We caught up with Salama Mohamed, Founder and CEO of skincare brand Peacefull, in an exclusive conversation about her foray into entrepreneurship—and how Snapchat’s power of enhancing relationships between friends, family, and the world enabled her to grow a flourishing business.
Via @salamamohamed on Instagram
Real Relationships, Real Influence: Salama Mohamed’s Success Story with Peacefull
Many may know Salama Mohamed as one of the region’s most popular content creators. Now a leading entrepreneur at the helm of her own skincare brand Peacefull, Salama has become a pioneer across the region for leveraging the power of platforms such as Snapchat to authentically and directly connect with the audiences that matter most.
Having dealt with the chronic autoimmune skin disorder vitiligo from a young age, Salama had learned a great deal about skincare. Her genuine passion for the subject eventually developed into sharing a series of exclusive skincare tutorials that debuted on Snapchat in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. These were received with great enthusiasm by communities across the region.
Via @peacefull on Instagram
Though Salama was a late joiner to the platform, she’s grateful for the extra time she took before she became a regular content contributor on Snapchat. Her values around family and friendships were a core focus for Salama, especially as an Emirati. Finding a home in Snapchat’s focus on real relationships for real influence, she was able to build a community while being her real self. This continues to inspire her own #TeamNoFilter following.
“Truth be told, I think I joined Snapchat pretty late in 2020. The platform has played a key role in my journey ever since, as I continue to share a journey that’s authentic and closest to who I am. Many said it wouldn’t work, but I thrive on challenges. I stood my ground for trust and credibility to use the platform for a purpose, and this is where #TeamNoFilter came about,” says Salama.
Via @salamamohamed on Instagram
As her confidence on the platform grew, the purpose of her content became clearer to both her and the audience she was quickly amassing. Presenting her tutorials authentically and unpretentiously in Arabic enabled Salama to develop deep connections with her GCC audiences. As a result, her content was able to build trust and influence with audiences across the region.
“What you see is what you get,” says Salama proudly. “Consistency is key when building any community. It took me a year to build that community but it has been totally worth it.”
Success for Peacefull came quickly. Salama happily recalls that launching Peacefull on Snapchat was the right time for her to connect with audiences across the Middle East. Following its launch, the brand became out of stock in just nine days, much to the disappointment of many of her fans and followers.
Via @peacefull on Instagram
Her success goes beyond her content, with the recognition of her followers that she genuinely feels are her friends and family. “I treat everyone as family and friends,” Salama says, considering each conversation online as a friendship. The feeling is evidently mutual between her and her followers, who often showcase their happiness and ease when engaging with Salama on Snapchat.
“I feel like I am talking to my sister or my cousin” is a comment she regularly receives on the platform. With friends and family as the strongest source of trusted inspiration, comments like these allowed Salama to quickly recognize the value of Snapchat as the number one app to connect with her audience.
“Snapchat is my go-to platform despite the fact that I was hesitant to join at first. By nature, I am an introvert. Snapchat allows me to be who I am…[it] is one of the major pillars that has helped spread Peacefull to the world, especially in the Middle East,” Salama adds.
It is the love and respect between Salama and her audience that explain why, to this day, she continues to put her audience first when it comes to how she engages with people online. Real relationships can create an environment where brands have real influence. Through this ideology, Salama was able to build Peacefull into the brand that it is today.