EP 7: How can a Brand be Memorable Online? – TOP 3 BRAND ADVICE W/ TIFFANY CHEUNG (+ INTERESTING INSTA-TIP)
From a Social Media Business Coach’s perspective
- Listen in on Tiffany Cheung’s TOP 3 pieces of advice on Branding and Business. Tiffany Cheung is a Social Media Business coach who teaches her clients (coaches, small business owners) to market their brand online through intuition, alignment, and the power of manifestation. Tiffany scaled from 0 to six figures and teaches her clients to release limiting beliefs and master their mindset to tap into their unlimited potential and operate from their highest self. She was named Yahoo! Finance’s Top 10 Social Media Coach in 2020, podcast host of the Social Reset Podcast and has been featured in Buzzfeed, Disrupt, Ambitious Mama, Follow that Fear podcast, among many others.
- TOPICS WE DISCUSS: The Importance of Recycling your Brand’s Content, Moving with No Fear and Limits, Save Time on Content Creating, When to Diversify your Brand’s Content and Why, Telling your Brand’s Story, The Secret to Launching New Products, Tips to Show Up Authentically Online, How to Connect with your Brand’s Community,
TRANSCRIPTION:
First tip: 0:05:39.1
Second tip: 0:13:28.2
Third tip: 0:24:12.7
[0:00:00.0] Tiffany: Remember that people need to hear things more than once. Don’t expect that because you posted something one time or talked about your offer that one time, that one day, on that one story, that your entire audience knows about it. Your audience is also following hundreds to possibly thousands of other people, so diversifying the way that you’re sharing content is going to reach more people and is going to convey your message so much more impactfully.
[0:00:30.4] Peggy: You’re listening to the Branding Gems podcast, a podcast that’s not just interviews and conversations. It’s to bring you guys the best of the best women in branding and business to answer this question: What are your top three valuable tips and lessons that you learned along the way? And then, we discuss it. To fuel your passion-filled lifestyle business, I promise to bring you the best of the best women in branding and business and together, we can grow and learn from the extracted advice that they provide. I’m Peggy Bree, and let’s get growing!
Hi, guys! Oh my goodness, guess what? We have 250+ downloads already, and that is awesome! It’s only going to keep growing. I’m super excited for that! So thank you so much. Thank you so much for just sharing it with your friends or even just for listening yourself. Let’s celebrate you too! You’re here, you are ready to grow and learn, and I’m excited for you as well! And even if you’re not there for that and you’re just here to listen to some amazing top three tips from badass women, welcome! You are so welcome. So thank you again for just tuning in. And I wanted to mention quickly. I have such an amazing guest lined up and some that are scheduled too, and I’ve realized as I was recording that sometimes, me and my guest will not have the shared faith or shared values, and it doesn’t mean that they’re less than and it doesn’t mean any of that, and I wanted to really preface that because they have such amazing tips and advice in their respective fields and perspective, and I honestly really wanted to share that to help you grow. And I just wanted to put that out there so that it doesn’t have anything to do with my faith and it doesn’t have anything to do with your faith, and we’re really just here to just hear top three tips and advice to help you grow in your business and brand. And that’s just something that I’m continually learning as well and I wanted to put that out before anything. And also, oh my goodness! I messaged that cool person on Instagram. Her name is Madison Tinder, and she shouted me out on her podcast, which I’m so grateful for, and I just wanted to shout her out too. So if you’re looking for business and marketing tips, you have to check out The Soulful Social Podcast where Madison Tinder talks all things growing your business online and using marketing to sell your services. So you can check her out at madisontinderllc.com to listen to her podcast. And I’m super excited to share this guest with you, guys! She’s actually such an amazing person. I can’t wait to share her top three tips on branding and business with you all, and I’m excited to hear what you guys will say about it, so stay tuned!
Hi! Welcome back to another episode of Branding Gems. I have such an amazing guest today to share her top three tips and advice. So this guest that I’m bringing on, we actually met on an amazing Asian creative room at Clubhouse room and she is such a blast! Her name is Tiffany Cheung. Tiffany Cheung is a social media business coach who teaches her clients, coaches, small business owners to market their brand online through intuition, alignment, and the power of manifestation. Tiffany scaled from zero to six figures and teaches her clients to release limiting beliefs and master their mindset to tap into their unlimited potential and operate from their highest self. She was named Yahoo Finance’s top 10 social media coach in 2020, is a podcast of The Social Reset Podcast, and has been featured in BuzzFeed, Disrupt, Ambitious Mama, Follow that Fear Podcast, among many others. Welcome to this podcast, Tiffany!
