All the Fun Moments & Photos from Jennifer of BN Beauty’s Panel Discussion at the 2015 Beauty Africa Exhibition!

Hello BN Beauty Belles! Jennifer here, and I can’t wait to give you the lo-down on my day at the Beauty Africa Exhibition & Conference 2015 panel which took place last week on Thursday 8th October 2015.

The 2nd edition of the conference came to a close at the Eko Convention Centre, after 3 days of networking, live demonstrations, panel discussions, shopping and showcases from members of the African beauty industry. From the best in makeup from all over Africa to our local experts, those 3 days were a combination of talent, expertise, fun and lasting memories.

Day 2 was especially great as that was the day I sat with 5 other amazing women to shed some light on “How to Build & Sustain Your brand with Social Media”. I had the opportunity to share the stage with Ezinne Alfa of Beauty In Lagos & The BiL Directory who moderated the panel, Nibi Lawson of The Kinky Apothecary, Daboju Dagogo of the Savvy & Chic Hair & Beauty Hub, Stella Maris of Stella’s Addiction and Lola Maja-Okojevoh of My Sacred Beauty.

Prior to the star of the panel, I must admit I was a bit uneasy. It was not my first time speaking in front of a live audience, but after noting that makeup pros like Banke Meshida-Lawal of BM Pro and Bimpe Onakoya of Maybelline New York Nigeria were in the audience, the pressure was definitely on. But there’s nothing like sharing inside jokes with the bubbly Lola and having fun & witty back and forth jabs with Stella. They put me right at ease.

From how to open an Instagram page, to social media etiquette, we covered it all. By the way, if you’re wondering what form of social media is best when it comes to promoting your beauty business, it is Instagram. It is image based, allows you share your work with others and can be a great way to get quick clients and give prompt replies to potential clients.

Here are 10 points we shared with the audience just in case you missed it;
1. There is nothing like a short path to getting followers on social media. You need to put in the work to get the results. Ensure you post great content that will get people talking and even re-posting your work, and you’re already on a great path.

2.  If you aren’t great with writing, and find it difficult to post content on a blog, then say it instead. According to Lola Maja-Okojevoh, it is best you create a Youtube page and start recording videos. This gives you a great way to show off your skills, shows authenticity in your work as people watch you create, and can also be a great opportunity to show off products you may sell.

3. The best time to post on social media is in the mornings. At this time your audience wants to know what they missed while sleeping, and are using it to kill time while starting their day.

4. If you have an American-based audience or have followers in a different time zone, post when they are just waking up. This way you don’t miss your niche audience.

5. Photoshop apps are great for giving a perfect finish to your photos; because let’s face it, the world of social media wants that perfection it complains about. But it is important not to over do it. Don’t look Nigerian in your ‘before’ photo, and then Chinese in the ‘after’ shot. Do everything in moderation.

6. There are really no rules to the number posts you can have. As long as you are not posting them all at once, and are not overwhelming your audience, then you’re in a good place.

7. You don’t need to have professional camera to be in the business. Start off with a smart phone that has good quality and make sure there is consistency in your work. As long as you have great work, the clients will come.

8. Having a separate personal account from your business account is up to you. Some people may like to put a face to the name, and feel more invested if they know your dog’s name. However, exposing your personal account might also make you vulnerable to judgmental eyes and that may affect your business. Whatever you decide, be sure it is what you want and it works for your brand.

9. Having a social media team is another personal decision. According to Lola,  it makes things easier for her as a working mom. If you can handle it, by all means do it. But if not, share the work load so you can be more effective in other roles.

10. The sky is big enough for all of us. Do not claim the work of others, instead help promote it. As Stella Maris says, don’t crop the watermark of the original owner, instead give credit by stating it in the comments section. And if you don’t know how the owner is, state it. Someone, who does, will tag them and you can then give proper credit.

After the interactive panel we had so many questions from aspiring makeup artists and beauty professionals. It was such a great reaction from the crown. And of course, you know we had to take selfies with every everyone.

After my panel, and answering more questions downstairs, I finally had the chance to meet up with other beauty experts and check out the other stalls. I even got to take a picture with Agbani Darego at the Hairfinity stand. She’s so tall and even more beautiful in person. #WCW!

If you missed out on this edition, I can’t say you did not miss out on all the fun, excitement and learning we had. It was a pleasure to be part of the amazing panel and I can’t wait to be part of next year’s edition. It’s not too early to mark your calendars!

________________________________________________________________________________
BellaNaija is a Media Partner with the Beauty Africa Exhibition & Conference 2015