Challenging Mindsets One Head At A Time With Curl Expert Rumbie Mutsiwa
Every entrepreneur has a story of how they started and what led them on that path. Rumbie Mutsiwa the founder of Rumbie & Co (a Sydney based hair salon) is a Zimbabwean who relocated to Australia 15 years ago and stumbled into the entrepreneurial world. Her story is one of resilience, pushing the boundaries and taking up space where minorities are often overlooked. She’s been recognised by Vogue Australia for having a unique hair product line that caters for most curly, afro and wavy hair textures. What was the turning point for you as a Zimbabwean woman living in Australia that prompted or inspired you to start your own business? Starting a business was never something I thought I would do, let alone the idea of being an entrepreneur. However, I am very grateful that God pushed me in this direction. Early on in my career as a nurse, I started to have this impulse, this impulse was to pray and to work out what I was truly gifted and talented at doing because back then, most people I spoke to and asked whether they liked their jobs were only resigned to sticking to their jobs because it provided them with an income and life doesn’t always turn out to be a fairytale as we know it. Something within me just couldn’t take that and I went on this introspective journey. To answer your question about what inspired me to start my own business, I would say there is two parts to this. The first being when my sister suggested I go into hairdressing. At the time, I was not impressed with her suggestion and actually found it to be quite insulting and disrespectful. These feelings probably stemmed from my upbringing in an African household and environment. Those of us who have grown up in these environments can probably relate to this because majority of the time you are encouraged to go down an academic path instead of a creative path. Despite these negative feelings towards the idea of being a hairdresser looming in my mind after my sisters suggestion, I decided to take a step back to find out why I was so upset about what she had said. I started to write down and unpack the reasons why I felt the way I did and began writing my vision. This was the first time I was truly honest with myself about what my passions were and I remember that process of writing being quite therapeutic for me. As I wrote down the things that inspired me, I discovered that I loved hair dressing. The moment I felt that I had written my heart out on paper and fully expressed my vision, I threw the pen and paper across the room and in that moment it hit me that I was passionate about hair. I loved hair and I loved the transformation and the power of it and a whole lot of other things about hair and the psychology attached to curly hair. The second part to me realising I needed to push through with my vision was when I had just opened up a salon space. I thought I would just have something small for myself and my clients but little did I know how busy I would get and how booked out we would be during the early stages. From this I started to realise that no matter how many times I tried to push in another direction, being a hairdresser is what I was meant to be doing. Back when I was still starting out, I tried to focus more on extensions but there were specific types of extensions that I wanted to pursue, yet those doors kept on getting closed. No matter what I did, and how good the work was people never came back. I started to get curly hair clients and that is how we coined the term “texture specialist.” How do you feel having your unique brand in Australia has had an impact on people who struggle to find hairdressers that with work with curly, wavy or afro hair? 65% of the world’s population has curly hair. To me that statistic is mindblowing because when you look at this space it’s underacted to. I do understand that there may be various factors at play that have shaped this narrative but I do feel it is now long overdue and having knowledge and information around products and on how to take care of your hair is a basic hair need that everyone should have access to. More work needs to be done to ensure that products which saturate the market are backed with research to minimise having people feeling frustrated with products that don’t work, damage the hair or are deer in price. Being able to work on my brand everyday allows me to cater a service in Australia that is unfortunately not available everywhere. My goal is to change that narrative and reach as many people as possible be it with my services, products or just my story alone of why I embarked on this journey. Do you see yourself expanding beyond Australia and introducing your brand to the African market? We are definitely expanding beyond Australia, we want to make Rumbie & Co available to all people with curly hair and we do look to get into the African market because, wearing your hair natural in Africa still is (while it is getting better) something that tends to be shunned upon and seen as a poor persons option for hair styling. When you wear your natural hair, you are seen in an unsavoury light, so collectively with our simple routines and the products, our goal is to definitely bring our brand into the African market. As to when and how that is going to be very interesting because the African market is very new to me even though I was raised in Africa, all I can say is if there is anyone
Joy Eneghalu: Using Strategy to Conquer Social Media