[0:04:39.2] Tiffany: Hi, Peggy! Thank you so much for having me! I’m so excited to be here.
[0:04:43.5] Peggy: Yeah. So speaking of, your bio, Follow that Fear Podcast, Cat, she’s amazing! That’s so cool! And what a small world that you know her.
[0:04:53.5] Tiffany: Yeah, she’s a good friend of mine. I love her.
[0:04:56.8] Peggy: Oh, that’s cool! I also met her on Clubhouse as well, so it’s just so crazy how quick our connections are these days.
[0:05:05.8] Tiffany: Yeah, absolutely. I’m the one that invited her onto Clubhouse. I was like, “You need to be on here,” and she’s just literally taking it by storm, so I’m super proud of her.
[0:05:15.2] Peggy: Amazing! I loved how upbeat you were in the Clubhouse room that we met, and not only that, but you’ve built such an awesome business in this social media world as a business coach, so I can’t wait to share you, so welcome! [Laughter]
[0:05:29.1] Tiffany: Thank you so much.
[0:05:30.3] Peggy: All right. Let’s dive right in. What are your top three tips on branding and business? And let’s start with the first one.
[0:05:39.1] Tiffany: Yeah, absolutely. So the first thing that I want to share when it comes to branding and I think people, at least from what I’ve seen, get very hung up on branding, thinking everything needs to look perfect. I’m not sure if you’ve come across this as well, Peggy. But people feeling like everything needs to be this level of perfection. And I’m an Enneagram 3, so I can definitely fall into working really hard, wanting things to look a certain way, not really giving up until things are up to certain standards, but I want to say that a big part of branding, especially when it comes to identity, your community, as well as just who you embody as a person, is tapping into your authentic, highest self. So that doesn’t always mean sharing the most perfect moments and stories and photos and experiences. And especially as an Instagram coach, I think a lot of clients come to me and a lot of people come into my DMs or into my programs asking how they can embody this professionalism or this perfectionism on their platform in order to convey a certain version of themselves. And what I like to say to that is really tapping into who you are as an authentic soul, as the highest version of yourself, and what really feels good to you. So identifying what those values are that you have as a brand, those core values that are unwavering, both as a business and as a person.
[0:07:24.6] Peggy: I love that. So it’s really coming as you are, no matter the flaws that you have, and just presenting yourself so that you remain authentic in your voice and what you do, so I love that! Actually, with perfection, of course, I feel like people get stuck in that mindset because they really feel that putting your best self out there means putting your perfect self out there, which delays the process in putting something out there because they think that it has to be the perfect self, right? So for someone who, let’s say they already have something out there and they’re just afraid of putting more of their self out there, what kind of tip or practical tip do you have for someone to really tackle this?
[0:08:18.7] Tiffany: Yeah, absolutely, and that’s such a good question. I’ll share a personal story, and then I’ll share some things that you might be able to put into practice. So when I first built my platform, which I really wasn’t even intending to, I was a new single mom at home struggling with postpartum depression. And I fell in love with creating content as a beauty blogger and then a lifestyle blogger, and then from there, I organically grew my platform to, at that point, I think it was around 50, 60 thousand followers. Now, I’ve surpassed that 70 thousand. But I was really captivated by the power of social media and community. And I think a lot of it had to do with sharing my experiences of being a very young single mom. I’d gotten pregnant when I was 18, and so I shared a lot of my story of separation and being a single parent and being very young while going to school, while working several jobs, and I felt like that was very relatable for a lot of people. And it was me showing up as my most authentic self, but not just sharing my story, but also sharing tips on how I was navigating through single motherhood, being a young adult, living in the Bay Area, just my life as a human being. And so, I would really ask you, everyone who’s listening and is maybe looking to step into a more authentic version of yourself on social media to connect with your community, ask yourself what sets you apart. What stories make you you? What makes you the person that you are? And if you don’t want to share that entire story, of course, you don’t need to if it’s going to push you outside of what’s comfortable, although I would say take up a challenge because you don’t know who’s out there that might need to hear that story and be able to say, “You know what? If she can do it, so can I,” or “If he can do it, so can I.” And those things are really, really powerful. So I would say what parts are you willing to share, what parts do you think are going to be really powerful for your audience to hear, and what are some things that you can provide in terms of value that you’ve maybe taken away from certain stories or experiences that you’ve gone through that other people might be able to apply if they’re going through that situation right now. Because even though our life is completely unique to us, there are certain aspects of our life that we share with other people. We might have gone through similar experiences or even similar trauma or similar aspects of our lives that we might be able to share those aspects, share specific stories with others in order to uplift them, to support them, to build connections. And that is really what makes you who you are. There’s so much power in storytelling.
