, eat and breathe instagram. I'm just a girl from the hood who's taking free resources to get my business where I wanted to go. If you told me that riding a horse for eight hours a day is going to get me to where I want to go, well then saddle up. Here we go. I will do whatever it takes. This does not come easy for me. But yeah, I get to market my business for free. So if you're like me and you have no idea what to post on the daily, here's what I do. I find a way to test my ideas in advance. Let your audience speak to you before you even post now. The number one way to test an idea of what you should be posting. I love testing on Instagram stories why? Because stories disappear in 24 hours. But they're a great way to test visuals of how people respond. Then you can see how many people view them. You get to see how long people watch. You can take the guesswork out of it. Test, don't guess so. Let me show you an example of this. What you're looking at right now are three different tests I ran for a Halloween promotion. I posted each of these stories on different days and then I tested which story got the most engagement once I knew which one performed well, I turn it into an ad on instagram because I tested it in advance on stories. I knew the investment in ads was going to be powerful. Do you need to run an ad? No, not at all. But testing gives you powerful insights into what your followers find interesting. So figure out how followers respond to a call for engagement. Well, when you're testing with stories, you can user engagement tools to learn what your followers want to engage with and I keep on saying this, but I'm gonna drill this point down because I don't know about you, but for many years I was one of those people that was like, oh I hope they like it. I hope they leave a comment. I hope my mom logs in and hook a sister up today. That was me. Like not anymore. We need to make it easy for our audience to engage with us by providing a clear call for engagement. So let's walk through an example of stories that you could use to test in relation to this Creative Live class. Okay, so with these engagement tools, somebody can use one finger, Press one Button and not only do they let us know what they want to see, but it indexes to the algorithm and let's instagram know that this person is actually engaging with your story. Let's pause when somebody votes on a quiz. When somebody uses a slider, When somebody votes a yes or no poll, when somebody responds to a question, when somebody sends you D M. All of those are indexing to the algorithm that they're engaging with your stories. So then the next time the person logs into an app, your stories might be shown sooner or maybe a post could be shown in their feed, y'all? That is a win win. Okay, now let's go. Even to excuse number three of why you are telling yourself you can't build a brand on instagram. Well, Jasmine, you see, I just don't have time to post. I'm so busy, I wear 87 hats in my business. I'm about to do it to you straight. When you care more about creating value for your followers, you stop making excuses. My dad always said you will find excuses or you will find reasons. Tell me why you can't and I will show you somebody who will because instagram takes less effort than when you're focused on helping others. When you take the focus off you and you think about what your followers want to see, want to hear, what do you want to know from you? Game over? Yeah, I'm an introvert but I am speaking to you right now in front of this camera and you might not know it, but my tongue feels like sandpaper and I'm sweating profusely in this moment I have the power to step on this virtual stage in front of a bunch of people which makes me uncomfortable. But I do it anyway because it's not about me, it's about you. I am like you, I wear 87 hats in my business. I could be spending time doing other things like reading a book or walking my dog or getting a massage. But instead I'm here because it's not about me. It's about you. You could be doing something else right now too. But the fact that you're here watching this class proves your commitment to your business and I will clap that up every day and twice on Sundays, why there are endless excuses why you might think that building a brand isn't for you. But I hope my little rant on this soapbox has proven otherwise. I don't want you to spend multiple years trying to figure it out. Like I did. We're putting the pedal to the metal right now and we want a fast track to get you what you want. And the fastest way to get what you want on instagram is to build a brand. And in order to build a brand, you have to create an experience. I know, I know you don't want to talk about your feelings or experiences and that's okay fine. But you do have to make somebody feel something about you. You just do. There's too many people who do what you do on instagram and sell what you sell on instagram. So a brand has nothing to do with lots of followers, influence money looks or importance, but it has everything to do with making your followers feel a certain way. Every time you post on instagram, ask yourself, how does this make my dream customer feel? So right now we're going to do an exercise to help you create an experience for your followers. So pull up the digital version or the printed copy of the workbook that you received for this class and get ready to take some notes. So first things first ask yourself what does your brand do? Now? I know this seems like a really basic question and it is, but if you answer effectively you can hone your vision and help create the brand you desire. So let's help narrow this down. I want you to take the time to answer these three questions question number one, what problem do I solve? Number two, What do you help people achieve? And number three, what fears do you diminish? Now, once you have answered these three questions, focus on the one that resonates the most with you and implement that into a brand message that aligns precisely with what your business does. So let's break this down by a few examples. A travel agents brand message solves the problem. I relieve the stress of planning for busy travelers who desire luxury by planning vacations and trips, booking hotels and airfare and organizing activities and itineraries. A different example, a hairstylist brand message helps clients achieve a certain outcome. I help people look and feel their best by cutting coloring and styling their hair now like I'm just, I'm gonna be real. I mean he has a personal example here. The social curator