Introduction
Hi everyone! I am Charise Mills from Malaysia, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. For my Communication Senior Project, I fully developed my Instagram channel and brand, @Charise.Eats. This account, originally named @RiseFoodie, has existed for a while, but it lacked direction as I did not ever get to make any goals or plans for it. I had only posted irregularly once in a while. This semester, I was able to dedicate time to strategically develop the brand after hours of research and planning. My case study has been attached below.
The following includes several highlights of key actions I have taken over the course.
Account Name
My brand name/username used to be “Rise Foodie.” It is changed to “Charise Eats” to include my name, making it more personal and recognizable. It helps establish me as a trusted foodie rather than a generic food page. People connect more with individuals than with faceless brands. Because I plan to work with brands, having my name on the handle also adds credibility. Personal-brand-based influencers often get better engagement and partnerships.
Branding Colors
I used Coolers to help select my brand colors, purple, orange, and green, which were triadic colors. Triadic colors are evenly spaced around the color wheel and often make for very bright and dynamic color palettes. The combination invokes curiosity, excitement, and trust—key emotions that drive engagement and brand loyalty. In addition, purple conveys creativity, luxury, and uniqueness—great for making my brand feel special; orange evokes warmth, enthusiasm, and appetite stimulation—perfect for food content; green symbolizes freshness, nature, and growth—reinforcing food quality and travel exploration. Overall, my choice of colors not only aligns with my brand’s fun and adventurous personality but also makes my brand visually memorable and engaging.
Logo
I originally designed a logo with icons and lots of words but ended up changing it to something simple. This is because a minimalist text-based logo is sleek, timeless, and more adaptable across different platforms. It’s also easier to use on profile pictures, watermarks, and branding materials without losing clarity. Additionally, removing icons avoids visual clutter, making my brand look more refined and professional. Keeping it simple allows room for brand flexibility and growth too.
Highlight Icons
I designed a few icons to be used as my highlight icons. I used the same font as my logo and used the branding colors as the background. These custom icons create a cohesive and polished look for my profile, making it more attractive to visitors. A well-organized and visually appealing profile can encourage viewers to explore my content further.
Video Content
I used to post more images vs. reels. I decided to increase the number of video content because video content captures attention more effectively than text or images, leading to higher engagement rates. Notably, short-form videos receive 2.5 times more engagement than long-form videos. Besides, videos are highly shareable, which can amplify my brand’s reach. Approximately 70% of consumers are likely to share a video on social media, enhancing my brand’s visibility. Additionally, viewers retain 95% of a message when delivered via video, compared to just 10% through text, making video a powerful medium for conveying information.
Content Collaboration
I tried to create collaboration posts with my personal account and local businesses. Collaborating allows me to introduce my content to my partner account’s followers, effectively broadening my audience base. This mutual exposure can lead to increased follower growth and brand awareness. Besides, collaborative content often garners higher engagement compared to solo posts. This heightened interaction can lead to better visibility within social media algorithms, further amplifying your content’s reach.
Using Trending Audio
I try accessing the trending audio list and look for audio that is trending and plan content with it. Utilizing trending audio in my posts can significantly boost their reach and engagement. Instagram’s algorithm favors content that aligns with current trends, making such posts more likely to appear in users’ feeds. This alignment can lead to a broader audience and higher interaction rates. In addition, integrating popular sounds keeps my content fresh and relevant, resonating with audiences who are actively engaging with these trends. This relevance can strengthen my brand’s connection with its audience.
Using My Own Voice
I used my own voice to narrate my videos instead of using AI generated voices. Using my own voice in videos fosters a genuine connection with my audience. It adds a personal touch, allowing viewers to relate more closely to my content. This authenticity can enhance trust and loyalty among my followers.
Using Hashtags
I originally used as many hashtags as possible in all of my posts. However, I learned that while Instagram still permits up to 30 hashtags per post, recent insights suggest that using 3-5 targeted hashtags is more effective. This approach prevents overwhelming my audience and maintains post clarity. Thus, I started using 5 hashtags in each of my posts, including location-based hashtag, audience hashtag, specific industry hashtag, and post specific hashtag.
Conclusion
Through this project, I transformed Charise’s Flavors and Footsteps from a casual food page into a strategically developed personal brand. By refining my branding, optimizing content strategies, and leveraging engagement tactics, I was able to grow my audience and establish credibility as a foodie and travel content creator. Small yet impactful changes—like rebranding my name, increasing video content, collaborating with others, and using trending audio—made a significant difference in reach and engagement.
This journey has been a valuable learning experience, showing me the power of consistency, authenticity, and strategic planning in digital branding. Moving forward, I’m excited to continue growing Charise’s Flavors and Footsteps, connecting with more food lovers and travelers, and creating content that inspires and informs. This is just the beginning!
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