BLUE MEDIA EDIT

Project Review: Muppie Lounge

When I first had the idea to give social media coaching a try, I knew I needed a ‘test case’, so when a friend of mine mentioned that she was going to start her own clothing line I approached her to find out what her plans were with regards to the social media marketing of her new brand.

She didn’t have a plan.

I saw the opportunity for us to help each other and so I offered to be her social media coach in the run up to the launch of her new woman’s wear clothing brand.

Over the course of the month prior to the launch date, we worked together on all aspects of the social media marketing of her product, from the Facebook and Instagram strategies, to the photography consultation and everything in between.

Language Skills

Marishka’s first language is Afrikaans. I have never managed to get my tongue around the Afrikaans language, and something I find with a lot of Afrikaans speaking people is that they are often hesitant and even embarrassed to speak English to someone whose first language is English. They often apologise to me for their English and my response will always be the same: “Your English is far better than my Afrikaans, please do not apologise to me?”

With that said, the Afrikaans language is very different to English, direct translation is virtually impossible. Most of the time you find that the words of a sentence are swapped around when someone tries a direct translation.

In the case of Muppie Lounge, Marishka has very clear ideas of what she wanted to say, and the message she wanted to convey, her problem came with saying it correctly in English to make it easy for her audience to understand the exact message she wanted to convey.

More about Muppie Lounge the Idea

The attention to detail of the products and packaging is part of the whole ethos of Muppie Lounge and it is exquisite. Marishka has come up with a little saying she for each of her different products, these saying are as much a part of the product as the product itself. You will be able to feel the personal touch she puts into every single order.

In order to get the sayings and words she wanted to use just right, she got into the habit of sending them to me in advance, I would then edit them for her and then send them back. It’s these sayings and descriptions that she has used across Instagram, Shopify and Facebook to explain what each product is all about. Below is some screenshots of what exactly how it worked.

Instagram Coaching

When it came to the Instagram strategy we employed, Marishka got into the habit of sending me her intended caption before she would post her pictures, I would then edit it and send it back and she would post it.

Eventually, she gained the confidence to do this herself without asking me. This confidence in herself, and knowing that she did not need me every single time was such a great milestone for both of us. It meant that my coaching of her had worked. It meant that she was ready!

Hashtag identification was also necessary.

We needed to identify the hashtags that were most suited to her product, her brand, her ideas and her intended market. I explained the use of hashtags to her and then showed her how to use them when to use them and most importantly with Instagram in particular, how to engage with her followers.

Thanks to the strategy we employed and her fantastic products, she managed to grow her Instagram following from 100 followers to 425 followers in the space of ten days! This was a great achievement and proof that it is possible to grow your following organically if you use the right methods and have a great product.

Growing Her Social Media Followers

Since then her social media following has continued to grow, and at the time of writing this post she now has 525 followers on Instagram alone.

Of course, there is more to social media than just Instagram but in this case Instagram is one of the best visual tools to use for social media marketing for Muppie Lounge. We have also worked on her Facebook page and her Twitter ‘game’ too and I’m excited to see that she has also started the Muppie Lounge Blog to run in conjunction with her online store. This lady is destined for great things!

Coaching Results

Through the skills I have equipped Marishka with, the advice and guidance I provided her with and the fact that her products are awesome, her brand is growing and she is making regular sales. I am so proud of her and I am pleased that she is a happy customer.

Brand Empowerment

When it comes to creative people and their products, I fundamentally believe in the brand owner maintaining full creative control over their product, image and ultimately their voice. By teaching them the tools they need to employ in order to market their product across the various social media networks, it thereby empowers them with knowledge and skills. Once the skills have been taught they are able to use this knowledge in all aspects of their online social media marketing, and are then able to roll it over into their personal online presence or any other future entrepreneurial ventures they might have going forward.

If you are interested in working with me as your personal social media coach, please do get in touch. You can email me at info@bluemediaedit.com