11 Dec 2018
Blogging Permalink

Bloggers: The Original Influencers

December 11, 2018

Social media has been around for more than a decade but content creators even precede today’s dominant social platforms. The term weblog, or blog, was normalized in the late 1990’s when individuals created content about a topic or idea from which they could speak about with experience and passion. Bloggers began as the original content creators who then became influencers when they created a following through an RSS feed.

In the beginning

Liz Della Croce has been blogging since 2010. Today her blog, The Lemon Bowl, gets more than 700,000 page views per month.

Liz lost 65 pounds inspiring her to take up blogging to share her weight-loss journey. “My blog started nine years ago, back when this wasn’t a career,” Liz explains. “Back then you weren’t writing a blog to make money. There was no money to be made.” In order for bloggers like Liz to create content and photography, a lot of time and energy is invested. Once the content is created, the next step is to promote so an audience can find and engage. All of this is a great deal of work resulting in a net payment of $0. You have to be genuinely excited about something if you’re not getting paid to do it.

When blogs originated, it was often driven by pure passion. Why else would someone invest so much without the promise of a payday? “People talk a lot about authenticity and that’s what it was for me,” says Liz. “My business is based on people finding my content through searches, like Google, when they’re searching for a helpful content like a simple recipe to make for dinner, a travel guide to a destination or tips for weight loss.”

Evergreen content wins

When you create content that doesn’t expire and can be meaningfully used any day of the year, that’s winning content. Often called ‘evergreen’, this content is the key to success for any blogger. The recipes on The Lemon Bowl will be available forever. And since most of us eat three meals each day, a blog with a recipe isn’t going to expire.

For Liz, it’s about creating something that is helpful to someone else. “As you may imagine, most healthy recipes don’t go as viral as a chocolate brownie with chocolate drizzle and ooey, gooey caramel. But I don’t care. I’m more concerned about solving problems for my readers and my community.”

Often the most successful bloggers have a background in communications or business. Liz earned her degree in hospitality administration from Boston University. “After college I worked for Marriott International for five years in regional sales,” said Liz. “I have also worked for the Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as the Grand Rapids (MI) Convention and Visitors Bureau, so that’s the inspiration for my travel writing too.”

Beyond recipes, Liz’s blog also includes a handful of travel guides to various destinations. “I’m a huge fan of evergreen content with travel guides too,” Liz explains. “I want it to be useful when someone goes to visit that location. I don’t want to include a festival that happens only once and then when you go to that city, the festival isn’t going on. I want to talk things that will be helpful regardless of when someone comes across my website.

Blogging today

Some individuals today start creating content with the sole purpose of getting paid. They may be doing it to pay their bills or save to send a child to college. “Some new bloggers create a business for blogging. I think what happens is they can lose their authenticity because they’re more focused on SEO, or what’s going to go viral on Pinterest instead of what they’re really pumped up to share,” Liz explains

Liz has made blogging her primary salary for the last five years. Her blog remains her primary source for content. “I look at other social media channels, like Instagram, as an extension of my brand.” Once new content is created, she will share via her various social media platforms, each time driving users back to The Lemon Bowl.

“Many influencers today don’t even have a website,” Liz highlights. Once they post an image, a recipe or an idea to a social channel, it’s not easy to access 60 days later, proving the value of the original content creators on blogs.

The future

Social media “stars” are born every day. But not everyone survives and thrives. Liz offers advice to future content creators, “If you’re not so damn excited about what you’re writing about, don’t write it! Your followers are savvy and are just going to see through it.” When a blogger builds up a significant following, brands are going to reach out to engage for paid content. In these instances, Liz advises that for every offer you decline, you’re making room for a much better offer. “Be protective of your brand. Have faith in the long game and don’t feel like you have to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. That will help you in the long run creating the most authentic brand.”

When asked what the future holds for The Lemon Bowl, Liz was quick to respond that she’s not looking to sell. It’s easy to see the pride she has for all she has created.

04 Dec 2018
Influencer Marketing Permalink

5 Tips for Influencers to Secure Brand Partners

December 4, 2018

No matter what level of influencer you are, it can feel impossible to navigate the waters of large-scale brand partnerships. It can be easy to feel discouraged when you are working incredibly hard to build your content and you aren’t seeing results. Here are a few useful tips you can start using today to improve your opportunity to work with key brands.

Tip 1: Think “brand friendly” not “brand safe”

Being “Brand Friendly” can seem like an extremely daunting task when you first hear it. What does this mean? Well, it’s different for everyone. One way to look at it is if you want to post a picture of you hugging your boyfriend, but you’re in a sports bra, you may be concerned that this isn’t “brand safe”. This would be a point to think ‘if a brand doesn’t like this picture and won’t work with me because of that, is that a brand I want to be working with?” Being “brand friendly” means that you are making yourself “friendly” to the brands you want to work with. Even some brands prefer not to work with vegans, that doesn’t mean vegan content isn’t “brand safe”, it just means that vegan content isn’t brand friendly to that specific brand. Long story short, be appealing to the brands you want to work with. But stay authentic to you.

