Defining My Natural Hair Blogger Brand
It takes time to learn anything worth learning, and building a blogging brand is no exception. In this post, I share how I narrowed my focus and found my target audience that would help to build my brand.
I became a Natural Hair blogger almost by accident. It really wasn't my intention to blog per se, but I had a deep desire to educate people about natural hair care, and I eventually figured that the only way I could do was to...start a blog.
With VERY limited Grenadian natural hair bloggers, my inspiration basically came from North American blogging brands. I gained quite a bit of knowledge over a few months about blogging, branding, Instragram-ing, YouTube-ing and much more. It became a bit overwhelming at one point because I was not at an advanced stage in my blogging life, and so my gains were not substantial.
After a bit too much comparing myself with others and what THEY were achieving as opposed to what I was achieving, I made the decision to withdraw from almost all of my Facebook advice communities (groups), and focus on my personal vision for my brand.
What it taught me:
Almost immediately, I saw what I wasn't seeing all the time - I saw the reality of my situation. My blog was a learning tool for Grenadians, and my target audience was located mostly in Grenada. As simple as it sounds, I had not taken the time to examine MY blogging world as opposed to the blogging world that I looked at on social media. All I knew was essentially foreign-based, even if it was from the Caribbean.
If I wanted to make an impact in the Grenadian natural hair care sector, I would have to learn about MY home market, not the American or Caribbean market (at least not to start off). I had not even researched social media to find out about any Grenadian bloggers because, again, I had placed myself (too early) in foreign-based groups.
In creating a new product, you need to choose carefully what you expose yourself to in the early stages of development. You need to gain advice and tips about building a strong brand - of course! - but accumulate that advice in stages. If you are just starting out, i can be intimidating to watch more accomplished individuals who have already made great strides.
That's why I had to walk away (well 'unjoin') from the majority of groups I had entered. But, as I said - that was the best decision I made.
I began to ask myself the important questions that every blogger should ask themselves:
(a) Who is my target audience?
(b) Where is that audience located?
(c) What are the hashtags that will connect me to my audience?
(d) Which other Grenadian bloggers can I collaborate with, or emulate?
Hashtags:
Guided by these focused questions, I earnestly sought out and was successful in identifying relevant Instagram hashtags, and I have discovered a few Grenadian bloggers and even a couple of vloggers! I was even pleasantly surprised one day by an Instagram comment from a fellow Grenadian blogger who shared how good it was to find a Grenadian blogger. Awww!
Blogging is relatively new in the natural hair care industry in Grenada, so basically, there were very few hashtags that I came across. I came across #grenadianblogger, #spicynaturals and #grenadiannaturals. Caribbean-wide, I found #caribbeanyoutuber and #caribbeangirlswhoblog.
Strategically, I had to create a few of my own hashtags to create that Instagram space for my island's growing natural hair community.
Pacing:
There are hundreds of social media platforms being used everyday, but there was no way I was going to engage in all of them. I had to consider several things:
a. Appeal - did I LIKE all of the platforms? As a blogger, you are still a person with likes and dislikes. If you are happy using a particular social media site, chances are you will not be as engaging as you could be with your followers.
b. Mastery - did I know HOW to use these platforms? I am familiar with a few sites, and I am still learning how to maximise their full capability to enhance my brand. I will not take on another site unless I was comfortable in its use.
c. Time - did I have the TIME to dedicate to maintaining an online presence on all of these sites?
d. My Audience - which sites are my audience using to communicate with me? Why would I go onto a new platform and have no one there interested in my content?
Narrow my focus:
Another strategic decision I made was to narrow the focus of my posts. As a natural hair blogger, there are several aspects of hair that I can talk about. I have chosen to focus on using all-natural products and simple hairstyles.
I do have a ways to go in building my blogger brand. It takes finances, collaborations, opportunities, equipment and time, to name a few things. I do intend, however, to continue sharpening my skills to produce quality product for a quality audience.
WORK AT YOUR PACE. DO NOT OVER-EXERT YOURSELF CATCHING UP TO THE KARDASHIANS.
Until my next post,