Joy Eneghalu is a social media strategist. She helps businesses and teaches individuals how to leverage social media to boost their brand awareness, increase their sphere of influence and make a profit. She is also the founder of the Influencer Marketing platform called Influensah. Can one thrive in today’s marketplace without social media? Social media has taken over and has the potential to expose one’s business to a larger audience. It is highly important to have your business on social media so you don’t lose out on the goodness. However, there is the offline part that people also have to maintain. Social media has become a must-have tool for every business to thrive in today’s marketplace. So, if social media is here to stay, what are the career opportunities open to young people? There are tons of career opportunities open to young people and the beautiful thing is that some of them are largely untapped and it costs almost nothing to get started. Young people can now go ahead and become some of the following professionals: Online TV Hosts Online OAPs Social media and community managers Online event planners Influencers Data specialists and Facebook ad experts Funnel experts Website designers and social media graphic designers Content creators All you basically need is a phone, internet, knowledge, skill, and visibility. If you are wondering if people do these as actual jobs and cash out, there are many of them and they aren’t even enough for the market. What were the mistakes you made when you started out? How can others avoid them? When I started out, it was basically trial and error. Eventually, I invested in courses that helped sharpen my skills. The number one mistake I made was not documenting an agreement with a client and that cost me lots of money because of the lacking proof. This lesson was very important for my success. Before discovering the essence of a community, I played a lone game for a while. However, I now belong to about 6 communities that have provided me with immense support and knowledge. With many people coming on to the social media space, what would you advise to stand out amidst the noisy marketplace? This may sound cliché but nothing beats being authentic, genuinely caring about people and adding value. These have been my own sauce and it works pretty much for everyone you see doing great things. If you are fake, people will find out. Let your style of delivery on social media speak for you. [bctt tweet=”Overnight success doesn’t exist as a social media strategist or manager; you have to put it in the work – @joyeneghalu” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What are the myths in your line of business? Overnight success!! It beats my imagination when many say to me ‘Joy, I want to blog or I want to start managing an account. They said this thing is like oil money. If I do it like this now, by xxx time, I will have xxx amount of money’. It baffles me a lot. Overnight success doesn’t exist as a social media strategist or manager; you have to put it in the work. Some people even take 10 years! Money doesn’t grow on trees in the online world. Secondly, just because one is visible and popular online doesn’t mean the person has billions sited in their account. It can be very annoying to have people asking you for money because of your online fame. If one is being visible on social media, please understand that it is part of the journey and not the destination. Could you briefly share with our Motherland moguls on WhatsApp for business? WhatsApp for Business is a highly innovative tool that businesses can use to offer fast and efficient customer care services to their customers. With a range of different features such as analytics and labels for pending payments; WhatsApp for Business is a highly effective tool for online business. I personally advice having the ‘Click to Chat’ feature on your website or social media platform. This feature enables people to easily chat you up and maintain a human relationship with your business. Final Words You can do this. You can achieve anything you want with the right mindset. [bctt tweet=”Hone the skill of recognizing opportunities and jump on it before the crowd does – @joyeneghalu” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I look forward to having lots of young ladies kicking butts in the social media/online space. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
The Customer Service Series: Develop trust at a distance
[bctt tweet=”If customers don’t trust your business, your chances for success dramatically reduce” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Distrust is the bane of every entrepreneur’s (especially those operating in the ‘very’ skeptical Nigerian market) existence. So in this post, I’ll be talking about some easy ways you can build and sustain trust with your customers and consequently enjoy more patronage and customer loyalty & advocacy. 1. Have your customer’s best interests at heart There are so many easy ways to do this, for example, you can make your website mobile friendly, let your payment portal be secure and hassle free, offer recommendations and helpful advice. Just endeavor to be thoughtful and empathetic in how you run your business and engage with customers. Plus, and this is very Plus, and this is very key if your product/service is not the right fit for a customer, let them know that too. You don’t have to try to be all things to all people. Truth is you would get calls from prospects asking for some help in an area that’s not really your business’ thing. And while it may seem like ‘growth’ to take on that (new) customer, if that customer isn’t a good fit, it can actually stunt real growth. In some cases, trying to work with customers who are not ideal clients can lead to such a bad experience for both your business and the customer that you actually create vocal detractors for your business! 