Tip 2: Make it easy for the brand

This may seem like an obvious one, but it can be missed and dismissed by so many. This isn’t 2007 anymore and influencers shouldn’t be afraid to share basic information. The truth is that brands will be looking at your page to identify specific information in order to work with you. These include:

  • Your first and last name
  • The state/province you live in
  • Your contact email

The truth is a lot of the time this information can be found by digging, but a lot of brands don’t have the time and will automatically move on to the next influencer if this information isn’t readily available.

Tip 3: Live your bio

This may seem like an obvious one, but it is super important. In almost every Instagram bio, influencers will list three-four things which describe them. For example, Chelsea Bird:” Desert living with @CitizenHD! Sharing our everyday life, style + home in PHX. Baby boy coming in November”. From here you would expect to see pictures on her feed of her husband, her style, her home in Phoenix and things related to her pregnancy. You will notice from her feed that Chelsea does a good job of including all of these pieces in her content.

To break it down, make sure you are posting about the topics you list in your bio. A simple way to achieve this is to break each post into categories. If you claim to be “a fashion blogger talking about college, travel and my favorite cat Fluffy” you can schedule content as follows:

  • 1st post – fashion
  • 2nd post – college/study
  • 3rd post – travel
  • 4th post – cat/pet
  • REPEAT

Tip 4: Know your niche

When first starting your “social journey”, it may be difficult to nail down your niche, but you can’t be everything. Finding a niche can make you more appealing to brands because it will be easier to pin point what interests your audience. Brands are always looking for influencers posting on specific topics to exactly target the audience for their product. A car company would want an influencer who speaks primarily on cars to promote their product instead of a blogger who loves cars but posts about everything from cat food to laundry detergent.

Tip 5: Engage with the community

An engaged following is always going to be important to a brand. It doesn’t matter if you have a million followers if you are only getting 1,000 likes per post. Taking time to engage with your followers will encourage them to engage with you.

On the same note, engaging with those in your blogging niche can also help get eyes on you. If you collaborate with another blog or often engage with another blogger, you create a chain that a brand can follow. They like blogger A so they look at blogger A’s friends and work their way down the chain until they find you. Putting yourself out in the community helps promote you and improves your chances that brands find you.

Looking to be discovered by a brand? Find Your Influence (FYI) is relied on by many of the top brands across the United States and FYI leverages proprietary technology for discovering influencers, managing campaigns and tracking metrics.  In an ever-evolving digital marketplace, FYI manages relationships with brands and pairs them with the right influencers to deliver guaranteed results. Get started and join the FYI influencer network for free today.

27 Nov 2018
Find Your Influence, Influencer Marketing Permalink

Don’t Judge an Influencer by Their Handle

November 27, 2018

In this day and age it can be difficult to not focus completely on someone’s Instagram or social handle. When starting your social journey this is one of the first major choices you have to make: how will I be known? For many it can be a completely pressure-filled situation where there is really no good outcome. You may choose to use your own name like this, or have something more descriptive for your content like this. But the truth is, no matter what you select, brands and advertisers will ultimately judge you by your handle.

So what does this mean? Well, it can mean different things for influencers then it does for brands and advertisers.

The brand/advertiser perspective

Like books, influencers should not be judged by their covers. An influencer is so much more than the available handle they chose at the creation of their channel. Yes, @basicbloggerbitch may not seem like the ideal name for a brand, but that name draws attention and speaks to the brand the blogger is promoting. By looking at the name you may not know that Alex likes to post about food, her community and her friends. Every influencer has branding for one reason or another and if you are wanting to run an influencer campaign you should spend time researching the influencer.

The influencer perspective

Not every company is for you and just because you don’t fit a certain demographic doesn’t mean you should feel the need to change your brand. Your authenticity is your biggest money maker! The right brands are out there and are getting ready to find you.

Working with Find Your Influence is the quickest way for influencers to be discovered by brands and advertisers. Get your journey started by learning more about Find Your Influence today.

20 Nov 2018
Uncategorized Permalink

The Men of Influencer Marketing: Timothy Dahl

November 20, 2018

This is part five of an ongoing series where we will come to know more about the men of influencer marketing.

Social media influencers specialize in a variety of areas. From fitness to fashion and from families to food, influencers share their perspectives on a variety of topics with their followers. However, most of those voices are female. I was shocked to learn that male influencers represent just a fraction of all influencers online.

I decided to dig in to learn more about the men of influencer marketing. I’ve had many fun conversations with some of these men and have even joked with my colleagues about creating “The Men of Influencer Marketing” calendar.

Timothy Dahl is the DIY editor at Popular Mechanics. He’s also an influencer focusing on DIY projects where he often incorporates his family into his content. Timothy was kind enough to connect with me on Friday, October 19 to help me learn more about what he does. The following is a snapshot of our conversation:

Good afternoon, Timothy. You’re the DIY editor at Popular Mechanics, did that start after you became a social media influencer or was that where you kicked things off?

