BRANDING – BE SEEN, BE HEARD.

What are your thoughts about social media? It’s estimated that there are almost 5 billion social media users across the world! With this, it comes as no surprise that branding has become such a powerful tool for pageantry, especially when you’re trying to launch your brand and share your message for your “pre-sell” before you meet your judges. With so many people using social media, you should assume your judges are perusing it to see contestants far before they even meet you. After all, you often get such minimal time in your judge’s interview, that you want to maximize every opportunity to share your message and share your brand so you can create a connection with your judges before even meeting them.

What does it mean to be seen and heard on social media? A good contestant will share her photos and post on social media to be seen. A great contestant will utilize social media to create a connection between her and the audience by being clear about her brand and her message. She will utilize the power of her voice deliberately through consistency and top of the mind awareness. So, what is your message saying to your potential judges and the pageant that may be selecting you to help maximize their brand throughout the year? I love the power that social media has when used as a positive form for communication and influencing. It gives women a vehicle in which to take up space in this world, and I think this is one of the greatest benefits of pageantry. It forces you to be seen and be heard in a world where it becomes too easy to become invisible.

However, the person who most needs to see and hear you is…. yourself! If you really think about every single person who is posting on social media wants to be seen or heard. They are sharing a message, a photo, or influencing you to purchase their products. Whether their story is a platform for pageantry, creating change for good, or just venting, the power of social media allows us to feel like we are being seen or heard. Yet, when you post on a platform that has over 4.9 billion users, what compels you to think anyone wants to hear your message? Pageantry is about being a good salesperson because you are the product and your message is the brand.

Having over 17 years of media sales and marketing experience, I learned quickly that anytime I wanted someone to hear my “pitch,” I had to ask myself “what’s in it for them?” If I am asking for a potential client’s time and energy then what’s in it for them? After all, they have their own agenda that they are trying to maximize and I am just another person who is wanting them to see me and hear me. Social media is much the same if your primary goal is to win over your audience. You have to realize the most important person you are influencing is yourself.

Your message should be a catalyst for elevating your brand both in pageantry, with your career, and even by raising the bar in your own life. I find it is easier to talk about what you love, because joy is contagious and can’t be faked. It’s energy and we all know when people are being genuine and authentic or disingenuous. This being said, as you are one of billions of social media users who want to be seen and heard, then how are you sharing your message and to what impact do you think it leaves behind?

A perfect example of branding and “pre-sell” is the new Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voigt. During the pageant week, Noelia took the brand of Miss USA’s #definitionofpageantry, and interview people both in Spanish and English while highlighting the definition of pageantry motto through relevant information. Not only did she interview people which reflected her sincere engagement and approachability, but Noelia also showcased some of her own accomplishments during these interviews. I thought it was a fresh and brilliant approach to branding, especially since a titleholder’s role is to promote the pageant they represent.

Let’s face it, there is no exact formula for winning pageants. What I love about pageantry and this industry is that it allows you to embrace your own unique qualities and be able to think outside the box on how you want to create your competition journey. Whether it’s through embracing your own sense of style on social media, sharing your unique story through your platform/cause, or just connecting authentically through your inspired life, you get to create your own roadmap to success.

In this era of pageantry, you want to be creative and tap into those things you love, so you can begin to separate yourself through content creation and engagement. Keep this in mind when you are preparing your interview and identifying what sets you apart. Remember, when you can connect to your message, share it with authenticity, then you have influenced the most important person in the room… yourself.

XOXO,