[0:11:15.5] Peggy: Mm-hmm. That’s true, because the audience can connect with the pain points that you have and that there will be a space to share those stories or to learn from each other on how to deal with those pain points and perhaps you will provide solutions for that, so it’s kind of impactful.
[0:11:36.9] Tiffany: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that’s what makes it really impactful because even if, anyone who’s listening right now, if you think of the person that you love following the most on Instagram or YouTube or different social networks where it’s someone that you look up to but you don’t actually know them in real life, it’s probably because you can relate to them on a certain aspect, and there’s something about their story or aspects of their life that they’ve shared where you’ve gone, at some point, “Yeah, that’s me,” or “I can relate to that,” or “I love how vulnerable they were sharing that story.” And I can’t tell you how many times people either book calls with me or slide into my DMs and tell me, “Tiffany, I’m so glad you spoke up about this because I’ve been struggling with XYZ,” or “I really needed to hear this because I’m also dealing with XYZ.” So whatever that might be, whether it’s mental health or it’s my story of being a single mom or separation or sharing different things about who I am as a person or my Asian-American experience or being queer. There are so many things that I’ve openly shared on my platform that I do because I want people to feel less alone and human and relatable, as well as inclusive, are all core values of my business and my brand.
[0:12:57.1] Peggy: I love that, and I guess with every brand, there really needs to be a level of emotional connection for someone to really follow them, right? So as you opened up your experiences and the more, I guess, emotions that are behind it, the more people can connect with it or the more people will understand it and the more people would want to dive into more of you along the way, so that makes sense. That makes sense.
[0:13:22.2] Tiffany: Exactly.
[0:13:24.2] Peggy: So what is your second tip in branding and business?
[0:13:28.2] Tiffany: Yeah, so I would say business, especially when it pertains to Instagram because again, I am an Instagram coach, I think there’s so much power in tapping into Instagram as using it as a main feature, as well as using all of its features, or using it as a main platform and using all of its features. And by that, I mean showing up on video content, using Instagram Live, using IGTV, using it as a tool to connect yourself with other people and to connect yourself with your aligned clientele. This is a platform where there is a lot of up and down commentary, where people can definitely fall into this thinking of, “Instagram is such a toxic place. It’s so unhealthy. It’s so superficial.” And so if someone’s feeling that way, I would really first check your limiting beliefs and what you’re choosing to believe, and also reminding you that this is a platform you can fully customize. If you are following people that make you feel like you need to be someone that you’re not or you’re following people that are constantly complaining or very, very low vibe and not working on either themselves or working towards certain goals, those are people that you have all the right to unfollow or at least mute. So whenever I jump onto Instagram, whenever I jump onto social platforms, I’ve customized it and I’ve spent a long time doing this to really conveying and embodying inclusive, diverse voices, as well as pages and platforms that are very real and authentic and don’t just share highlights of life and business or motherhood, et cetera, but are also authentic and really step up as that highest version of themselves. And this is something that I teach in my programs, is those boundaries and habits around social media. And as a social media coach, ethically I do not want my clients spending more time on Instagram. These apps are already designed for us to spend more and more and more time so that they can make money off of advertisements, et cetera, and it doesn’t end up being very good for our mental health. So I actually teach my clients how to intentionally engage on Instagram in 15 minutes a day and learning to limit their boundaries, who they’re following, their behaviors, et cetera, to actually see more of an increase in their insights, more engagements, and more booked clients. And it’s been really powerful and my clients have been mind-blown at those results.