“No, that came after. So, if I want to take it way back, I had a job at “This Old House.” I was working on their online team. From there I launched a couple of my own sites like Charles and Hudson and Built by Kids. That helped raise my profile enough that other folks started to reach out to me, including Popular Mechanics.”

When you go back to ‘This Old House’ where you started off, how did that get started and how did that lead to you becoming a social media influencer?

“‘This Old House’ started in the early 2000’s when social media was really just coming on and at that point it was more about blogging and building your voice that way. For me, I cut my teeth with ‘This Old House’ and it helped me out with the right tools to see what people are searching for and what people are reading. That’s when I started my own sites and, on the social side, I feel like influencers and bloggers jumped into that before the big brands did and got a good hold, which has worked out.”

You are the founder of Charles and Hudson, Built for Kids and Tool Crave. What can you tell me about each of these brands?

“Charles and Hudson is the first one I started in 2005. I had the opportunity when ‘This Old House’ was not taking into account all of the submissions that different home bloggers were sending in so I made Charles and Hudson to show these builds. There was a lot out there but nowhere to just check it all out so that’s how Charles and Hudson started, then it just rolled into things other than DIY.

Built by Kids started seven years ago when we found out we were going to be parents and we learned that crafting isn’t really our thing. My wife and I are really into DIY and we’re really into tools. We wanted to introduce our child to more than just tablets and iPads. That’s how Built by Kids started.

Tool Crave is just another extension of that. It’s really focused on tools and people’s obsession with tools. It’s more so a peek inside some of the more popular makers and builders out there and what tools they actually use.”

I’ve seen your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. Is that where most of your focus is or do you use other social channels too?

“Those channels are where I really focus. I’ve done some work on Pinterest and I definitely use YouTube as well. I have a channel on there for Charles and Hudson and my wife and I recently created a new YouTube channel called The Dahl House. We bought a house last year, and we had the opportunity to do a lot of the things that we haven’t been able to do while renting for the last ten years. The episodes are based around different projects around the house.”

It’s clear that your family is really involved in what you do. How did you get to that point, or did you always know that your family was going to be a part of your content?

“Not really, not until we knew that we were going to parents. My wife started out in fashion so we had our own things but it just made sense because it’s really what our lives are about now. They’re young right now, but you know, we have a pool and a lot of different things that they are growing into around the house so it’s fun to build step stools for them and our oldest son is now passing that on to his younger brother.”

How fun! How old are your kids?

“They are 7 and 6 months old.”

Congratulations, those are fun ages! Across all of your channels and the different platforms you use, how are you building your following?

“To be honest, it’s tough! You have to really dive in. I look into analytics a lot and see what’s popular. I look into demographics, and who’s reading what. All of these different platforms have very different audiences and I want to share content that is best for them, from what they are searching for and what interests them. It’s not just about selling a product, it’s really about telling a story and on the social side there are a lot of different ways to do that.”

Is there a community of DIY influencers where you connect?

”This community has changed a lot since I started doing this. It has obviously grown a lot and people are seeing it as an opportunity to do a lot of different things. I feel it is a collaborative community. A lot of DIY YouTuber’s are collaborating and doing podcasts and sharing different projects. I’m in a couple different, private groups and we share feedback and tips and ways to improve as well as cross -promotion. I’m definitely very collaborative and there’s always enough people to work with and you can kind of find your tribe.”

Tell me about a campaign that really inspired you.

“Most recently I would say my work with Craftsman. What’s interesting about Craftsman is they’ve been around for a long time and they are one of the most iconic American brands but they’ve hit a bit of a rough patch lately because of their tie to a major brick and mortar store that is struggling. Also, in the 2000’s the quality hadn’t been as good as it had been about 50-60 years ago. They obviously rebranded, and partnered with Lowes and came out with a whole new line up of tools, power tools and garage storage. It was fun to work with a brand that everyone has had some kind of touch-point with throughout their life.”

Where do you draw your inspiration?

“It depends on what is happening in my life  at the time. If I’m writing a piece, is it because I am dealing with a crisis after my water heater broke? Then I may get inspired while fixing that and see that there are better alternatives to this big water tank, like a tankless water heater. On the DIY side, that’s where maybe some inspiration comes too, because we have projects here at our house that there are a lot of ways to tackle. What’s inspiring is kind of finding the one that works best for our family that from a design perspective works great and what fits our budget.”

What advice would you give someone who is considering becoming an influencer that you wish you had known when you started?

“If you are thinking about doing this, don’t think about just being an influencer. Think about just sharing things that you really like. The monetization and all the other things will come later. It’s really just about creating your voice, sticking with it and seeing if it resonates with your audience. If you have something interesting, then people will really respond.”

Is there anything more I should know that I didn’t think to ask?

“This work is something that when you’re in it, you’re in it because you love it so much and because you’re having a fun time doing it. It’s hard to go wrong doing something like that. Some people are in it for the wrong reasons and they try it for a bit but then they are out after a few months. You’re able to really create the kind of life you want to live and its fun!”

