The world has experienced a great many changes in the past year. Small businesses were hit especially hard, but Branding Bosses CEO Nadia Kaminskaya says, “Don’t fear change. Embrace it! Now is the perfect time to focus on growing your social media footprint.”
Grit Daily caught up with Kaminskaya out of Tampa, who has been a serial entrepreneur since the age of 16. She started Branding Bosses in September of 2019, and the team currently consists of all women. Kaminskaya takes pride in the fact that the company tends to hire interns. Kaminskaya pursued her passion for marketing and entrepreneurship by earning her MBA and MS in Marketing from the University of South Florida; she has been through their and the University of Tampa’s incubators. She also serves as the Communications Chair of the Tampa Bay Latin Chamber, and she feels passionately about doing all she can to help minority-owned businesses.
After working with many startups, the Branding Bosses CEO noticed that many small startups don’t have a support system for marketing expertise. She started Branding Bosses because, “It’s difficult to run a business, to do the marketing, to do the social media, so that gap is what we wanted to fill. We wanted to help those small startups really grow and have a chance to reach their target audience and reach what they want to accomplish.”
When it comes to marketing during the pandemic, Kaminskaya believes that, with the isolation caused by COVID-19, consumers are looking for a more interactive user experience. She believes businesses should take a “humanized brand approach,” especially on their social media pages. She says, “Something we recommend is showcasing your employees, your day-to-day; showcasing that you’re not a perfect company as well – you also have employees who are working virtually, who are stuck at home, working while drinking coffee in their pajamas because that makes it real and also forms connections.” For companies that are used to showing only the crispest footage, this may sound like a stretch, but after a year of virtual meetings, many professional interactions feel more casual. It seems logical that brands should reflect the times in which people are living.
Branding Bosses clients run the gamut, from lawyers and accountants to coffee companies and a local salsa festival. The company’s reach is also growing. While Kaminskaya is focusing on helping startups connect with the local community in Tampa Bay, her most recent hire will focus on growing Branding Bosses globally, forging international partnerships in places like Europe.
Kaminskaya sees the value of TikTok, Instagram Marketplace, Facebook Marketplace and now Clubhouse. When working with certain clients like attorneys, she encourages them to put the brakes on the “buy, buy, buy!” push and, instead frame a human story, becoming a place for education, advice, reliability, so that when the customer is in need of their services, they already have someone in mind. She says of social media, unlike TV ads or billboards, “this is more of a long-term game.”
A new branding strategy will not save every company that is failing due to consumers’ fear-induced spending habits brought on by the pandemic. Yet, having young talent that knows how to navigate social media and understands how consumer habits are changing can go a long way.
