We recently connected with Angela Haynes and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Angela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I have managed my own social media which I treat mainly as my personal brand. I’ve been on social media for the last 3 years and for me I decided early on & ever since to manage my social on my own. I decided to manage it on my own because I wanted to have this be a creative outlet for me & be able to make all the executive decisions about how I show up strategically, visually, etc. While it’s for sure been a learning lesson in time management, showing up on social media, and even more – it’s been a great way for me to have total creative control, which I haven’t had a lot of chance to do in my offline life. So far, I’ve been able to organically grow my page to 1000+ followers, achieve an engagement rate of 4.15%, have a viral video of 700K+, and connect with amazing individuals who have become great friends from all over.

If there’s any lessons or insights I would give to other fellow business owners considering using social media for their business, I would say DO IT! Show up & most importantly, ENGAGE! Don’t go into social media trying to sell, sell, sell. It should be engage, engage, engage. I always say any time I’m working with clients when it comes to social media – put the social in social media. I basically mean engage with other people! Form connections GENUINELY. You’ll be surprised at just who engages with you back & the community you build because of it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Angela Haynes and I’m an introverted Cancer in love with social media! I’m originally from Boston, MA but currently live in Atlanta, GA. I’ve always been a consumer of social media starting off with Instagram in high school (2012), eventually moving on to SnapChat (2013), and then deciding to become a “serious” content creator in 2021 showcasing my journey as a home bartender. I learned early on how powerful social media was in making connections, but also driving business. When I decided I wanted to take creating content online seriously, it was because I originally had the intention of being a mobile bartender. Not too long after, I realized that wasn’t what I truly wanted to do, but moreso found myself falling in love with the content creation process.

In March of 2024, I got fired from my corporate job at the time. I was in probably the most vulnerable & stressful state I had ever been in in my life. I realized I had to get creative & use my skills to create income for myself. Thus starting my freelance journey as a social media manager. I decided to take on projects for friends & family helping them with their social medias for their businesses. I did everything from strategy, capturing video, creating graphics, and community management. The biggest trend I saw with the folks I worked with was that they all felt puzzled, overwhelmed, or a combination of both. I get it though! Social media now is an ever-changing industry & so many people have found their way (in some way) to make it work for them. There’s a constant pressure to show up online & show out, but who truly has the time as a business owner plus juggling everything else it takes being a business owner (a small one at that!). I try to solve that problem for my clients by being that person to take the load off, take the pressure off & simplify their socials, or teach them how to show up. I’m most proud of the fact that although I live on social media, I am constantly staying on top of trends & research to understand & be tapped into the creator economy space so I can translate that into tangible results & effective strategies for my clients.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing & executing on the creative ideas going on in my brain. I have ADHD, so sometimes my mind goes a mile a minute or I’ll have an idea, get distracted/lose focus & it will take me even longer to execute an idea. But when I do….it’s beautiful to witness & also share with others.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my audience on social media by connecting with others. For me (oddly enough), I’m more comfortable showing up online than in real life (I can be pretty awkward lol) so if I notice a creator I like or admire – I’m not afraid to send that DM! Even if they don’t respond, the attempt was there. Also, especially for creators I love – I let them know that! It’s not because I’m looking for something in return, but it’s because I genuinely love their work and want them to know I support it! That’s just being social. Having conversations with my initial audience went down either in the comments or in the DMs. It’s that reminder that hey I’m a real person wanting to make REAL connections with you beyond just that like. Anyone can like your work, but the ones who leave the comments, share your work, talk about why they love your work, send that DM, make that connection, those are the ones who can have a great social media presence. That’s my advice.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astoldby_angie/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-c-haynes/
• Other: Want to work with me? Email me at [email protected]

Image Credits

David Massillon Photography & KaySimone Photos