Fashion. Beauty. Lifestyle

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

HOW TO GET NOTICED BY BRANDS AS A MICROINFLUENCER




On April 21, 2011 I published my first post on this platform. Its been a long journey and I have learned a lot of lessons along the way. I remember the first time a brand reached out to me. It was so exciting because for three years I was just creating for me. I had just moved out of state and away from my family with my then boyfriend and creating content was my therapy. So when a clothing brand emailed me and started asking me for my size and mailing address I was beyond excited! I thought I made it ya'll! 

Back in 2014 blogging was a phenomena that had no manual. I never looked beyond the present. I was just living in the moment and for me this wasn't a business. It was just what I loved to do. 
I look back and I see where I made plenty of mistakes and failed to value my worth (plus add tax). After I toke the chance this year to make my blog my full time job (finally), I had it in my heart to share my tips and advice for some of you that are either interested in blogging or have just started out. 

When you are first starting out and a brand notices you it is so hard to not want to receive free gifts or get paid a small fee for sponsored content. But as your friend, guys take your time and do your research. I can humbly and honestly say that there are so many brands I said yes to that are so far from my brand or style and the pay was too little for the amount of love and work I put into my post(s).

But as I have grown personally and professionally I have learned how to get brands that you really love to notice you and open up a line of communication with them. 

In today's post I am so excited to share with you guys my opinion and advice on how I have gotten brands to notice me. I'm going to share what has worked for me and advice for new influencers today.

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Before I go into the tips I want you to take a look at your blog/social media platforms and reflect on the following:

- Are your followers engaged with you and you with them
- Are you posting on a regular basis/ Is your platform active
- Does your profile have a clear mission statement
- Your blog is established, created and your posting at least once a week

If you are good on all these topics then let's get right into my tips:

Tip #1: Be a fan of the brand

I was just listening to episode 106 on the Influencer Podcast by Julie Solomon where she had on Kopari's Senior Brand Communications Manager Amanda Mueller. Julie asked her something around the lines of how does she find girls to partner/collaborate with and Amanda said she looks for girls that genuinely use their products and talk about it organically with their followers/readers. 
Brands love it when you are already a consumer of their product because it means that a partnership will be authentic with your audience. 


Tip #2: Tag the Brand on Instagram

In addition to being a fan you should also be engaging with them on social media. Make sure you are following their social media pages, commenting/liking their posts and engaging in their Instagram stories. When you tag a brand, the brand gets notified and the person who is running their social media account is searching the platform for new influencers to work with. 
Also if the brand has a hashtag use it under your photo. This not only helps you get noticed by the brand but also by similar like minded customers who can potentially turn into new followers. 

Tip #3: Create high quality content

Now I don't want you guys to go out and buy a new Canon or Nikon camera but make sure your photos clearly show the brand's item. If needed use a editing app to increase the exposure to your photo or add saturation to add more color. If you want to know what editing apps I use for my photos see my previous post here
Your blog/instagram is your online portfolio and its free! Use these platforms to demonstrate to brand's your professionalism and creativity. 



Tip #4: Interact and Collaborate with other like minded influencers

I have gotten emails from PR firms based on a friendship I formed with another influencer who referred me to that agency and vice versa. Build a sister hood with other influencers. Don't be shy to reach out to them via social media or an email. Genuinely comment on their posts and support one another. This space is HUGE and there is room at the table for everyone!




Tip #5: Don't accept too many sponsored posts

Brands want influencers who are appear genuinely authentic and not promotional. This can cause you to lose out on brand partnerships and lose trust in your readers/followers. This space is already overly saturated with ads and sponsored posts and audiences are looking for someone they can trust and don't appear like a walking billboard. 

Tip #6: Apply or sign up to influencer platforms

When I landed my first sponsored post it was with Latina Bloggers Connect. My first post was with Neutrogena and I was so excited! While your reaching out to brands yourself, influencer marketing platforms can also give you an opportunity to work with a brand that you love. Here are some of my favorite platforms that I am signed up with:

1.) We All Grow Latina (formerly known as Latina Bloggers Connect) 
I haven't worked with them recently but this was one of the first platforms that believed and supported me. I have worked on some great campaigns with them. 

2.) Collectively
One of my biggest paid collaborations was through Collectively. I have been with them for several years now and the everyone that works there is so lovely to work with! They work with reputable and great brands. 

3.) Fohr Co
I just started working with Fohr Co on some brand collaborations and I have really liked the experience. Their employees are kind and supportive. The campaigns are informative and the deliverables are well detailed. 

4.) AspireIQ
I literally just started communicating with a brand via this platform because when I reached out to them in order to move forward I had to sign up with AspireIQ. Honestly I never heard of them before this conversation with this particular brand. I don't have much to say on it since my experience is new but I will say that the platform is easy friendly. Communicating with brands on here is simple and straight to the point. 


Tip #7: Attend events/conferences

If your in a big city or are able to travel then I highly suggest attending a brand event or conference. At these events you get an opportunity to introduce yourself to brand representatives and hand them your business card. If you attend a conference many times brands have booths set up and you may also get an opportunity to introduce yourself and engage in a quick but meaningful conversation. 
If you want to be invited to a brand event find out who is the PR company representing them and send them a quick email. If you guys want more specifics on this topic let me know and I can create a dedicated post on this.




Bonus Tip: Do this for the right reasons

There is such an influx of influencers out here doing it for fame and money and have created an inauthenticity and drama in this community. Start a blog or a social media platform with the intention of sharing with others what you genuinely love in hopes to inspire and encourage others. Both brands and followers can smell  copy cat or a fake real quick and once you are labeled that it is hard to reverse it.  Post and talk about what you love and if you begin with this intent it will pay off and get you far!

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WOW! That was a lot! I hope this post provided some insight and guidance for you! These are some of the things that I have learned over the past 8 years of blogging and I can't wait to dive deeper into this industry and share more! 

What tips do you guys have to get noticed by brands?



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