In 2014, I unintentionally started a movement.
I founded the Fig Factor Foundation, a mentoring program with the goal to unleash the amazing in young Latinas, age 15-25. Our goal was to provide them with mentorship and give them a platform to share their stories.
That same year, I set out to create an anthology of 10 biographical stories from fellow adult Latinas who had overcome adversity in their lives to find inspirational personal and/or professional success. I named my anthology Today’s Inspired Latina (TIL), knowing it would inspire readers to reach for their American dream. Then when more Latinas found out about my project, they asked to become a contributing author and my intended 10-story anthology grew to 27. Before it even hit the shelves, more new authors came forward to be in the next volume. The rest is history. We just launched Volume 8 last fall and are now working on Volume 9 with no end in sight.
A beautiful author community was born. The book catapulted my authors into the media to share their stories. They began calling each other “book sisters” and became evangelists for TIL and the importance of sharing personal stories to inspire the next generation. I knew our message was growing, but I didn’t define us as a “movement” until I got an invitation to take my message overseas.
In 2017, I flew to Belgium and addressed an annual conference of hundreds of Spanish-speaking women entrepreneurs who now lived oceans away from their home countries. The leader of the group surprised me with an award for my work on behalf of Latinas, and the entire experience led to TIL Vol. 6, featuring European authors and book signing events in Antwerp and Paris. (Volume 7 was published in Spanish and featured authors from South America, although COVID-19 robbed us of our book tour.)
I’m still watching in awe as our Latina evangelists spread our message gospel in in ordinary ways that create extraordinary outcomes. Here’s some lessons I learned from marketing our movement that can be applied to your own.
1. Install a credible and authentic leader.
My personal “why” for launching this movement was very personal. As a Mexican who came to this country at the age of 14 and had the chance to write my own memoir, The Fig Factor, I understood Latinas who were striving for the American dream. Like many of them, I had managed to overcome difficulties like learning the language, cultural differences, and lack of entrepreneurial mentorship to become a successful businesswoman and mentor to others. I was the perfect, trustworthy champion to build this movement.
2. Give your movement a defining mission or identity.
To truly market your movement, you must create a new identity aside from your cultural, religious, philosophical, political, or socioeconomic catalyst. You need a clear mission statement, an identifying logo, and of course, social media groups. Creating specific language around your movement is also important. In our case, our Latina authors self-identify as “book sisters,” and the girls we mentor through the Fig Factor Foundation are our “young Latinas.”
Having branded merchandise with your logo also helps, but I encourage you to think outside the box. I recently created a TIL board game which is on brand with building community.
3. Share Stories to Gain Support.
Everyone is inspired by a good story, so the voices in your movement need to be heard. We published multiple volumes of TIL, but now have websites, social media sites, and other ways to market their stories. Don’t be afraid to launch a blog, a website, or a podcast. Put together an anthology, video mashup, or speaking event for your movement.
4. Find Sponsors.
At first, I sponsored my own efforts, but along with the authors, I was able to find willing sponsors among clients, vendors, and strategic partners.
5. Offer opportunities for group members to grow individually, and as a group.
Beyond stockpiling the easy and obligatory “likes” on social media, you must activate your supporters into committed, living embodiments of our message. Do it by thinking outside of the box for your marketing efforts. These include options such as:
- Elevating Each Other. It’s easy to do and often overlooked. Encourage those in the movement to network with each other beyond social media to spread the shared message. My authors have interviewed one another for their podcasts, written about each other in blogs, and supported each other’s special events. They’ve held collaborative book signing events and teamed up to launch nonprofits and businesses. As a publisher, I offer discounts to TIL authors for publishing their entire biography. The folks in your movement can accomplish more by working together and extending opportunities to each other.
- Strategic Opportunities. In 2018, TIL was contacted by cosmetic giant Estee Lauder to put together Belleza (“beauty” in Spanish), an event to reach out to the Latina community. For the first event, 167 ladies attended and walked away with a beautiful Estee Lauder lipstick, engraved with the hashtag ELxTIL. We have held two Belleza events since, even using our authors as models. Partial proceeds from the evening are returned to the Fig Factor Foundation. A win/win/win!
- Public Speaking Opportunities. Every movement needs more spokespeople! I created LatinaTalks, a Tedx-style platform for the authors to launch themselves as public speakers. How can you create a platform for your supporters to speak their truths?
- Mentorship Opportunities. Many authors have become volunteer mentors with the Fig Factor Foundation which gives them a chance to inspire others while giving back to the community. Can you find a strategic partner with a crossover opportunity or a chance to mentor others to demonstrate your cause?
- Scholarship Competitions. After launching LatinaTalks, I launched Young LatinaTalks but made it a scholarship competition. The winning speaker received a $1,000 tuition scholarship. Would a scholarship work to elevate your movement?
- Alert the Government. We did not hold a rally outside city hall. Instead, we obtained a proclamation for April 11 to be known as “Young Latina Day” in many Illinois cities. Now we annually celebrate with bus tours to city halls and media photo ops. How can you make the government aware of the good you are doing for the community? Who can you invite or honor at an event to call attention to your efforts?
- Awards. Give and/or create an award to recognize those who have helped perpetuate your movement. In 2018, I awarded the first ever “Latina of the Year” award from Fig Factor Media to a woman with exemplary transparency, compassion, and activism. Who can you honor?
6. Celebrate the wins.
I fan the flames of our movement, but it is our authors who carry the light of our message into the world. Every TIL story features an inspirational quote that coincidentally applies to anyone attempting to market a movement.
7. Finally, don’t give up.
Be prepared for naysayers to warn you that your ideas won’t work. With the right team, consistency, authenticity, and commitment to the mission, you can create a movement that will not only support your perspective, but take you places you never expected to go!
Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz is the CEO of JJR Marketing (www.jjrmarketing.com) and Fig Factor Media LLC international book publishing company (www.figfactormedia.com), founder of The Fig Factor Foundation (www.thefigfactor.org), creator of Today’s Inspired Latina book series and international movement (http://www.todayslatina.com), author of thirteen books (www.jackiecamacho.com), international speaker, and pilot. Jacqueline speaks to hundreds of audiences about marketing, servant leadership, finding your passion, and achieving success in business. She has addressed the United States Army, BP International, United Airlines, Allstate, and Farmers Insurance among other corporations to share her inspiration.
If you or an organization you know needs as speaker, please get in touch with us at http://www.jackiecamacho.com/contact.