Inspiring Conversations with Andrea Balogun of Balogun Strategy & Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Balogun. 

Hi Andrea, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My career in marketing started while I was deep in my career finance in the music industry. I went back to school for my MBA and found that I really enjoyed the branding and marketing classes. While in school, you create a mock business and business plan and mine became real after graduation in 2014. 

Since then, I’ve worked in social media management, website design, and other graphic design needs as a freelancer and for other agencies. Now I strictly stick to strategy and design for social media and websites under my Balogun Strategy & Design brand. I’ve started to really enjoy teaching and public speaking so I’ve also been a part of a few online summits, panels, and podcast features. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
At the beginning of any business, there are definitely challenging times. I was severely undercharging for my services and ran into a lot of nightmare clients because I didn’t value my expertise enough. One of the downsides of working in social media management is that your clients are expecting you to wave a magic wand to bring in hundreds of followers and engagement. And that just means they haven’t been educated on what social media is supposed to do for you and your business. That’s why I moved away from management and became a strategist and designer. 

We’ve been impressed with Balogun Strategy & Design, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
So, in the current iteration of my business, I specialize in empowering creative entrepreneurs and business owners to be consistent online through engaging design and intentional strategy. This can come in the form of strategy sessions and done-for-you designs. 

I pride myself in being able to effectively teach clients how to use deliberate messaging in their content to attract dream clients and customers. A lot of my clients come to the strategy sessions overwhelmed and frustrated with social media and then they leave the sessions much more enlightened and prepared to take on their content plan in a more measured way. 

For my website clients, I also stress strategy over design. It’s important to me that my clients make their investment in me back by acquiring leads and profitable opportunities. And that means having a beautiful website that also works for them with intentional messaging and calls to action. 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The COVID-crisis certainly helped me be able to communicate how important it is for businesses to have an online presence. In the last couple of years, I’ve had a lot of clients with outdated websites they tried to do themselves and then realized they needed help as the rest of the world was finding themselves relying on the internet in business. So, it made it easier for me to convey what I could provide for clients. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.balogunstrategydesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreabalogun/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balogunstrategydesign
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreabalogun
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/balogunstrategydesign