is team. Our brand message diminishes fear we help and equip and empower entrepreneurs to market and brand their business without losing their time insanity. Okay, cool. Now let's move on to the next thing. Think about three words that best describe your brand. Your brand words are a reflection of you, not just your business. When someone visits your instagram profile, they're having a conversation with you as the business owner. They're not just simply reading what's written on the screen. So it's important to determine how you speak to them. So remember instagram is basically your virtual storefront. When people come in, what would you say to them as the business owner? I want you to work through these questions to help you find your voice and your brand words. No one, who are you attracting? Number two, How do you want your audience to feel? Number three, what impression do you want associated with your brand? So once you've answered these questions now, y'all I know it's like doing the work, but this has a transformative effect on what you do on instagram. So I want you to choose three words that can be used consistently to extend what your brand does in who you are remember. Brand words can change with time just as your business evolves. So be sure to revisit this idea regularly. So to help you out here are a few examples based on the businesses we previously just mentioned. A travel agents. Brand words could be luxury tailor made and authentic. A hairstylist, Brain words could be professional chic and artistic. The social curator teams. Brand words are inspirational possibilities and consistency. So we want to make sure that we're saying this again and again and again because remember, like the hood version of a brand is what somebody says about you and not in the room. I want people to watch this and say dang social curator and jasmine star. Help me be consistent. Why? Because I'm inspired to do the work. Yes, Okay, so lastly, let's tie this up in the loose boat, not a loose boat. A nice big boat, nice tight big red boat. This is a gift. Think lastly when you understand what your brand does and focus on what you stand for. You can create experiences around that message on instagram by treating your customers to top notch service or speaking to them, responding to D. M. S. Liking their comments and and and going to their accounts and leaving comments and liking their photos. How you'll create a point of differentiation between you and your competitors. Plus like you can create unique experiences and and share stories and y'all people will talk about it. The answers that you just answer to the previous questions. This is going to become the foundation of your brand and creating unique experiences will make it so much easier. So here are a few instagram related brand experiences to kind of get your wheels turning for the travel agent. When a client sends photos or videos from their trip, they can add them to their instagram stories so followers can see the amazing travel opportunities, getting your customer stories and putting it on your social, highlighting your customers, highlighting what you do. Win win. Now another example of the hairstyles a hairstylist could take before and after photos of their clients and post them on their feet, or even snap stories through the entire process or make a real to give prospective clients a look at how it works. Lastly, you know, a little bit of our own social curator love. We can, like our team can promote our content on social media with content driven social post videos and tutorials to give a sneak peek into what we do together as a community. So now let's do the work. It's your turn to start creating experiences for your instagram followers, like I mentioned before, I want you testing your ideas on stories. I want you creating posts that offer value. I want you to show benefits of your expertise. Yes. You could show you know, that you're drinking coffee, but maybe we up local is right. Like, instead, why not talk about how the coffee that you're drinking leads to feeling more creative or productive in your business. Talk about anything and then find a way to loop it back to how it serves your followers. I want you to respond to every comment. Let your followers know that you see them and give them the type of engagement that you want. So, people at this time like, yeah, Jasmine no one's leaving a comment on my instagram. Well, I have a question for you. When was the last time you left a comment on somebody else's post? I like to suggest that people follow the 10 X rule. Do you want one comment? Go and leave 10 comments on 10 different accounts. You want 10 likes going like 100 different posts from different accounts, y'all I'm telling you it will come back to you and just as a little bit of a reminder of bonus pro tip, when you leave a comment, leave a comment. That is more than four words. Why? Because four words are weighted differently in the algorithm than just a series of like emojis or like single words. That's a cute fun, interesting. Okay, that's a little pro tip. Okay, now let's kind of wind this on down. I wanna get something very clear. I don't want you leaving this class feeling like you have to build a brand, create experiences, post a bunch on stories. Leave dozens of comments on other posts all in one day. I don't want this feeling of overwhelm to paralyze you from actually taking these important steps and answering these very important questions. That's why we put together the social curator jumpstart kit to give you all the tools you need to get started. Do you want to test with stories? Great. This kid has five done for you templates that you can customize to fit your, You guessed it, it's going to fit your brand. Do you want to test and see the type of content that resonates with your audience? Well, Hallelujah Biscuit has 10 caption templates and 10 lifestyle photos that you can use to show up and you're gonna be well on your way to creating experiences to market your brand on Instagram. Yeah, I haven't hooked you up so I have nothing but love for you. So as you work to build your brand and market it on instagram, speak up and show up knowing that other people have done it. But nobody can do it. Like you grab your jumpstart kit at social curator dot com forward slash kit and I can't wait to see the strides that you make in building a brand and your business. I can't wait to connect with you on instagram. So post the story, Tag me in it so we can connect in real life. You can find me at Jasmine star and I can't wait to chat soon.