Let’s hear it Noelle!

Share with us the story behind your brand and what inspired you to start your influencer journey? Why?

My brand emerged after I was crowned Miss Ga Teen USA 2014.

My life immediately changed. All I could think about was how to be myself while becoming a better version; one that would make me proud. Additionally, having a national platform and being told to use it to my advantage, meant that I would be held to a higher standard than my peers.

At age seventeen, my name became a brand, and I realized that anything I did could affect or grow my brand. I always knew there was something special about me, people would say it was an aura that was always positive and made people want to be around me.

I always thought because I was interested in learning about people, that they were just as interested in me.

What do you want your audience to receive?

My goal is for my audience to stay true to themselves and receive genuine content from me. I encourage people all the time to follow their dreams and to find their purpose in life. I do believe by accomplishing that, it will bring real-life happiness. I hope my posts are able to help anyone who sees them, in any way. I am a relatable person. I want my social media audience to be able to see who I am through my personality, work-life, living my
best life, and daily motivations. I enjoy informing others about what’s going on in the world and providing new information that can be useful to them.

How do you believe your influence makes an impact on your audience?

People follow people because they are interested in them, from personality to entertaining content, fashion/beauty inspiration, daily motivation, etc.

My influence makes an impact on my audience because it is authentic. My content is informative because I encourage people to follow their dreams and discover who they are, despite any obstacles they might encounter.

Everything that I’m doing now is because I had a dream and followed it. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m out here doing what I love to do.

People can see how I’ve used Instagram to my advantage and built a platform off of it, that’s allowing me to live out my dreams and make money.

What attracts your audience to your platform?

I’m an energetic and genuine person that has an outgoing personality to match.

My audience can see that I’m not just a pretty face and that I’ve built a brand for myself by being myself. I am also very organized with the content I post; you are able to see photos from my work and personal life.

My page shows work from ad campaigns, makeup looks I’ve done, various hairstyles I like to try. I use song lyrics and cute phrases as captions that appeal to my audience.

I always create my own catchy hashtags that are unique to me and the photos I post, that make it easier for others to reach me. My IG stories allow you to see what I’m doing throughout the day, behind the scenes and what it’s like to be around me. I tell my audience that I will become a talk show host, and they witness me working towards that goal daily. People often stereotype me before meeting me based on my appearance and the misconceptions about the stereotypical pretty woman.

What do you believe is the number one key to building and maintaining an audience?

Consistency. Consistency is important because it creates a routine and builds momentum, engagement, and presence with your audience. People follow others because of their brand, and being consistent allows an audience to engage with you through content. Consistency in the way you communicate online can allow people to recognize your voice in the same way you recognize your friend’s voice.

Why do you think social media is important to incorporate into a market strategy for influencers and brands?

Social media is important to incorporate into marketing strategies for brands because everybody is on social media. Influencers like myself have gained a certain amount of respect and authority because we produce engaging content to our intended audiences. Our audiences trust our words, we are able to persuade our followers to purchase products and services from the brands we promote. Hiring social media personalities to create a mutualistic relationship by helping bring exposure to each other’s brands.

What social platform holds your biggest audience? (IG, Twitter, Facebook, Blog, etc.) Why?

Instagram. I love Instagram because it allows my audience to see what I am doing daily from IG stories and its attention on photos provides a sense of closeness to my audience. Instagram is the ultimate one-stop-shop, it features IG stories that last 24 hours, IGTV which allows you to post videos longer than a minute, and all the filters and photo edits that allow you to tweak your pictures to your liking. Instagram makes it easy for people to learn what I like, influence people from around the world, and partner with companies to market my brand which can increase their sales. Instagram boosted my brand the most, it gave me a platform to reach a larger audience and expand my brand.

Have you been able to monetize your brand this year either through your social media account or another business model? Explain.

Yes! By properly marketing my brand, I’ve made money from posting about other brand products, hosting speaking engagements, being invited to travel to conventions/conferences, and being a brand ambassador for fashion/beauty brands.

What are the strategies you’ve used to improve your this year?

Being more authentic through my content and engaging more with my audience. It’s easy to get caught up in not responding back to all my comments; however, I do my best to acknowledge my audience’s comments, showing that I noticed them and saw the kind compliments they commented.

What are the strategies you’ve used to improve your this year?

To be more interactive with my followers, to show what I am doing throughout the day, and to be more consistent with posting content.

How do you plan out the content for your brand’s social media account?

I try to post my content based on when most of my followers are active on social media. I look at my insights and track the audience that I target along with the most popular times they log onto their accounts. For example, I post content between the time frames that are suggested for me.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be an influencer?

The three steps you need to be successful, first understand who your intended audience is. Second, brand recognition is needed to build a loyal audience and following on social media. Third, consistency is key in social media