13 Nov 2018
Find Your Influence, Influencer Marketing Permalink

Yes, It’s November and We’re Talking Resolutions

November 13, 2018

No one really starts thinking about their New Year’s resolutions in November. But what if we got a head start so those health-related resolutions were already a habit by January 1? Maybe you’re not ready to prioritize those resolutions just yet but wouldn’t it be great to better understand some of the health and fitness trends for 2019?

Here at Find Your Influence (FYI), we’re always learning, evolving and working to stay ahead of trends. One of the ways we achieve this is through our family of influencers, like Sarah Dussault. Self-described as “The OG Fitness YouTuber,” Sarah has her finger on the pulse of fitness and has offered up some tips, exclusive to Find Your Influence, about how to set yourself up for success in the new year. We’re sharing her valuable insights, so you too can be ahead of the curve.  

Positive Body Image Role Model

Sarah started making Fitness and YouTube videos in 2006. “I feel very lucky to get in early when I did,” she explained. “I was one of the first three fitness channels on YouTube.”

A lot has changed for Sarah since 2006. The social media landscape has grown. Social media influencer has become a profession. (One she’s really good at, by the way.) But that’s not it. Sarah is now the mom of two boys.

“I used to teach a lot of fitness classes and I made fitness a priority in my life,” the Boston mom explains. “I would try to work out five to six times a week. I was training for marathons. Fitness took up a ton of my time because it was something I enjoyed and it was also part of my career. Fast forward to having two kids and it’s still something I enjoy but I struggle to find that time. Instead of working out five to six days a week, I aim for three or four.”

Having a family has changed Sarah’s fitness priorities. Instead of focusing on looking fit enough to feel like she’s a fitness influencer, she shares, “It’s more about being a positive body-image role model. My health is a top priority but not the same way it was before I had kids.”

Forget the Oreos

As we near the holiday season filled with cocktail parties and sweet treats, it’s hard to know where to indulge and where to draw the line. But Sarah has the aha-answer we’ve all been looking for.

“If there are desserts at a holiday party, select the ones you can only have when you’re there at that party. For example, if someone brought Oreos, you can have those any day of the year. But, if your friend made her grandmother’s secret recipe Christmas cookies, when are you going to be able to have those again? Those are worth the splurge,” she says.

But what about family dinners during the holidays? You know you can count on cranberries, potatoes, stuffing and pie. Sarah says to give yourself a break here. “Many people say that you eat your day’s allotment of calories at Thanksgiving dinner, and that’s a lot. But you’re only doing that once.” Don’t beat yourself up when these meals aren’t a regular occurrence.

Fitness Trends with Friends

Once the gifts are opened, our focus often shifts to New Year’s resolutions. Some of the most common resolutions involve losing weight, eating healthier or going to the gym. What will the fitness and health trends be in 2019?

“I think group exercise is definitely going to be big again,” said Sarah. “People love to sweat with other people because it’s motivating. There’s also something to be said about being held accountable when you sign up for a class.”

But not everyone has the budget or access to a gym. Instead of making excuses, focus your attention instead on having a few essential pieces of equipment at home that will set you up for a good workout. There are apps, or Sarah’s fitness videos on YouTube, that can set you up for success.

A healthy lifestyle is often easier to stay committed to when your family or friends join in. “If you have friends and you love going out to dinner together, maybe instead of dinner, everybody decides, ‘let’s all go to a class at a gym’,” Sarah suggests. Accountability for a workout or a healthy meal with a friend or a partner is important because you’re less inclined to cancel.

Keep it Simple

What healthy eating plans will be trending next year? It may feel like Keto was the health conversation in 2018, however Sarah thinks it’s only getting started. “Personally, I’m not a huge fan of any diet that says bacon is better than fruit. That’s not a diet for me. But people find results. I think it might be a great way to jump-start a weight loss program but I don’t think it’s a long-term solution,” she says.

Sarah also thinks eating less meat is also going to be popular. “People are acknowledging the health benefits of a vegan diet and also the effects it has on the environment.”

When it comes to healthy meal planning for yourself and your family, the goal should always be to keep it simple. “I keep my recipes basic and simple because that’s all I really have time for these days,” explains Sarah as she gets ready to walk to pick up her son from school. “I’ve become a fan of roasting vegetables and potatoes and then have a standard protein that’s easy and simple. You can marinate the protein overnight or cook using a slow cooker.”

Be Basic

When it comes time to make those resolutions, be smart and set yourself up for success.  Be basic, not extra. For Sarah, her goal is to work out three to four days a week which isn’t always possible to do. “When I do hit my goal, I feel so good about myself!” Sarah says emphatically. ‘If my goal was to work out five times a week I would constantly be disappointed.”