2. Be capable of delivering on your promises For example, 24 hours delivery should be just that. If for any reason you might not be able to make it happen then escalate (within the agreed time period) and by all means be apologetic while doing so. Let the product do what you said it would do and let the service experience deliver the value that’s being paid for. Never over promise and under deliver! 3. Be honest and authentic Do not collect money for a size 4, mistakenly deliver a size 3 and then make the return and refund process hellish and frustrating. Customers and clients are smart; they know when you’re being up front or when they are told a mistruth. They’ll appreciate and admire you more when you admit to a mistake, rather than playing games or even worse, avoiding the topic altogether. Finally, not to scare you, but what is always important to know is, the moment your business is not trusted by people, your chances for success within your market/industry are diminished dramatically. Cheers!
The Customer Service Series: Don’t interrupt your customers
[bctt tweet=”You’re going to have to get your customers attention one way or the other, just don’t interrupt them” via=”no”] I’ll make this one very quick. Here’s a simple fact, people do not like ‘marketing interruptions’. Take these two scenarios. You’re listening to a radio station but a jingle comes up, so you tuned out. You’re watching your favourite show and there’s a commercial break, so you pick up your phone to check your Twitter TL. If this sounds familiar to you, then you know what I’m talking about. This is the age of ad blockers where people are paying a significant sum to avoid advertising. So you can imagine how irritating it can be for these people when brands/businesses somehow manage to break through and interrupt what they are doing. As a business you have to be deliberate about not annoying your (prospective) customers and quite frankly, things like; Incessant generic and ill-targeted advertising Nonstop unsolicited emails Bombarding a customer (after they’ve made a purchase) with marketing offers and updates can be quite exasperating. The right way to interrupt customers The thing is you need your customers to notice you. However, if you’re going to interrupt your customers at all, you want to make sure that it is more for their gain than yours. As you navigate this tricky landscape, you must ask yourself these three key questions: Is what I’m offering/doing/saying/sharing relevant? Are the message and the overall experience contextual? Is the journey enjoyable — or at least not unenjoyable? At the end of the day, in one way or the other, you’d have to interrupt your (prospective) customer in other to be heard. The key is to try to find a balance between interrupting and creating relevant interesting brand experiences that they’d want to participate in. Cheers!
The Customer Service Series: Be at the start of your customer’s journey
[bctt tweet=”Think your customer’s journey begins when they reach you? Think again” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Some weeks ago I started reading a book on customer experience called How to Wow by Adrian Swinscoe. The practical insights contained in the book are pretty much what inspired The Customer Service series. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing insights from this book alongside some of my own thoughts because what is knowledge if it isn’t shared? So, if you are a business owner looking to improve (or even craft) your customer experience you might want to: Purchase the book, it’s available on Amazon Follow this series and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Now, moving on to the first insight, I’d start by explaining what the term ‘customer journey’ means and entails. Think of the customer journey as a roadmap detailing how a customer becomes aware of your brand/business, interacts with and buys from you–and beyond. The customer journey is the complete sum of experiences that customers go through when interacting with your business and brand. INSIGHT 1: Be at the start of your customer’s journey As a business owner, you might be tempted to think (wrongly) that your customer’s journey begins when he or she steps into your office or visits your website or sends you a DM. On the contrary, when you study the consumer buying process (see image below) you’d realize that in most cases it actually begins way earlier. Let me give you a real-life example. Two weeks ago I wanted to buy a ready to wear Ankara dress for a church event and because I didn’t know whom to speak to I went to Google. Some results came up but none were relevant and could solve my problem. On Instagram, I searched for the hashtag #ReadyToWearAnkaraDress and on Twitter, I asked my ‘followers’ for recommendations. Now as a fashion designer/retailer who has ready to wear Ankara dresses as a product offering, why not consider running a Google AdWords campaign that’d bring up your business whenever relevant queries are done? What if your IG posts had the right hashtags? What if you proactively and regularly search out specific keywords on Twitter that relate to your business and product offerings? You’d easily have found a prospective customer (me) and begin to make your sales pitch rather than just waiting for me to find you by God’s grace. Does this make any sense? So as regards your business you need to begin to ask some serious questions. What does your customer journey look like? Where does it start? And are you (always) there to reach out, offer help and make your sales pitch?