[0:16:11.4] Peggy: Amazing! That makes so much sense because you’re going to want to be around people like you and by following or even engaging in comments with people like you, it’s just all connected because that’s part of your brand and they share the same values and voice, so that makes so much sense. And I actually love what you said about showcasing yourself in different ways, like maximizing Instagram to the fullest, right?
[0:16:39.0] Tiffany: Mm-hmm. Totally.
[0:16:40.3] Peggy: And because Instagram has so many features within itself, like Instagram Reels, Instagram posting, Instagram Stories, and you can even use Instagram messages to connect. But what is the best way to maximize that one feature on Instagram, or is it really just a bit of all?
[0:17:03.2] Tiffany: Yeah, so ask yourself. For anyone listening, asking yourself and doing a little bit of market research, as well as experimentation to see what your audience resonates with. For example, I’ve tested this so many times and I love speaking in long-form content, so whenever I write a longer caption, as well as video content, my audience loves them both. I know that there are some people that say, “Don’t write long captions on Instagram. No one’s going to read them.” I know for a fact my audience, my clientele, my ideal clientele reads all of my captions until the very end, and I know this because they bring it up later. They bring it up in messages. They leave comments about it. And so, there’s really no right or wrong way to show up on Instagram. The way that you should do it is the way that should feel most aligned to you, as well as understanding how your audience wants to be spoken to and being inclusive to learning styles. So the mistake I see a lot of people making is only creating Instagram posts with long captions or short captions or just carousels, and they maybe never show up on Instagram stories or they never create video content or they’ve never gone on live. So they’re only really reaching a certain percentage of their audience that’s willing to read their captions. And what could be more powerful than that is diversifying their content and maybe start throwing in Reels once every two weeks so that they can give their clients some quick wins and just make it fun, educational, and entertaining. I like to call those “edutainment videos”, like really quick ones. And just being able to show more of your energy and your personality because people are going to take in information and knowledge in different ways. And so, that really can be so much more inclusive and reach so much more of your audience in that way because they’re more visual learners and you’re able to really show up for them in a way that is speaking to their learning style.
[0:19:24.1] Peggy: Mm-hmm. That’s so smart. I mean, you’re right. Instagram is a visual platform after all, so really, using each feature to its advantage so that you can showcase the best version out there.
[0:19:38.8] Tiffany: Right.
[0:19:39.6] Peggy: Yeah, I loved what you said about the audience because really, whatever way your content is digested by this audience, it makes sense to focus on that the most, but also diversifying your content, that makes so much sense because even if you’re doing so much of it and your audience loves that certain feature and loves the way you communicate in that, it’s nice to really add in new things here and there and test it out and diversify it in that way. I love that.
[0:20:09.8] Tiffany: Yeah, totally. And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every single time. Sometimes people hear, “More features, that means more work, more content, new content.” No, you can repurpose older content. You’re doing something wrong if you’re creating new content every single time you’re posting. You’re wasting so much time and so much energy when you can transform something that might have been a Story into a Reel, a long-form caption that might be really great as an Instagram Live, a carousel infographic that could turn into a quick IGTV, right? There are so many things you can do with previous content, especially if maybe you have something to add to it or it’s content that you posted maybe, say, two months ago but you’ve gained a lot of new followers since then, or maybe people need to hear it. Remember that people need to hear things more than once. Don’t expect that because you posted something one time or talked about your offer that one time, that one day, on that one story, that your entire audience knows about it. Your audience is also following hundreds to possibly thousands of other people, so diversifying the way that you’re sharing content is going to reach more people and is going to convey your message so much more impactfully.
[0:21:31.3] Peggy: Oh, that’s so good. Honestly, I feel like when people hear of this tip that you just gave, I think that they’ll be so inspired to even rethink about what they have done already, right?
[0:21:43.6] Tiffany: Yeah.
[0:21:45.3] Peggy: Yeah, I know. You’re so right. Posts or any sort of content that you’ve put up before that gained a huge reach and interaction and engagement, it is smart to talk about it again. It’s not like once it’s said, it’s done. It’s an ongoing conversation.
[0:22:04.1] Tiffany: Exactly.
[0:22:05.2] Peggy: Yeah, it’s such a great reminder. I love that.