Stay in-the-know and ahead of trends with FYI, from your New Year’s health resolutions to the latest consumer trends. If Sarah is “The Og Fitness YouTuber,” then Find Your Influence is “The OG Influencer Marketing Solution.” Stick with us and we will keep you informed so you’re not the last person still doing aerobics with Jane Fonda – unless it works for you, we won’t judge.

09 Nov 2018
Find Your Influence Permalink

Thank you for your service, Brad Shroyer

November 9, 2018

On November 12, we recognize and remember the military veterans who have bravely and honorably served our great nation.  Brad Shroyer, UI/UX Designer at Find Your Influence, is a veteran of the United States Army.

We recently sat down with Brad to learn more about his time as an Army Specialist serving in the 1st ID.

Thank you for your service, Brad! Can you tell us about who or what inspired you to serve?

“Honestly, my motivation to serve in the Army was to pay for college. At that time, everything was generally ‘good’. It was before September 11, 2001 and it was more of a peaceful time. I was a junior at Penn State when Operation Iraqi Freedom began. I was then deployed to Baqubah, Iraq for a year.”

How old were you when you enlisted?

“I was 18 and in high school when I enlisted in the Army. My parents were supportive and proud. They understood that with four kids, money was going to be tight to send us all to college.”

Are you from a military family?

“My grandfathers were both in the military. One was in the Guadalcanal, in the Pacific, and the other one was in Germany. “

What can you tell us about the time you served, both before and after September 11, 2001?

“I was in Finance Division of the Army. Before September 11, I thought I would just be writing checks and paying bills. After September 11, 2001, my reality turned into me delivering money across Iraq to forward observation bases. I grew up a lot during this time. When I came back, I was a lot more dedicated to school because I appreciated it that much more.

It was really strange when I had two weeks R&R and I came back home. It was over the holidays and everyone was busy shopping at the mall. It was strange to know everything that was happening on the other side of the world and many people back home were just going about their lives, unaffected. It felt bizarre.

How has serving our country changed you?

“Serving in the United States Army has given me an appreciation for what we have here in America and our military. Especially the older-generation military. I think they sacrificed a lot more than we did. The number of casualties they faced isn’t anything we see today.”

What does Veterans Day mean to you?

“I think about my grandfathers on Veterans Day. They both completed their service, although one was a prisoner of war in Germany. My grandfather who served in the Guadalcanal did two or three tours over three years. He was an artist also so he used to get paints from the local markets and paint pictures and send to my grandmother. I have some of those paintings now. That’s really special.”

As we celebrate Veterans Day, we salute Brad, and everyone who has served for their service to our country.

01 Nov 2018
Blogging, Find Your Influence, Influencer Marketing Permalink

The Men of Influencer Marketing: Alan Lawrence

November 1, 2018

This is part four of an ongoing series where we will come to know more about the men of influencer marketing.

Social media influencers are everywhere. Seriously. Everywhere. But have you looked closely at who these people really are? At Find Your Influence (FYI), we have more than 100,000 influencers who have opted in to our network to be discovered by brands around the world.

When I first started at FYI in August 2018, I was shocked by how many women are part of the FYI network. 84 percent are female. That leaves just 16 percent of the network led by men.  

Who are these men? What makes them so successful? Why do they do what they do?

On Monday, October 15, I spoke with Alan Lawrence of That Dad Blog to learn more about his beautiful family and what inspired him to start his blog. What follows is my conversation with Alan:

Tell me about yourself, Alan. How did you get started as a blogger? Is this a full time role or a side hustle?

“When my second youngest son was born with Down Syndrome, it was pretty traumatic for me. In the following months I realized it was something that was more of a blessing than a negative. I felt guilty about that. When he was born and I was looking for different resources available about Down Syndrome, I noticed there weren’t a lot of positive articles available, especially coming from dads. I wanted to be part of the good news. Years ago when you would search for information about Down Syndrome it was all negative news. I wanted to create something different that would rise above all that to show that while there are some challenges, there is also a lot of joy.

As time went on, I started to feel more comfortable talking about my personal interests and my family of six kids. The idea of big families in today’s society is really where I’ve found my niche today.

Chick-Fil-A was the first brand to reach out to me and asked if I would be interested in getting involved in a campaign. And I thought it would be fun to try. It felt really natural and they liked the content. From there I really started thinking about putting my foot in the influencer realm. It’s really just gone from there.

When my son was born, I was working full time in the marketing department for a running shoe company. I’m also a photographer and a graphic designer.  I had the opportunity to create a couple of fun photo series with my kids that went viral. The last two weeks actually have become a little bit more full time for me on the social side for me.”

Is the blog where this all started? How have you transitioned to other social platforms?

“Currently I’m using my blog, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Instagram is really where it took off. My blog and Instagram were started at the same time but it was the photos of my son Will flying that really caught everyone’s attention and gave me the thought of taking this onto a bigger storytelling platform. Once Will was born, I wanted to share my Instagram for more than just personal platform but to help other dads who may be going through the same challenges with special needs kids as I was.

As things started to grow on Instagram and my blog, I started using Facebook. In 2015 I started using YouTube as a way to vlog. I really like telling stories through video.”