“You need guts and discipline”: Finding new customers with Idonrenyen Enang #SheHive Lagos
SheHive Lagos brought together the best of the bunch and of course, our speakers were just as awesome. The distinguished marketing practitioner and former Managing Director of L’Oreal West Africa and Samsung West Africa, Idonrenyen Enang was one of them. With a career spanning almost three decades in several key positions, Idonrenyen has a wealth of experience in several areas. This includes brand management, marketing management, strategic planning, organizational redesign and more. He showed us how to take the headache out of finding new customers and never lack them again. And we just couldn’t resist sharing some of these lessons with you! What marketing really is You see, marketing isn’t about sponsorship and advertising. The whole essence of this shouldn’t be lost on you. Marketing is actually about identifying a need and making money out of it. In between this, is the supply chain. Of course, you’re an entrepreneur and out to make money. But there are so many different things to do in order to get people to actually cough out money for that product or service, no matter how good. There has to be some transfer of value and that’s where profit comes in. Here’s the thing; there’s no way to handle this except by really knowing how. And even if you could, you would drive yourself crazy trying to keep up with everything, wouldn’t you? So, how do you snake around such a problem? Go to the shrine Start-ups typically have short menus at their disposal but you need to broaden your scope. Your menu should include advertising, strategy, branding, research and internet. Everyday should be research day. Why didn’t she/he come for a purchase today? Why did they not like our product/service? That’s how the mind of a marketer should work. It may feel a little overwhelming getting people to patronize your products or services in the current recession but it is the best time for creativity and innovation. In fact, this is the best time to launch a business. Understanding consumption and purchase occasions is the basis of a successful sales strategy. In addition to this, you need to determine the following. The who of marketing —discipline This is about you. You simply need to be a rebel. Lots of guts and discipline are needed to increase patronage of your brand. The what of marketing Basically, the what is about metrics —numbers. If you can’t triangulate numbers and make them speak to you, then your investments might just go down the drain. For example, the reason why you use a particular brand of toothpaste is the physical satisfaction you get from it. After this stage, comes the emotional attachment. The whole experience is where that brand gets a hold of you and that’s brand equity metrics. The why of marketing —the essence The idea is to market the essence. You need money and every stakeholder needs value and satisfaction. You’ve got to meet somewhere between the two. The how of marketing Now, you may have the best product or service there is in town but marketing doesn’t stop there. You’ll need to rightly position yourself by consistently improving on your customer experience. There’s an art and science to delivering to the end user. Positioning tells you what type of product to innovate, how to improve on it and what sponsorship to ask for. Finally, Idonrenyen shared 5 keys to tracking performance, remember them. Availability Merchandising Space/equipment Price to value Quality And there here you have it, ladies. Entrepreneurship may seem hard but knowing what to do is essential to finding new customers. When building a business, give yourself every advantage that you can. Try these ideas by Idonrenyen and we bet, business will be easier! What could possibly be better than participating in the #SheHive action? Actually attending the next one, obviously. See you in Joburg!
