We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keayanna Anderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Keayanna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

The legacy that I am hoping to build is one that people will remember me for inspiring others to take that leap of faith and do what they REALLY want to do in life, regardless of their current career or any adversity that they may have faced in life. Right now my social media business consists of just me; eventually, I want my company to not only consist of other social media managers but become a hub of resources for creatives.

When I first started doing social media professionally, I was 23, and super nervous about getting a late start in the industry and not having a marketing degree. There were many times when I almost talked myself out of registering my business because I’ve always been comfortable working for other people. However, deep down I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and working for a huge corporation to only end up as an employee number when I retire…wasn’t it.

I want to build a safe space where creatives can find mentors, valuable information, training, and a community of others who can be relied on for genuine collaborations. During my journey, it was really hard for me to find other creatives and social media managers to build genuine relationships with; I feel like there was always an underlying tone of competition. I don’t believe in oversaturation in the social media industry. There are enough clients, brand deals, and collaborations to go around for everyone.

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

I’m currently 26 years old, born and raised in Austin, and I have been a Social Media Manager for a little over 3 years. Though my professional life recently started, I have always had a passion for helping others and of course social media. Before I even graduated high school, I started and ran a fan account on Instagram for one of my favorite musicians. During this time I was really big into going to concerts(still am) and even traveling out of state for my favorite artist. I was meeting a lot of people at shows and gained a great sense of community. That’s really what started it all for me; it was 2014, and I had almost 10k followers…I was organizing giveaways, created content that got reposted by the musician, connected with people all over the world, and coordinated projects that directly involved the cooperation of said musician and their team. It put the idea in my head that if I put real thought, effort, and research behind this hobby, it can easily become a career.

When I graduated in the summer of 2014, I kind of put that dream on the back burner and let a few years go by before I would think of it again. I was preoccupied with going into the Army, and later being medically discharged for an injury, fighting outside pressures to conform, struggling with my identity/self-esteem, and resolving past trauma. There was just no way I was in the right headspace to achieve what I actually wanted.

Finally, in mid-2018, I was just getting out of an abusive relationship, and I hit my breaking point and knew that I needed to do whatever possible to get back on track. I put myself in a better situation, took what I knew from previous experience, took online courses, did my research, and started my journey to become an official social media manager.

In early 2019, I was lucky enough to help my mother and a friend build a brand and a brick-and-mortar store from the ground up. That is where I got the bulk of my professional connections, skills, and hands-on experience. Fast forward to 2021, and I am doing business as Social Energy with my first client with legit contracts and everything. Currently, I have a handful of clients under my belt from travel agents, lawyers, real estate agents, local bands, and more. I am way more comfortable in my journey than I was 3 years ago.

My clients tell me what their vision is, who their audience consists of, and what they are trying to accomplish with their brand and I create content that helps them build community, and brand trust. I also help them understand trends, keywords, hashtags, and how to market their product in a relatable way.

I want people to know that I am not a social media manager that is all about pushing content every single day, regardless of relevance. Everything I put out is included in a strategy, and that strategy is to bring your vision to life; while I do give creative suggestions, it’s all about you connecting with your customers, I’m just the facilitator that also helps make space in your schedule.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Niche Groups! I preach this to my clients as well. One of the best places to network and meet people is Facebook groups! I join communities that I identify and relate with. I am a member of groups for POC in Austin, Ladies in the Austin Metro Area, and Local groups for foodies…all of that! You come across so many people, and a lot of them have a brand, product or something they are working on that is outside of a regular 9-5. Genuinely getting to know these people, and relating and supporting each other is a great way to build business relationships. Two of my clients have come from just me being active in a Facebook group about the services that I offer. The others were me being consistent with the information I post on my Instagram.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Being authentically you is the only true way to build a solid audience. Whether it is a personal account or a business account. If you are a brand, you are online to market but also CONNECT. Share things about your life, and business story that your audience can resonate with. Most people want to buy from a brand with a personality and values that align with theirs.

I have never been afraid to get personal on social media and I think people can appreciate that and know that I’m going to tell it exactly how it is but can also relate to things I do in my daily life, down to the kind of music I post.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://socialenergyatx.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialenergy.atx/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=uR1vEMxi2QyNRjamQro_PA