[0:22:08.3] Tiffany: Yeah, and psychologically, when it comes to psychological marketing, people need to see things like six, seven times before they start taking action, and sometimes they need to see it from different angles. So the first time you talk about it, it might be getting them from unawareness to aware. The next time you talk about it, it might be, “Oh, that’s a good reminder. Maybe I should try that. Maybe I should look into it.” The third time, it’s more education and knowledge where they’re really learning something new, learning to apply it, learning to uncover what they don’t know, right? People don’t know what they don’t know. And so, when you’re presenting new information and you’re teaching someone new, they’re only going to want to come back to you to learn more about it. And anytime they think about it, they’re going to think about you because you’re the one shouting it from the rooftops. You’re the one creating valuable content and tips and tangible materials for them to take action and start changing their life in that area. So do not underestimate the power of repurposing content, sharing things multiple times, especially if you’re leading up to launch, whether this is a digital course launch or a podcast or maybe you’re opening up a brand new coaching program. This is going to be really powerful. Don’t share your offer just one time. You definitely want to repurpose your content, talk about it multiple amount of times to be able to reach all of your audience, and even if there’s someone that maybe it doesn’t resonate with them but someone in their friends circle or their inner circle is struggling with that topic or with that theme, they’re going to go, “Hey, I know someone that was just talking about this and they’re an expert on it.” And that’s how word of mouth travels as well, and this is what I teach in my program, and it’s just so powerful to watch it come to life.
[0:23:53.6] Peggy: Man, you’re just dropping the greatest gem out there. It’s so smart. You’re just basically embedding yourself in someone’s mind the most way you can so that they can remember you. That is so smart. I love that. What is your final tip in branding and business?
[0:24:12.7] Tiffany: Yeah, so the final thing is really, and I touched on this a little bit in the beginning where I was talking about being able to be authentic, but also being able to step into full alignment and looking within, and I’ll explain exactly what that means. So for me, when I started my business, I really had to erase a lot of limiting beliefs that I had in terms of things that I felt like I needed to do or that I should do based on what I saw other people doing. And a lot of this also came from my own parents and seeing my dad working really, really hard, 10-, 12-hour days in order to be successful in his business, which he is. And so, when I started my own business, I thought that I would never be able to spend time with my daughter or I would never be able to create freedom and flexibility in my schedule because I had held on to so many subconscious things. So I would really say, for someone that’s looking to build their business and show up to perfect their branding or to show up online or through social media and really tapping into the power of that, it really starts within.
[0:25:31.1] Peggy: Mm-hmm. That makes sense. Had you believed that just because the way your dad has sold and if you believed that it is the only way that has sold, then you wouldn’t have created such an awesome empire the way that you did, so it does make sense that you can’t just believe one way or think that it is the only way and the only possibility, just because you’re so accustomed to what you know from before. It’s super important to be reminded that there is all these possibilities of different ways. You just have to really reach for it or believe that there could be all these possibilities, so I love that.
[0:26:15.7] Tiffany: Exactly, exactly. And to everyone listening, it could literally be as simple as Peggy listening to maybe this one person that was like, “Oh, I don’t think you should start a podcast,” And then she wouldn’t be able to pump out these brilliant episodes and build this community and to be able to engage with all of you if she had fallen into that one belief, that one time someone said that one thing. And so, it could really just be a simple, “Okay, I’m going to choose not to believe that,” or “I’m going to choose to operate from alignment because I am called to do this thing.” And I just want to remind anyone who is listening right now, this is for you, if you have a dream, if you have a desire, you are destined to bring it to life. And if you are holding back your business idea and you’re holding back your concept or the community that you want to bring together or the course that you want to put together and launch, you are prohibiting somebody else’s success by not fully stepping into your role. And what that means is you can prohibit someone else from reaching that freedom, reaching that transformation, feeling connected just because you’re sitting in fear and you’re not willing to follow that fear. And so, I think that’s so, so powerful and it speaks to a lot of people because we get into these doubts. If you can dream it, you can 100% do it. So if someone is feeling stuck right now, I would really recommend to identify where your feelings are coming from. Journal about this. You might have a revelation that’s never come to you before or uncover certain memories from things that maybe your family said or taught you indirectly that you took on subconsciously that now you need to release.