5 things every startup should do to gain traction and attract customers
My parents always taught me that I have no limitations in life. Despite growing up in a society that tends to favour boys over girls, I grew up believing that everything I do will turn out well. And I always act out my belief everywhere I find. You can call me “Miss Optimistic”. In line with my “no limitations” mentality, I started Onpoint Success. I’m digressing but at heart, I’ve always been an entrepreneur. My first venture was at age 10 while planning my 10th birthday. I came up with the idea of custom-made invitations and was actively involved in every detail, from planning to music. Most people who attended were thrilled that a girl so young could pull such a feat. Soon, I was the go-to person for custom- made invites and party planning. In my middle, high school and college days, I was that girl offering to teach, share knowledge and empower others. An attitude that earned me the name “Mother Hen”. I found joy in helping others tap into their potentials and build something out of nothing. I didn’t really think much of it. After I graduated from college, I got married, relocated to the United States and started working as an environmentalist. Then, I made the decision to launch my events planning business on the side. However, something interesting happened. While minding my business, I started receiving messages from friends and strangers alike. They wanted me to share with them, tips on how to start and grow a small business. Being the “Mother Hen” I was, I spent the bulk of my time helping others build a better life for themselves. That was when I decided to launch Onpoint Success. I’ve been optimistic about getting it right from the very first day. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that thinking about a thing is very different from actually doing it. It was an uphill battle attracting customers who were willing to pay for my services. I had to wait fourteen long and excruciating months before the first customer paid me. I remember dancing when I got paid doing what I love and it felt so good! Today, even though I’m still working my way to the top, I teach, mentor and inspire other women entrepreneurs. I help them attract customers and get paid doing what they love. The only difference is —they do not have to wait as long as I did. Attracting customers All businesses need customers to survive. Unless your startup is a charity organization, the only way to prove your idea is viable is by getting willing people to pay for it. In my case, like I stated earlier, it was an uphill battle despite knowing that I had something valuable to offer. If you are a retailer, attracting customers might be easier, depending on what you sell. But even at that, prospects usually don’t like to be the first to pay you! As a startup, what then can you do to gain traction and attract the type of customers you’ve always dreamt of? Give freely “Touch the heart before asking for a hand” – John Maxwell I never gave thought to this quote by John Maxwell but once I started Onpoint Success, it all made sense to me. As a startup, one of the fastest ways to gain traction and make people believe in your brand is by giving things out for free. Most prospects may not want to pay for something that has not been “tested and proven”. To help people minimize their risk and open up the barrier of entry, consider giving things out for free. That’s what I did at Onpoint Success and it worked. I consulted for free with those who were trying to grow their business. I shared my expertise with those who were willing to listen. I consistently did this anytime I had the opportunity. This, in turn, helped me gain credibility and trust which then led to my first transaction and many more after that. Make your business presentable People send me emails to say how impressed they are with the way I presented my business. It’s all about being intentional and paying attention to details others might overlook. Simple things like having a blog, a company email address, and even a business card communicates to others that you are ready for business. In a mall the other day, I just couldn’t resist stopping by a cupcake vendor stand even though I had no plans to buy. Oh, how good looking and attractive it was! The cakes were well arranged on the stand, the decor matched the icing on the cake and the samples were strategically placed at the edge of the table. Eventually, I made a purchase. I have learnt and always shared with others that first impression really does go a long way. Yes, you might be a startup but presenting your goods/services to the best of your ability is a great way to gain traction and attract customers. Target audience One of the struggles I had was defining my target audience. And even when I knew exactly who they were, I was too scared to limit myself to those group of people. This made me stretch my resources too thin. It was almost like maxing out trying to reach those who barely cared about what I had to offer. The result? Wasted effort! The truth is, the marketplace is a jungle. Running to every tree in the jungle or telling every tree in the jungle to come to you is not the fastest way to attract customers or build a successful enterprise. The best way to go about this, is by identifying and deciding the specific species of trees that NEED your services. There goes your magic formula. Build your business focusing on specific customers. Make effort satisfying the needs of these customers and watch them begin to flock to you. Technical know-how I believe every business owner should strive for excellence. As a business strategist, I committed myself to learning as much as I could. So, when I met with prospects, I created an impression. Also, it’s better