You’re active and engaged across four channels. Where do you find the time?

“I’m still trying to manage the time between being a good dad, working full time and then doing this on the side. I’ve now gone part time in my other role because it finally got to the time where the brand collaborations and partnerships are able to float us financially. I’m slowly stepping away from a job that I really loved to do something that I love even more. I’m walking with faith into this new direction in my career and hopefully take it to the point where I can fully step away from my other job and put more time into this. “

I can hear your passion and enthusiasm for this! In order to build something so strong across all of these platforms, you have to be committed to your followers. Tell me about them and how you engage with them.

“It’s kind of funny that my accounts are called ‘That Dad Blog’ so you would think the majority of the people who follow me are men but it’s 90 percent women. I work in partnership with my wife quite a bit. I feel like I’m a lot more open than the average male in my demographic would be as far as sharing personal feelings. I find myself reaching out to my wife to find out what she thinks, from a female perspective. I really appreciate her opinion and it’s valuable knowing that 90 percent of my followers are women.

As far as the interactions with the men who follow me, it’s very personal. I feel like men feel too vulnerable in sharing and putting themselves out there. That’s one thing that I’ve tried to help with, to let men know that they have a voice out there. Women are doing a great job but we also need to talk about the father’s feelings and create support groups through social media to be able to help dads express their feelings and be better dads. We need to learn from each other.

There are a lot of personal struggles I share, specifically related to having a child with special needs. I shared about how it was really hard, and about how I was not happy at first to know that my son had Down Syndrome. I didn’t want to sugarcoat that, I wanted to be honest. A lot of people responded and appreciated the honesty. People want to know the good news but finding a cadence and the balance of the good and the bad is important. Being honest and feeling comfortable putting yourself out there was a real struggle for me at the start. It’s become much easier for me as I began trusting the people who follow us after having open, honest and real conversations with them.’

Since it’s called “That Dad Blog,” tell me a little about your family.

“We have six children ranging from 16 to 3. They’re all so different from one another. My oldest, my daughter is kind of a shy, really intelligent introvert. Her brother, my oldest son, is very outgoing, charismatic and has a really great sense of humor. Our second oldest son is a mix between his older siblings. He’s in that awkward 11-year old stage right now where he’s trying to figure himself out. He really loves his younger brothers and has a good heart but leans more toward the shy side. My daughter Ali struggles with weight but is a really confident girl who likes to take over my Instagram Stories sometimes. I think sassy is a good way to describe her. It’s the cutest thing. It’s kind of created a separate following. People keep asking me to have her create her own account but I think she’s too young right now. My two younger boys Wil (5), who happens to have Down Syndrome, and Rockwell (3). I tell most of my stories around my two youngest because it’s kind of this dynamic about my son who has Down Syndrome and his brother who is this “average” kid. I think that’s the dynamic that people really enjoy watching because it’s a big family in general but also watching my younger two grow up together.

My oldest daughter doesn’t really like to be in pictures, she’s kind of a private person so I respect that with her. Ali is very open to most anything, she wants to be a YouTube star herself. My two older boys are timid but they are open to it.

My wife is the glue that holds it all together. She’s the one who keeps me sane and on track. She’s the rock. We’ve been married for 23 years now.”

Along the way, you’ve worked with different brands. Tell me what you’re looking for in a brand partner.

“I’m looking for something that I would actually use or something that can help to make my life better. At the start, when I was kind of new to it, I agreed to promote some brands that ultimately didn’t feel natural. I did one for a food brand that I wasn’t really interested in and didn’t end up feeling was a good fit but I guess I more or less did it for the experience. It didn’t flow right and my followers could tell it wasn’t authentic.

Doing things that feel right, that we actually use and that we can get behind are what we look for.”

Are there other dad bloggers who you follow?

The biggest one I follow is Father of Daughters. He is a great writer and I love his sense of humor.  Him and his wife have a fun dynamic. I know he works part time along with doing his social media so I can relate to that challenge.

I feel like there’s not a strong community of dad bloggers that is easy to find. There is a small network of dads that I’ve found through their outreach or I’ve stumbled upon through Instagram search. This smaller network includes dads of kids with special needs that I’ve become friends with. I’m friends with a lot of mommy bloggers whom I speak with a lot but not a lot of dads. I don’t mean for that to sound terrible but it’s something I can be a voice in helping to change in some way so dads can feel comfortable sharing their opinions too.”

 

29 Oct 2018
Find Your Influence, Influencer Marketing Permalink

Is That a Fake Influencer Behind That Mask?

October 29, 2018

Halloween is the one day each year we pretend to be someone else. We wear masks, wigs or makeup, all to trick others from knowing who we really are. In influencer marketing, some people do this everyday, not just Halloween.

“Influencer marketing fraud is when a social media influencer displays an unauthentic media presence,” explains Chelsea Goodson, Director of Influencer Marketing at Find Your Influence.

