Hi, everyone, welcome to the beer selfie summit. We're talking about personal branding for fashion printers. And the topic is all on how being yourself is the the best way to stand out in a saturated market. And I'm super excited today to have the social brand school babes. Julie cubasis and Samantha Lewis. Hey, girls.

They're right in the middle of a launch. So I'm going to do a quick q&a with them. I'm super excited to have them but ladies, would you just tell us a little bit about social brand school and just give us a little background on you guys? Yeah, sure. My name is Samantha. Julie and I went to the University of Miami and we met shortly after college and Got into marketing gotten opened up our agency in 2014, we started hosting live workshops that was training entrepreneurs on how to effectively market their business on social media, towards Instagram on we had a lot of people take our live workshops over a couple of years and then we decided to take this online so it could reach more people get more benefit out a lot more value to the market.

And a lot of those startup entrepreneurs that know that they have an idea know that they may even have a business might even be in the first few years of their business and really want to learn how to take social media take Instagram and turn that into their you know, their main source of seeing sales, connecting with their ideal customers and really having a brand that they're proud of and tying that all together and creating a basically an account that's monetized that's what basically we recreated and everything, and that's what we're launching again to everybody now. Yeah. And the idea that came up for social brand school was that, you know, in those workshops, people needed a lot more support, longer term. So instead of doing a one day workshop where you kind of get all the information really fast, we decided to create kind of more of a community aspect where we have a private Facebook group and we create to walk you through a process that's very step by step.

So that seemed to be a lot more digestible. As you have questions, we can answer your questions. And if you need feedback, or if you want to post your mood board or you want to post something about your message that you're writing a certain day, you can post it up and everybody can kind of participate in supporting you and your success. So we loved about social brand school so far. That's awesome. Um, I just want to say that I took your guys's Instagram ecourse build a brand new love and a business that loves you back You guys were totally instrumental in my, in launching my site and my Instagram and the connection between the two and visually like building a content strategy because before I did it, I thought, oh, I've got a good handle on like, my audience and my aesthetic and but it's so much more than that.

And so these ladies like really know what they're talking about it's they're totally I consider them like marketing gurus for for now I mean for the you know, the current millennial girls out there because it's just a different game. And you just there's so many elements involved in it, and the one on one that you guys provide. I think that was like what sold me I was like, Okay, I get to talk to them a real person. Yes, yeah, that was one of the core things that we wanted to, you know, one of our core intentions was to provide people to actually have access to the course leaders to Julie and I were, you know, there's a lot of people that think, you know, I have my logo, so I have my brand or you know, you know, I know my tagline or something. So I know my brand, but there's so much more that goes into that, especially on Instagram.

It's all about, you know, really that connection that leads to the conversion. So there's a lot more that goes into it than I think people at first think or even, you know, other courses out there or something like that. That's really you know, what we did is we took like a whole branding component of things and then a whole marketing on it, and then social media and blended it all together in one course. So it's been really cool to see the results that people are getting their people going from not really knowing what their brand is or thinking they know and then as a results going through social brand school and then getting a lot of clarity on what they are who they're gonna connect with as a result of that seen sales comments, that's been really awesome for us to witness as well. Yeah, it's totally exciting.

I mean, for me, it's been exciting. It's definitely been, you know, I'm growing as I'm, as I go along and figuring things out as well. But you guys have, like set up the framework for me, which is, I mean, awesome because I'm all I'm a creative person and very visual, but then trying to connect. Like, who I am with my customer is, is the challenge and I think that that's what kind of brought this whole summit about about how being yourself really is one of the keys to connecting with your customer because when you are yourself and you love what you do, it kind of translates in You're being authentic and that you're, you're wanting to really help someone out. And that is what prompted for me to do this summit. And I think that you guys got the, the, the you go into like, first you dive into like how to connect or how to find your ideal customer, which is amazing because it's so much more than just guesstimating it's about actually talking to people and connecting with people.

So that, like that first element was so important. But could you guys just speak a little bit to about like, you know, you talked about designing the content strategy, having the magnetic brand and offline networking to those three elements, like how you do all those things and be yourself because I really think that's the only way you can stand out in this market. Yeah, I wanted to touch on that to what you said earlier earlier is that I think it was the early 2000s. When Time Magazine, the person of the year was YouTube, like, the brand new and this is the era of marketing, where it's all about being more personal like it's all about the personal brand. Especially whenever someone one on one is working with you, and you are, what they're buying, ultimately, your services, your expertise, your inspiration, your creativity. So the brand is really you.