5 ways to keep your clients coming back to you
I love writing, writing my plans, thoughts and even notes to God. Interestingly, most times it leads to me asking Him questions and of course getting answers…some of which I’d like to share with you today. This is a world of similarities. Multiple businesses offering pretty much the same product or service. Several businesses all scrambling for the same consumers. Not surprising then that one of the major questions on the minds of business owners is, “How do I keep my clients coming back to me for repeat business?” Just how does one keep clients from falling for the seductive ‘lyrics’ of competitive businesses?’ So here we go *drumroll* here are useful tips to keep your clients hooked heart, body and soul to your product or service. Keep track of your clients; with your business purpose in mind Remember as an entrepreneur, your major objective is to provide solutions. This means you need to be truly concerned about the people who currently need your solution –whether they know they need it or not. Being concerned about your clients should naturally lead you to keeping track of them especially with regards to the purpose of your business. Sounds like plenty English to me right now…time to break it down. Say you run a hair salon, your business purpose is to keep your client’s hair always on fleek. To do this, you need to keep track of your clients to ensure that their hair-dos always represent. This could mean sending that special client reminders to swing by your salon for a new do… the last one you did for her two weeks ago should be getting old and rough. In the reminder, you can even suggest new styles she can try based on her preferences and shape of her face and send pictures to her. What this does is give your client the feeling that you care for her and how her hair looks. She is not only reminded of when to change her hair-do but with time, she’ll stop thinking about her hair because she knows you’ve got her covered! You’ll remind her when she needs to come by, you’ll share styles with her and you’ll do them well. I don’t know about you but for me, this is one sure tip to keeping your client from even thinking of patronizing competitive salons. Know your thing and let your customers see you as an expert Do you sometimes compare your business to others in the industry? Do you notice the gaps between where you are and where they are? Don’t worry, it’s normal. This should not deter you or make you feel incapable of keeping your clients. The important thing to focus on as you try to close the gap is that “one thing” that attracted your current clients to you in the first place. There is something you are very good at…something that you are a tested- and-proven expert of. I can hear you asking yourself already, “But how do I know this?” Okay, imagine one of your current clients is talking with a friend about your service. What would be the biggest wow about your business that would make her friend say, “Oh I want to try this lady?” If you can answer this, congrats! You’ve found what you are the expert of! For one example, Banke Meshida-Lawal of BM Pro is amazing with making her client’s eyes POP!! Make it a point of duty that everyone that meets you, leaves with the conviction that you know your stuff. More importantly, that they feel a connection with you! People like to be in safe hands that they trust. Even if they try other businesses, as long as your knowledge is deep and there is a connection, they’d soon realize it and come back to you. Be humble and honour your clients You humble yourself when you know and act like the client is boss. This way you always desire to deliver excellent service to the client always. Even when the client is upset and spitting out venom, you should seek first to understand before sharing your point of view…if you really must. Offer your product/service in the way your customer likes and would feel respected. For example, prompt response to emails from clients, calling clients back when you miss their calls, creating offerings that fit their needs and preferences or even simply saying thank you for payments. Always speak respectfully to your clients and also about your clients, especially when discussing them with your staff. This is important because how you refer to clients when speaking with staff impacts the way they will speak to them in future. So if you say, “This client can be annoying”, the next time the client calls, your staff unconsciously has less patience with them. This can ultimately lead to the loss of that client. Don’t become a financial burden When you offer excellent customer service and are passionate about your clients and their development with respect to our business purpose, you will most likely create new and deeper relationships with them. Some of which even grow into friendships….this is really a good thing. However, at all points you need to ensure financial respect is maintained between you and your clients. No matter the relationship, avoid situations that make your clients feel they are patronizing your service because they just have to help you. It can be emotionally tasking and with time, they will run! Never download all your business and/or personal problems to clients so they feel obligated to help out. Clients may also feel obliged to patronise you if have lent you money that you can’t pay back. Talk about a messy situation. Be consistent Knowing your stuff brings clients to you and makes them feel safe. Being humble, respectful and keeping track of your clients ensures your business is top of mind for them and guarantees repeat business. Ensuring financial respect exists ensures all parties remain friends over time.