Influencer fraud is alive and well. It’s often a reason some brands may be hesitant to include influencer marketing in their overall marketing strategy. At Find Your Influence, or as our friends call us – FYI, we understand that fraudsters exist and we have a plan to keep them out.

Every influencer in the FYI network has been curated and categorized by an actual human being right here at our Arizona HQ. We use more than 25 data points to evaluate any influencer who opts in. No bots. No spammers. Not a single Russian hacker. When brands engage with influencers from our network, they know they’re getting the real deal.

Some of the influencers you follow today may not be part of the FYI network — yet. We want you to know how to spot the bad apples though. Here are five red flags to look for to spot influencer marketing fraud:

  1. Engagement doesn’t match the influencer’s follower count. For example, 60 likes on a photo for someone who has 20,000 followers may be a red flag. You would generally expect to see a higher engagement.
  2. Questionable comments left on influencer’s posts. This could include the same type of comment repeated numerous times by different followers. “So cute.” “CUTE.” “cute.”
  3. Drastically inconsistent likes per social posts on Instagram. One Instagram post could have 1,000 likes and the post immediately before it could have only 100 likes. You should expect consistency with a trusted influencer.
  4. Some people buy their followers. Seriously! Review an influencer’s followers. Are there many with similar names, short profiles or no posts of their own? This could indicate the followers are not real and were purchased.
  5. Look closely at the content. Is it their own or simply a repost from another popular account? Authentic influencers create their own content that is true to who they are.

On November 1, when the masks and wigs have been put away and the clown makeup has been washed off, look closely at the influencers you follow. Are they still wearing their mask?

23 Oct 2018
Blogging, Find Your Influence, Influencer Marketing Permalink

The Men of Influencer Marketing: Jorge Guevara

October 23, 2018

This is part three of an ongoing series where we will come to know more about the men of influencer marketing.

Social media influencers can have followers anywhere on the globe. Many of Jorge Guevara’s followers are from South America. Jorge was kind enough to grant us an interview as we continue to learn from the men of influencer marketing.

We want to better understand these men. What inspires them? What are their keys to success? What do they wish they knew when they started?

On Friday, October 19, I spoke with Jorge Guevara to learn more about how he has cultivated his audience. What follows is my conversation with Jorge:

Hi Jorge. I’ve seen your website and your Instagram but what more can you tell me about yourself?  What does it mean to you to be a social media influencer?

“The way I got started was in fitness modeling. Fitness modeling is very saturated now and I felt like I could do so much more than working out and buying meal plans. I actually had a good opportunity in Los Angeles to shoot with a big time fashion photographer and he pretty much opened my eyes and my mind that I could do so much more than just fitness. After that photo shoot, that’s when I figured out that’s what I really wanted to focus on. I started switching my entire image on social media toward high fashion. I worked with different photographers in Chicago, LA and Miami.

It was really tough in the beginning because the audience I had built over the last few years was very fitness-oriented and when I started posting a lot of fashion photos, I began losing a lot of engagement. It took me some time to gain it back and reach a new audience but that’s what the transformation looked like.

To be an influencer you have to find your niche and where you want to motivate people. For me it’s just being motivated in all aspects of your life from fitness, the way you dress, what you eat, taking care of your family and travelling. As an influencer I love to not only show off the brands that I work with and the content I create but also for people who may not have the opportunity to travel, I like to share my photos and videos to share my experiences.”

It’s not often you hear of influencers switching lanes like you did from fitness to fashion. What did that transition look and feel like for you?

“The whole process of going from fitness to fashion lifestyle blogger was very tough. In the beginning people were not used to it so I did lose a lot of followers and engagement. For me it was something I needed to do for myself. To go to high-end fashion brands was hard because my audience was more fitness-oriented. I want to say it took about a year through different brand collaborations and tagging pages on Instagram and although it’s taken time, I’m growing as an influencer. I’m a micro-influencer so I still have a long way to go to catch up. Some people have been doing this for more than ten years.”

Being an influencer is a concept that’s relatively new. How do you define being an influencer to friends and family who may not have been exposed to influencer marketing yet?

“As an influencer, you’re promoting a product or service that you believe in and you want your followers to follow up on. I only promote products or services that I’ve used and truly believe in. I don’t collaborate just to get paid. I do it because I believe in the brand or it’s something I’m going to wear. The easiest way to explain it is it’s something you believe in and you think it would benefit them too.”

What do you know about your audience who follow you?

“I have a big South American audience because I’m from Columbia. Even though I reside in the U.S. now,  I’ve always had a big Latin audience follow me because they can relate to me. I do a lot of videos in Spanish. Anywhere from 24-45 year olds make up my audience. Today that’s about 55% male and 45% female. As you start working with other brands you begin to gain more followers who like your content and that brand.”

As you’ve built your social media following, was there one thing you can point to that came ‘easy’ to you?