And I think the first mistake that I see a lot of entrepreneurs making is when they really do have a personal element to their brand, trying to create separation where the brand is this umbrella, kind of face and they're behind the scenes working. And even if you wanted to create a brand that didn't necessarily have to have your name associated with it, you should be highlighting yourself heavily in your marketing materials as the face one of the faces of the front so that people can get to know you. So I think step one is really to become aware of what your strengths are, and what your unique creative AI is, or your what your, you know, brand elements are in terms of what your experiences, what your unique philosophy is, and then how do you work differently than other people. You bring a unique aspect to whatever it is that you do, if it's styling, how, what's your unique perspective, and it could be something as simple as, instead of starting with the top, I start with the pants, or I always build an outfit around a great shoe or something like that.

It doesn't have to be, you know, something crazy and totally off the wall. But those little tweaks are what makes you really unique. So I think that's the first step to personal branding. Definitely, I totally agree about being unique and also it's about like doing what you know I mean, for me, it kind of came down to that too. It's like, Okay, um, you know, my backgrounds in styling, so it just made sense that I would want to share that with other fashion printers but you really have to. But you're right you don't, it is a fine line between, like, trying to do something crazy so that you stand out and trying to be yourself and say stand out and also can also satisfying your customer like, figuring out like, where that I call it the sweet spot because it's like where all that meets and for me at first I was like really trying to figure my customer out and my audience and I couldn't figure out like, why I wasn't happy with like, the color things and anything about it.

I wasn't excited about it. And then I had an aha moment. I was like, okay, really love this dress and I'm like, Oh my god, this is why, because I'm trying to be something else with. I'm trying to fit a color thing that works with my audience, but it doesn't work with me. And so one of the things that we always tell people when you're first starting out, or even if you're been in business for a long time, but you're relooking, or revisiting your brand, is when you're exploring Who is your ideal customer start wondering, who are you passionate to work with? And a question that, you know, why are you passionate to work with that person?

What does that person represent to you? What made you know, if you've worked with somebody that you had a really, really great experience? And so today, then what was it about that experience that you liked? And that's a good place to start to start looking at who's your real ideal customer and who are you just trying to think is your ideal customer so you can make Bach or something you know, right. Passionate about working with and then work from there. And you can, you know, create your brand around that person because that's what you actually love.

And that's how you keep that authenticity, now you're searching for people on Instagram that are reflection of what your brand already represents, you know, so and if, if you are, you know, very eclectic with your style, but then you're looking for a client that was very editorial or something like that, you know, it might you might be able to style somebody editorial or you know, very modern or something, but your passion is to work with something that's quirky, and, you know, stuff like lots of colors and stuff like that. So it's like, go with what's real to you and who you actually want to work with. And it's a lot easier that way to find your clients too, because now you're just looking for people that you genuinely connect with and I think a lot of people online and on social media, they all say this in our live workshops and all our training is like you if you're going to be successful online and on, you know, on the internet on social media, you can't take out the genuine factor, you know, you always have to be genuine, you always have to actually make a real connection and said of all the bots out there and like, if you spend 15 minutes really genuinely focusing on making a real connection that's going to over exceed way more than a bot liking a whole bunch of photos in an hour.

So we always go with a more organic approach because it comes back to you a lot more. Totally up, you know, so crazy because I didn't realize that until I started doing my account because I've been about a month into it. But once I started engaging, I was like, Oh my god, this is weird. I didn't think it was it was going to like you can see the like the The actual connection between people and like these are on the other side of that you forget that until you're actually in it. And then when I do see like, bots now and comments that I'm like, Oh my God, that's such a response. I can, I noticed it right away.

But that key factor of engagement has been, I think, for me a tipping point because once I started doing that, and like actively commenting on accounts, and doing it organically, like how you guys teach that because I did consider for a time I was like, should I do software where you know, where they like, likes and stuff like that, but it didn't make sense because the whole point is that I want to connect with my audience and just back to the topic on like, doing what you are passionate about, and not I'm not something else and I actually think that really speaks to like styling as well because I think a lot of aspiring stylists or people that are wanting to get into fashion are trying to connect with like a broad audience and I usually just say just do what comes naturally to you like what kind of styling you like because you're going to end up communicating your work is going to communicate your style and if you're fighting it, it's your your clients not going to connect with you know with Yeah, your identity.

But um, but anyhow in back to engagement because I know you're you're this new launch, it's a it's about monetizing your gram and engagement and turning followers into buyers which so is this is this in addition to like the course A course that I took or is this something new. This is kind of like the next semester. So the group with everybody else and we'll just continue to add additional value or master classes. We added recently I want one on the basics of great website design. So we're going to continue adding and building but it's still the same school and the same group of people. Oh, cool about it, Arlene.

