I was up on the Spirit stage at Pure London yesterday
…for a ‘fresh meat’ style grilling conversation with Simon Glazin @theverysimong on how I work with brands and *my feelings about social media.
Yup, feelings…..
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO
Like a night out on the tiles, with Simon the questions get juicier as we go:
Simon: What do you blog about? Me: Fashion. I do a cheeky bit of lifestyle which I feature on my social ooh, and travel is now getting the airtime she deserves (I was an air-hostess for years remember).
Simon: How do you connect with brands? Me: Until recently I’d only ever waited for brands to reach out to me (don’t do this!!!), they’d contact me through email direct or from their pr. I’ve started to reach out to brands – not always seeking paid-for work or collabs but hoping to introduce my ‘brand’ and share my *stats with a view to getting on their radar (*i use Google Analytics and a dynamic media kit created by Marianne Navada)
Simon: So you see yourself as a brand? Me: I do.
Well in dictionary speak, a brand is something manufactured by a particular company under a particular name so I suppose I’m no different in the way ‘lornaluxe’ is my particular handle and how people find or search for me.
Plus branding myself has motivated me to develop an identity and every blogger needs that when they’re pitching to brands – a USP in this game is the goal.
Simon: How many followers do you have and is this important? Me: I’ll send you my media kit hehe…
Ok so actual numbers aside – instagram/snapchat are the two platforms I’m growing most. Growth is critical to what I do and percentages are where I can monitor my performance. Pinterest is the area I’m currently working on growing (great for click throughs and source sharing). I’m lucky to have a ‘Marianne‘ in my camp who dropbox’s me (she lives in Cali so no coffee meets sadly) a monthly report assessing what I need to change/alter/fix in order to advantage my growth (sounds tactical I know cuz like IT IS).
If influence is about reach then it’d be daft of me to not have a social strategy to grow my influence non? Same for brands. I’m tactical because of the tech embedded in platforms which can increase but also jeopardise my reach. Same for brands. The only thing I care about is engagement – but engagement needs visibility in order for new and existing followers to see it in the first place. Same for brands.
Simon: What are the do’s and don’t do’s a brand should consider before contacting a blogger? Me: Ideally: keep it private (don’t tweet it), avoid that ridic direct message option on instagram and just email, cold calling is a no-no, and if you can get an introduction from a mutual contact that is the dream.
Also – familiarise with the influencer’s platforms; identify where they can bring value, and consider using this as a key driver in opening email propositions (“we recognise the value of your instagram engagement, we love your innovative snapchat, your photography is excellent” etc.)
Simon: How do you get inspiration? Me: I get it from every which way.
I don’t have a tumblr account but I actively visit between 5-15 tumblr accounts (sign up to my blog as I’ll be sharing these next week in a newsletter). I also Pinterest a lot – and I keep a moodboard of images in my office which I pull from my travels and fashion week archives (yes I have an office, no it isn’t my bed). In the same way brands subscribe to trend-forecasting agencies, I subscribe to holidays and fashion weeks for real-time inspo.
Simon: Do you have a brand collaboration you enjoyed working on and why? Me: I straight up LOVE collaborating through fashion week/months, great for growth and sharing new talent/expanding my network. I did one with a jewellery brand last season at LFW and managed to pull in other brands and partnerships along the way to create the story. That’s the thing for me, there has to be a story for it to be relevant and feel legitimate. Without a story I’d be lost.
Simon: What tips do you have for brands working with influencers for the first time? Me: Start by engaging and following accounts/platforms/blogs (basically anywhere you want your brand to eventually be seen) and do it consistently.
How I’d do it on instagram: I’d treat it like a game. Be a brand that supported the teams (first-base/suggested influencers) I liked the look of and then I’d immerse myself into the community like a fan – initially watching from the sideline but always commenting and liking. Quickly, I’d discover the fans (like minded influencers) also commenting and engaging on the same teams (first-base influencers). The like-minded highly interactive influencers are the super-fans and worth following – great for leading anyone through the field and explaining the rules fairly quickly.
I’d suggest to any brand starting out that they should be a fan for a minimum of 3 months before approaching with an email (expecting a ticket to the qualifying game) – by then they’ll have a full understanding of the rules and will have contributed to the community.
Simon: The dark side of blogging is the fact influencers can easily buy their followers, what do you think about that? Me: Yep, they call it speculating I call it fraud. But actually, I truly believe that if the brand has done their research and followed and engaged with the influencers they’re keen to work with for those vital 3 months, they’ll already have a rough idea of who is pertaining to be more popular than they are. This community is born from interaction and crucially that is how you’ll identify the legitimacy of an account. Use engagement wherever available as your barometer.
Last question:
Simon: What do you do to relax? Me: …ummmmm
L x
boots | BALENCIAGA
shirt | ZELLE STUDIO
denim cut-off’s | URBAN RENEWAL @ URBAN OUTFITTERS
bag | CHANEL
sunglasses | TAYLOR MORRIS LDN
(Huge thanks to Pure London and to Simon @theverysimong (see his blog here) for giving me the chance to share ‘my thoughts and feelings’. I’m curious to know what you think about this post, are you a brand who disagrees? Maybe you’re an an influencer who does things differently? Or even if you’re not in the industry – has anything I’ve said surprised you? If you’re reading this and have thoughts but don’t want to share them publicly even, send me an email and I promise I’ll respond lorna@lornaluxe.com)
Shot in Notting Hill on Olympus pen and Nikon D810. All words, styling and creative direction my own.