Quick ways to create awareness for your brand
Owning a brand that is easily recognisable isn’t easy, at all. We can testify to that. That doesn’t mean making a strong brand is impossible though, with a few steps in the right direction, you could be on your way to brand heaven. Make good use of social media Hey, most social media tools are free you know. You might as well use them to your full advantage. Social media levels the playing field and also gives you a great opportunity to promote your business while increasing brand awareness. With the right approach you could be reaching millions of people across the world and turning some of them into clients. In Nigeria alone, 16 million people visit Facebook each month, you shouldn’t need more convincing when it comes to social media. Motherland Mogul tip: Start with a Facebook page for your business then a Twitter profile. Build them up by following conversations around industry-related topics and engaging with others. Offer prospective customers useful information that addresses their problems even if you don’t mention your brand. Remember that whatever social media channel you’re using, your message should be consistent and same tone. Press releases Sending press releases to newspapers and magazines are another way to raise brand awareness. Write compelling press releases that are up to journalistic and public relations standards. Your press releases can announce information relating to your business and/or products, or even just general events. Can’t think of any newspapers to send your releases to? Simple, upload them to your blog or website. If you can find other websites to carry your releases. Remember that interesting stories will generate publicity. Motherland Mogul tip: Consider other forms of advertising that may be unique to your country. For example, despite the huge numbers, most African still aren’t online. They are mobile though. Consider making use of SMS services to get your brand out there. Make use of established customers Coming up with campaigns targeted at gaining new leads is great, but while you’re looking for new customers you shouldn’t forget the ones that you have already. Brand awareness campaigns are a great way to keep your brand in customers’ minds and nurturing the relationships you have built already. If your customers constantly remember you, your business will remain relevant to them. Motherland Mogul tip: Need a campaign idea? Why not show your audience your business’s human side? Let your customers know your story. Show them who the person behind their beloved brand is. You can do this through your website or your blog through an “about us” page or personal updates that are relevant to your business. Stand out There are probably a thousand people offering the same kind of product or services you do. This is why you’ll need to stand out, what makes your brand different from others? Don’t ever be afraid to push the limits when defining your identity and looking for what makes you stand out. Consider alternative ways to uncovering the unique nature of your brand. Motherland Mogul tip: You can use customer testimonials to stand out from your competition. Here’s how. Ask yourself, what are your customer’s saying about your brand? Talk to them and use this to uncover your brand’s uniqueness. Videos are a great way to capture this, imagine your customers sharing what they enjoy about your products/services. You can also use this to build up your brand’s YouTube channel, go you! Make use of influencers Offering your most influential clients sweet deals is another way to create brand awareness. You can get customers to recommend friends and family, all through incentives. This is especially useful when these customers are very influential people. If you don’t have influencers in your networks, reach out to some. Influential people can be bloggers or other business owners in your industry. Motherland Mogul tip: You may have to consider offering freebies to your identified influencers. Yeah you’re dashing them things, but consider that well-connected people will very likely talk about your services to their followers. It’s a win-win. Partnerships When you’ve gone through the list of things you can do by yourself and are still lacking, it’s time to partner up. You can consider partnering with other brands to get your name in front of a new audience. With a partnership you’re tapping into your partner’s image and reputation, so you’ll have to be careful who you approach. Motherland Mogul tip: Another way to partner using social media is through guest blogging. This can create awareness for your brand when it is done with people who are popular in your industry. With brand awareness there is no shame in being everywhere in your niche. Just try not to get burned out.