How To Harness The Power of Community For Organic Growth on Social Media With Chanelle from The Social Twenty

Where many spend years in search of their passion in life, Chanelle was just 19 years old when she discovered hers. It was during the first year of her Media and Communications degree, majoring in public relations and social media, that she came to discover the role of social media manager. 

With an insatiable curiosity to understand the landscape of social media management, Chanelle started an Instagram page that allowed her to put into practice the knowledge and skills gained from her studies. 

A passion project of sorts, it may have been just for fun but in taking the leap onto Instagram, Chanelle kickstarted her own business, The Social Twenty. “I was just doing my own thing, posting really consistently, and that’s what grew my page and led me to my first client,” says Chanelle.“From there, I was able to gather results and build a portfolio.”

But while skills like curating a memorable visual aesthetic may have been somewhat new to Chanelle, she admits that the creative demands of the job have always been important to her. Having grown up with music and singing, video editing came naturally to this founder, who knew the importance of timing and beats. “That’s a huge reason why I wanted to start it; I feel so passionate about creating content and video editing,” she says.

Strategic Social Media Marketing

Chanelle branded her business at 20 – hence the name ‘The Social Twenty’. Since its inception, the agency has worked with small business owners, particularly women in the beauty and lifestyle industry, and larger businesses around the world. With her social media management packages, Channelle creates and shoots content, plans content calendars, creates captions and hashtags, and ensures her clients show up consistently online. 

“I feel like a lot of people don’t know how to leverage social media to its full potential. I’m passionate about making it fun because social media marketing can be really overwhelming for business owners looking to grow their brand,” Chanelle explains.

Though Chanelle admits her job can entail everything from shooting Reels to scheduling and reporting, central to her ethos is ‘The Three C’s’: creative, community-driven, and consistent content.

In tapping into the power of community across social media, she’s found great success for brands. “Social media gives businesses a platform to connect with their audience on a deeper level to provide quicker customer service and to be actively engaging with their audience and their existing community, strengthening their relationships and building loyal customers to get them coming back,” she says.

“I think the community on social media allows you to reach so many more people through content than if you were to go door to door or just in-store. That’s what makes it so important to be consistent, prioritize your community on there, and build deeper relationships.”

This mindset is evident in The Social Twenty, which gives businesses an opportunity to stand out from their competitors by actively replying to comments, direct messages, and questions posted online. “All of that really helps, again, to build connections and to build a reliable, credible, legitimate brand online,” says Chanelle.

Expert Tips To Growing Organically

Looking to use community building to grow your brand online? Here, Chanelle shares her top tips.

1. Interact with your existing audience: “It’s a social media platform, so the more that you’re interacting, the more that you’re building connections and relationships, the more likely you are to get new people on your page,” says Chanelle. She suggests commenting on other people’s posts to get them exposed to your brand which may in turn see them click on your profile.
2. Show up consistently on Instagram Stories: “It’s all about building more of a personal connection and showing more of the raw, unfiltered side of the business. Show behind-the-scenes or packing videos or share a personal story. Honing in on that storytelling content through Stories is such a great way to build community and to humanize your brand.”
3. Be authentic on Instagram Reels: “One of my clients is a travel content creator and we’ve started to create more relatable face-to-camera, laid-back content. Compared to her other reels, which get an average of around 5,000 to 10,000 views, the face-to-camera content has surpassed 40,000 views. The engagement on that Reel has been insane.”

Ultimately, success in social media management is all about showing up consistently, which is why Chanelle loves the resources and guidance provided on Plann’s blog. Here, you’ll find information on how to get the most out of your Instagram Stories, how to boost audience engagement with Reels, and other helpful tips.

Since taking The Social Twenty full-time in April 2023, the company has hired its first intern and is on track for big things this year. “Having someone else to just bounce ideas off and get a new perspective and fresh mindset on content is really exciting,” says Chanelle. It comes as she’s just launched one-on-one coaching sessions and looks to build her skillset as a coach, which she hopes to be able to bring to The Social Twenty.

As a member of Plann Crew – a community of industry leaders and professionals who use Plann and want to grow their business through the power of partnership – Chanelle will be sharing more tips and educational advice for growing your business in future blogs and content.

Want to join the community and grow your brand with social media marketing and collaboration? Be sure to apply to be a member of the Plann Crew!