[0:28:19.5] Peggy: Mm-hmm, so good. So really remembering your purpose because your purpose really counteracts that fear, and that makes sense because when you feel so purposeful in your calling and what you’re doing and your voice and what you have to say, of course it’s going to counteract that fear because it’s bigger than your fear, right? That purpose will always be bigger than that fear because it means the most to you, so I love what you said. It makes so much sense.
[0:28:48.5] Tiffany: Yay!
[0:28:49.6] Peggy: My goodness, so good! You are so amazing, Tiffany. I already knew that it would be so good because I remember our quick little interaction on Clubhouse. I’m like, “Oh my goodness, I have to bring Tiffany on. She is amazing.” [Laughter] What’s next for you? What’s happening after?
[0:29:09.8] Tiffany: Yeah, so by the time this recording should go live, my podcast should be live. It’s The Social Reset Podcast. Yeah, if you type in Social Reset, it should come up. I am really excited about this podcast because I remember, and this is being it working in alignment, I remember for a long time, my community and my audience was pushing me to start a podcast. They’re like, “You have a great podcast voice. You should jump on a podcast.” [Laughter] And it never felt right to me until very recently. I was like, “You know what? I think it’s time.” It feels good, it feels in alignment, I have a lot to share, I’ve got a lot of experience from working with one-on-one clients and group coaching clients, which I’m still taking both. And I was like, “You know what? This is a really good next step for me, and so I waited until I really felt that fire beneath me, and I’m like, “Yeah, I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it.” So my podcast is launching very, very soon, and I cannot wait. It’s really going to be more in-depth about everything that I shared here on today’s episode on working in alignment, trusting your intuition, as well as very tangible tips on marketing, manifestation, mindset, money, that you can take into your daily life right away, setting the way that you think about business, the way that you think about being successful, so I’m really, really excited about it!
[0:30:37.4] Peggy: Oh, I’m so excited for you! I know it’s going to be so good. You do have that podcast voice, so I’m sure people would be like, “Oh, waiting for it!” Oh my goodness, I’m so excited for you! And where can people find you?
[0:30:53.3] Tiffany: Yeah, so I’m on Instagram as my main, primary platform. I am @tiffanycheung.co on Instagram, so feel free to give me a follow, connect with me on there, send me a message, let me know that you came from Peggy’s podcast, and I would love to answer any questions or clarify anything or dive deeper into this conversation. I respond to every single one of my DMs, so I love connecting with and I love using the voice notes, so that’s definitely a place that I spend intentionally every single day.
[0:31:29.3] Peggy: Mm-hmm. I love it. Oh my goodness, so good! Definitely give Tiffany a follow. She’s amazing. And any last words before we sign off?
[0:31:40.4] Tiffany: Yeah. If this touched anybody, if this kind of nudged you in a way to show up as your most aligned self or maybe it nudged you in a way where you felt like maybe you’re not showing up, listen to those specific questions, journal with it, sit with it, create those positive affirmations. And also ask yourself not what you need to necessarily take on, but also what you might need to release in this season as we’re going into this brand new year, 2021, January wrapping up and going into February. It’s going to be really powerful to see what are some things that you’re holding on to or that you’re still doing that just isn’t in alignment for you. And if you are an online coach or an aspiring coach or course creator, I have a signature 8-week coaching program that takes you from zero to launch and allows you to create a really aligned marketing strategy, as well as really operating out of intuition, in order to bring your message, your calling, your story to life. So definitely feel free to connect with me on Instagram, @tiffanycheung.co. I’ll answer any questions about the program or just any questions you had about this podcast and anything that I shared today.
[0:32:53.7] Peggy: Awesome! Well, thanks again for coming on this podcast episode. And we are going to sign off now. Bye!
Hi! Thank you again for sticking to the end. I appreciate you and I can’t wait to hear what you think about this, so be sure to tag me @peggybree or even @blankroomdesign where the podcast updates are in, and also tag the guest. I love Tiffany, so remember to tag her as well. And I hope you have an awesome rest of your day/evening/morning/week! Bye!
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
- INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK: @blankroomdesign
- WEB: brandinggems.com
- GUEST: TIFFANY CHEUNG
Web – Tiffanycheung.co
Instagram – @tiffanycheung.co
Clubhouse: Tiffany Cheung - HOST: Peggy Bree
Instagram – @peggybree
Clubhouse: @peggybree
