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Kemetria Lilly is a Houston native who started fashion boutique Lilly’s Kloset in early 2012 with only $2,500. Five years later, she’s made more than $3.5 million in sales and amassed a following of 950K on social media, including nearly 390K followers on her business Instagram @lillyskloset. Lilly, 30, has since become her own fashionista, curating more than 400K followers on her own personal Instagram account, @thefashionwhoreand she’s now started a new business called Learn With Lilly to teach aspiring entrepreneurs how to build a brand through actionable social media strategies.

Saying Lilly knows what she’s doing is an understatement. And because she’s done what so many women with a few dollars and a dream aim to do successfully, we reached out to her to share some of her top tips for building a business through social media. Here’s what she told us.

Tip #1: Empower your audience– Allow your customers to be a part of the brand, not only shop. At Lilly’s Kloset we give our followers the opportunity to vote on restocks and the type of styles we carry. Encourage your customers to show off their style on social media wearing your product. User-generated content helps to market your brand to an audience that may not have otherwise known about you.

Tip #2: Provide value– Give your customers more than just the product. The best way to provide value is by giving the customer an experience. Once your customer falls in love with the experience it creates retention and referrals.

Tip #3: Be consistent– You can’t build up your sales or following without being consistent. When you’re consistent and visible, your potential customer will remember your brand when the product you offer meets their needs or wants.

Tip #4: Be transparent– People connect with people, so don’t be afraid to share your story and inspire your customers. Allow parts of your brand to be visible. When you are open it shows you are authentic and allows you to build a genuine connection with your customers. This will make the consumer feel confident in purchasing and working with your brand.

Tip #5: Have an amazing product– Think about the last time you referred someone to a restaurant. You did it because they had amazing food. You probably didn’t realize that you were marketing for that company while sharing your experience. Word of mouth is still the number one form of marketing and building consumer trust. Provide an amazing product and your customers will market it for you.

Check out Lilly’s boutique at www.lillyskloset.net and for more business advice visit www.learnwithlilly.com.

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