And once you have access to once you are registered for social brand school, you have access for life. So somebody like you, you'll have access to all the new, you know, trainings modules that we continue to add, and, you know, pack in there so you'll always have access anybody new coming on would have access for, you know, life as well. So it's really good. You'll be able to see all the new updates and stuff just Yeah, yeah. And back to the other thing you were talking about about your style, versus someone else's, just to Another point on that is, there's as you grow, it's kind of like you have two options. One is like, I created this unique style, like anything of Oscar de la Renta, or, you know, any any big brand style that you see out there, there's this particular style to it, right?

Oh, very easily identifiable. So that's the same exact thing with a brand a brand, the whole purpose of a brand is so that someone can identify the company and differentiate it from others on the market. So I think that the best strategy is to create something that's very inspired by you. These designers, they keep an eye on the market, right? Right. On Okay, what's, you know, heels are or pencil skirts or crop tops, or some different thing that they might intuitively know is going to be the next big thing but they're always marching to their own beat and making those things like unique to themselves.

So I just wanted to share that because I think it's, it's absolutely critical to create an iconic style that's unique to you rather than trying to copy the trends or, you know, just put something out because you think it's going to sell. Definitely, I think that that's hitting the nail on the head because that's the whole thing about the beer selfie summit is about having an inspired your own inspired smile, because when you try to copy, there's so much of the you know, there's so much out there that's like everybody's copying everybody in it. Nothing ends up standing out. And for me, too, I was trying to fit in. And even after I've been doing this for so long, I'm like, What am I doing? Why am I trying to fit in again, I need to just do who I am because I'm quickly a quick story.

But I remember when I had I owned an online boutique and I would go out to Vegas and I would go to magic and all The different trade shows, and they went to one of the shows out there. And I remember everybody walking around and everybody was so almost like, looked the same, you know, like had such unique crazy hair and all this stuff and everybody was trying so hard to be unique that everybody looks the same, if that makes sense. Don't get me scary, too, because there's like a fine line between going too far. And you're right. Everybody could be out there doing I mean, not everybody, stop everybody style. But that's, that's hilarious because you usually think the opposite.

That it's gonna be like a generic audience. And when you get a whole bunch of industry together, everybody's creative that you're just seeing so many different expressions that it's like Yeah, I mean normal as relative, right, like, normal, like different for everybody. But I mean, you guys, this has been amazing. You guys have shared some awesome tips and you guys continue to like, be amazing. And this launch is exciting and I can't wait to check out the new updates but I highly suggest joining their courses that are like so. The content is amazing.

You guys are marketing gurus. It's not just about basics. There's so many basic Instagram courses out there and yours blew me away. So I'm happy to say that whoever is out there listening to this and the summit that they should take advantage and really like join one of your courses because I think it's been I don't think I know it's been interesting. In my in my growth so far, you know my new my new growth but if you guys want to add anything I know you're super busy so I'm just going to end the session with thanking you so much and if you have any last bit of advice or tips for a newbie starting out feel free sure I'll give one tip real quick is on a lot of times I talk to people and they get stuck in that on you know like just just start I guess is my advice you know just get on Instagram get start engaging when when we say engaging we give so many tips and tricks and different techniques inside social brand school but one right now we mentioned was, you know be genuine so how do you do that?

Just get on somebody's profile, just start making a connection. comment underneath Hey, where did you find this? Where do you live where you know, where are you from? Just start anything, even if you're not clear on what your brand is yet, just start getting on the platform, get familiar with how it works. And you're going to start to see working as you start to comment with people. So just keep that genuine, you know, factor going and just start, the biggest thing is, you know, post and, and just start getting, getting yourself out there, even if even if not everybody in the world is seeing right away, just start posting, and then you can start to learn technique as you go.

Yeah, I would say that that's absolutely true. Like the path is only clear as you take the next step. So whatever you seek is seeking you. And if this is this career and style is what you want. Go for it with your whole heart and be yourself as a sense, as the summit says, you know, really be yourself as you're going through as much as you can. But believe in yourself that you have what it takes to get it done.

Because you can see, you know, Arlene, you're a great example you believed you could do it and you took the tools And you ran with it. And your Instagram is incredibly unique and inspiring and you're blossoming. So it all starts with that belief. If you believe you can, you can. And you'll Samantha said, so eloquently, just start taking the steps and you will, you'll build your business. Awesome.

That's awesome advice. Ladies, you guys are the best girl bosses. And it's true like other girl bosses want to help you. So thank you for all those amazing tips. And you know, we should mention where where do you where should they go, if they're looking for your social brand school is that you want to give your URL URL really quickly or this will be out in January? Yeah, sure.

So you can go to social brand school.com. And you can find all the information on there about our course and you know, how we can, you know, work together in the course and stuff like that and you'll see the different options there. But it's social brands. school.com Yeah, and the contact form right there on the website. Yep. Perfect.

Thank you so much, ladies. It's been amazing and good luck with the rest of your lunch. Okay, thank you so much. Good one. Bye now. Hi