InstaGlam

Who doesn’t love a productive week? Last week I was able to finish a few pending shoots, catch up on some writing, plan a few personal events and close up a few assignments at work. It was strangely invigorating as this is the most I am able to get by in a month! In the midst of all this, I managed to attend an insightful seminar on Instagram Entrepreneurship and the Ahlan Hot 100 Restaurants VIP Readers party which turned out to be a great networking event, that were both on held on the same day.

This brought about a challenge of picking out an outfit that would be formal enough for work yet, chic and casual for the seminar and glamorous for the night. Not to mention something that would keep me cool and comfortable in this sweltering heat! I chose to wear this figure flattering dress I picked up on sale from Forever 21 ages ago. I am not your conventionally skinny girl with a thigh gap (whatever that is!). I am all about the curves (bust below) and this dress gave the illusion of a full bust, cinched in waist and toned hips. Close to an hourglass figure you reckon? :P For the seminar I accessorized it with my favorite gold necklace from ALDO and paired it with my Steve Madden kitten heels.

Outfit Details: Dress - Forever 21, Necklace - ALDO, Heels - Steve Madden, Watch - DKNY

For the night I switched up the accessories to something more blingy from ALDO (again) with metallic heels from Charles and Keith. I am a huge fan of statement necklaces for the simple fact that they magically transform any outfit and you can see how.

Outfit Details: Dress - Forever 21, Necklace - ALDO, Heels - Charles & Keith, Clutch - Debenhams, Watch - Fossil

Melltoo organized an exclusive event for ‘Insta-preneurs’ called Instagram Entrepreneurship – The Key to Succeeding in Style that turned out to be quite useful for budding bloggers like us. Instagram is an extension of our blog and I was excited to learn more on how to effectively use this social media tool.

The keynote speaker was Fatma Al Mulla, an Emarati visual artist and founder of the pop culture brand FMM who kickstarted her business using Instagram. If you like us are wondering what her brand is all about then take a look at this mobile phone cover.

You have probably seen these around town or maybe in Global Village. FMM is the brand that launched these pretty mobile phone covers and it was all the rage in the Emirati Community. Her business has come a long way and it was interesting to note a few points she shared on her learning experience with Instagram:

• Instagram has a lot of "watchers" – people who scroll and like a photo but are too lazy or couldn’t be bothered to actually press the little heart below the picture or double tap.

• Frequency of posts is important to be remembered by your followers. Basically you cannot be lazy and expect a fan following! Ideally 1-2 posts a day are more than enough to grab the attention of your followers and keep them coming back for more.

• Know your demographic – if you’re a buyer or a blogger, aim to grab the attention of your target audience.

• Timings of your post are important to be able to reach your targeted and maximum number followers

• Secret surveys – If you really want to know when your key demographic is active on Instagram, conduct a secret survey for a better response

• Apparently seasons make a difference to when people view or like a photo. Who would have thought that?

• Draw ideas from your commentators. Listen to what people say and watch what people ‘like’

• Use relevant hashtags and limit them to about 5-10. Hashtags help you reach a wider audience but at the same time you do not want to lose followers or seem desperate.

• Lastly it’s all about the quality and structure of your image. As a guide, see the kind of pictures you like and aim to capture your photos in a similar fashion.

The Ahlan Hot 100 Restaurants VIP Readers party was a glam-packed event held at Qbara, an amazing resto-lounge located at The Pyramids by Wafi Mall. The evening was nothing short of classy with live jazz tunes rocked by an artist from The Fridge, beautiful people and free flowing bubbly with mouth-watering canapés to go with. I am definitely heading back here for a full course dinner.

What are your plans this weekend?

#fashion #stevemadden #forever21 #socialmedia