I was watching Daniel Phillip's Instagram stories the other day. For those who do not know, he is an influencer, owner of Daniel Phillips Watch, a farmer, a designer, and a real badass human. What I like about him is his mentality of supporting his community, embracing any opportunities, and, most of all, his idea of always putting something nice in the world does not matter how many people you will reach, but the impact you are causing.
When I first decided to build my social media and open my blog, my main struggle was to figure WHY. "Why" is the main question/ problem people are trying to solve in business. That was when I realized that I am not here just for the "look of the day" but to show the life of an immigrant and the behind-the-scenes in the fashion industry. Once you know what you are doing/ why you are doing it, the number of followers and the content you are putting out there will grow. You have to make a lot of trials, fail content, and marketing analysis to get to the point you know you are going in the right direction.
The number of your following matters still, but gone are the days that brands would hire influencers just because of their following. When a brand is hiring an influencer what matters is how much sales that influencer will bring to the table, and not only how much content the brand will get. The engagement all influencers have with their followers and the relationship built with their audience is what makes a difference.
Daniel Phillips once said that it does not matter your following size, if there is one person out there looking up to you, you are influencing people. That was one of the reasons why I decided to pay way more attention to my IG content. Not only because I knew I should stop posting stories after the third drink (lol, but for real), but also because I saw the need on speaking up about immigrants lifestyle, struggles, and career in the US, and because I saw the need of helping new designers and people who would like to have a fashion business to understand how this industry really works.
Receiving messages from brands trying to collaborate with me feels great. I will not deny it! But I turn down collaborations daily. To build that relationship with your audience you have to be honest with yourself first. If you would not wear that product, why try to get your followers to do so? I personally accept collaborations with brands I know I will like and post only after trying them. Sometimes I accept collaborations and post the products before trying them, but that is because the brand identity and values fit the message I am trying to share with everyone who follows me - and I stick to that brand for a long time. That is what brands want from new influencers: long-lasting relationships that can result not only in content but also in sales.
The market for influencers is getting bigger and bigger. New micro-influencers are emerging on social media every day. Conquering your engagement and creating that relationship with your audience is what makes a successful influencer. I honestly do not think I can call myself an influencer (yet!), but I certainly agree that we have to be careful with the message we are putting out there. Even if only for friends and family.
Building your image is something that is going to last forever and will help you to become successful (or not). Starting a fashion brand is the same.
Your image is your marketing and it is what your customers will see. This circles back to my previous post "not selling your products?" when I mentioned that your marketing has to be coherent to your product. The influencer and brand relationship is no joke! Some brands are giving up on professional photoshoots and working with influencer content only. This can be a great idea and will put your product's name out there, but you have to make sure you are working with an influencer that actually suits your brand's identity. It is not even about the money you will invest in the influencer camping, it is about how much sales & content you will get out of that deal.
Ps: I chose this picture because it represents me really well. An immigrant. Dreamer. Conquering the streets of NYC!
Comments