The trigger…
Let me start this by sharing a bit of my journey to creating The Fabulous Woman Network brand using social media. About 6 years ago, I had been in corporate Ghana for 10 years. I loved strategizing and conducting training as the Learning and Development Manager for my company. However, after doing the same thing over and over with the same audience, I got bored and needed to do more. I knew there was more in me but did not know exactly what it was let alone how to start.
During a trip to Archbishop Porter Girls’ Secondary School, I met my former English mistress who was then the head mistress. She couldn’t recognise me (of course because I am finer now than I was then haha) until I mentioned my maiden name. She went ‘Aaah Ama Mbir! I remember you. You used to write so well. Do you still write?’ I said no. That statement rekindled something in me. I recalled how I used to love reading and writing. Why did I stop anyway? My excuse was I was growing up and having more responsibilities. Who was I kidding? I was yet to understand the fact that we make time to do what we are committed to.
How we built The Fabulous Woman Network…
So anyway, I decided to start writing again. The question was what to write about. I asked a friend if I should blog about fashion and her response was ‘seriously?’ haha! OK, obviously I wasn’t a fashion person. As I thought about what really inspired me, I knew it was women. Women who made things happen in spite of the past mistakes, negative experiences, challenges and fears.
I started by writing about my mother, she was the first woman I ever knew and loved. And so I wrote on what inspired me about her. I had asked my brother (and currently our Creative Director) to create a Facebook page called The Fabulous Woman. I really don’t know how I had the wisdom to create a page. To God be the glory! I also wrote about the friends I loved and respected, telling whoever would read, why I thought these friends were fabulous. My intention was to hone my writing skills so I could become an author.
Little did I know…
That was April 2015. Between then and now, we have:
- shared over 200 stories about women
- curated in-person business-related events for thousands of women in multiple cities
- created a co-working and event space for women in business in Kumasi and many more.
On the personal front, I have:
- spoken on multiple platforms in Ghana and other countries
- authored 3 books
- trained employees from multiple businesses
- coached new women in business through my Group Coaching For Startups
- participated in multiple conferences and fellowships around the world
3 key things we did…
I can go on and on about how this one brand we built using social media has been a blessing to me and many others (God is good indeed!) Instead, let me go on to share 3 of the key things we did to get to where we are. Before I get to it, let me just make it clear that you are a brand already and I am sure you know it. This blog post is about how to build the brand you already have using social media.
Create a page
Like I mentioned, the first step we took was to create a Facebook page. My clients ask all the time ‘Ama do I need a business page?’ Yes, you do even if you have a personal profile. Here is the thing, a business page will give you way more features than your own profile. For instance you get to see how your audience is engaging with your posts. You also have the ability to create ads and boost your posts. If you are in business, then these are key features you need.
One of my clients was not even on Facebook when she joined my Group Coaching For Startups. After discussing her goals, it was evident that she needed to open an account and then create a page. From 0 Facebook friends, she now has hundreds of followers who know about her brand. And she keeps building it.
Share relevant content consistently
In 2015, I was Ama Duncan – the Learning and Development Manager of an international 4-star hotel, a wife and mother. When I added on a new brand – The Fabulous Woman Network – I consistently showed up on social media with relevant content. I conducted multiple interviews with women and shared them consistently to the point where I was criticized. With time, it became my thing. I started creating events for women. That too, became my thing.
One of my clients had a Facebook page already but was at a place in her life where she was not motivated to show up consistently. By God’s grace, her energy fired up when she started working with me. Not only did she exceed her sales target in the period we worked together, she consistently gave her very best to the audience.
Showing up consistently to build your brand using social media reminds me of when I first cut my hair. Some people shared their opinion of how it did not suit me. A couple of years later, some of these same people defended me when another person said I should revert to my long hair. You see, by then the short hair had become my thing – my brand. Dear reader, if you want to be known as something, show up consistently as that thing
Nurture your audience
Truly, I didn’t know what I was doing then. OK confession, sometimes I still don’t know what I am doing until I do it (I heard this quote somewhere and knew it was said for me haha). Although I didn’t know what I was doing, it got me results. So what were these? Nurturing my audience. I did the best I could to respond to their comments and messages as well as asked them what they wanted. I also used every opportunity I had to educate them about our brand. And why wouldn’t I? I was obscure. My products and services were obscure to the many people who now know of us. I still make time to do these because I know its value to our business.
How I help others and can help you as well
These and many more are the exact things I encourage my coaching clients to do when they want to build their brands using social media. One of my clients had a burning desire to educate the youth and help them find their purpose. Her biggest challenge was that she was nervous about doing Facebook Live videos. By God’s grace, she has gotten over this and now has her own show on Facebook. She shows up consistently. She is impacting lives one at a time while doing what she loves. Another client didn’t even know which business to pursue, now she is already making sales through social media. This lady created a page and is gradually nurturing her audience.
What I am implying is this, it is soooo possible to build a reputable brand using social media. Not only have I done it, I have testimonials to prove it. If you are new in business and need to build your brand using social media, I am the Business Coach you’ve been praying for. Check out my Group Coaching For Startups and let’s get you fired up. By God’s grace, you too will achieve the business goals you have set for yourself. Until then, keep on being fabulous!
Ama xx
Watch the Mind Your Business video here