“Nothing’s easy. For me, I’ve been lucky to be photogenic so creating content has been fairly easy. Staying consistent with content has been one of the hardest things because you have to post almost every single day. Nothing has been easy because I’m continuing the growth phase in this saturated market where you have to do things that people are not doing. It’s important to me to focus on more aspects of life than just fashion, like travel too. I’ll always have fitness to incorporate in because that’s a huge part of my life that I want to promote, just not as much as I used to before.”

Is there a community of fitness or lifestyle influencers that you’re collaborating with on a regular basis?

“I’ve seen more collaboration with male influencers since it isn’t as big yet as the community of female influencers. For guys, we do a lot of collaboration on events or brands that may be looking for another guy. I’m always looking to help other people out because I know they would look out for me if they had the opportunity. At the end of the day it’s all about helping each other out and creating something different.”

Is there a brand that you aspire to work with?

“That’s easy, it’s Tom Ford. As I’ve grown as an influencer I’ve made so much progress with the brands I’ve worked with. I started with the small mom and pops and on to the smaller and medium brands. It’s getting to the point where the quality of content you’re putting out there and the brands you start tagging begin to notice you and inquire about you. I did a campaign with Lucky last year that was huge for me. It put me on the map for brands who are on the same level as them. It really helped me push my name and image to another level.”

02 Oct 2018
Find Your Influence, Influencer Marketing Permalink

The Men of Influencer Marketing: Brian Morr

October 2, 2018

This is part two of an ongoing series where we will come to know more about the men of influencer marketing. 

At Find Your Influence (FYI), we have more than 100,000 influencers who have opted in to our network to be discovered by brands around the world. Taking a closer look at the FYI network, 84 percent are female. That leaves 16 percent of the network led by men.

Who are these men? What makes them so successful? How have they built their personal brands?

On Wednesday, September 26, I spoke with Brian Morr, a menswear and lifestyle influencer based in New York City. Brian’s blog, Sink the Sun, chronicles his life and brand experiences in the Big Apple. What follows is our conversation:

It’s great to meet you, Brian. Tell me more about you. How did you get started in the world of influencer marketing?

“I currently work at a hotel in SoHo, in New York City. I’ve been working there for five years now. I’m originally from Long Island. Right after college I went back to live back home with my parents close to the beach so I started taking photos of the beach, myself at the beach and then myself in the city when I got my job in SoHo. It kind of just took off from there. There wasn’t  a point in time when I gained a lot of followers, it just happened organically over time, which was pretty cool. I’m often asked for tips or tricks of how it happened but it just happened on it’s own. I guess people liked the things I was posting, so I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll run with this.”

How has Instagram worked for you? Are you using other social channels too?

“I mainly use Instagram for collaborations, ads and things like that. I do have a blog too. I created the blog after the Instagram following took off because I wondered if Instagram may only be a fad that I would still have everything available on my blog. It’s a great outlet to get all of my thoughts out. I was an English major in college so I use that to my advantage in creating content like blog posts.”

I’ve spoken to a few influencers and a common thread is that many of you seem to have earned your degrees in English or Communications. This has proven helpful when creating unique content.

“That content, that message, It’s what we want to say to our audience and it’s very important how we word everything. It’s been really helpful to me to have that background.”

Let’s talk about your followers. Do they all fit into the same general category or different categories? How would you describe them?

“The majority of my followers, I think 80 percent, are male. I do a lot of men’s fashion and promote a lot of men’s brands on Instagram. I’ve done a lot of collaborations with alcohol brands too, which may be more appealing to guys. The demographic of my followers is somewhat similar to myself, although I do have 20 percent female following, but I’m geared more generally to men. My following is more New York-based than anything. It’s cool because I see a lot of people in the city that have recognized me. It’s pretty cool how this whole platform came to be and came to be something great for me.”

You mentioned engaging with your followers. Aside from them recognizing you on the street, what does your engagement with your followers look like?

“I do get emails here and there about style tips and questions. They are really few and far between. I do get a ton of direct messages, which I think is a lot more than other influencer friends who I’ve spoken to. Most of the  stories I put on Instagram are pretty relatable. I do get comments on my photos but more often direct messages about my stories or my style or where I’ve gotten something. I usually wake up each morning with 30-35 new direct messages. And I do answer all of them. I think this helps my engagement grow.”

You mentioned that you also work in a hotel. Is your role as in influencer your side hustle or are you looking to make that your primary hustle?

“It’s definitely something I’m thinking of doing soon. My current job at the hotel doesn’t interfere with the influencer side of my life. They’re very helpful when it comes to needing days off and they even let me take photos in the hotel. Right now I work 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the hotel and then have the rest of my day available to dedicate to shooting. I have the weekends off so I spend much of my weekend taking photos and creating content. It is pretty crazy, it’s two full-time jobs at this point. It’s awesome that I could take a hobby and turn it into something greater, turning it into something I love.”

You’ve worked with many different brands. What brands have been your favorites and why?

“I did a campaign with Heineken. With them I went Ultra in Miami and Coachella. It was like a yearly campaign which was really cool. That was more geared toward male influencers, all about Heineken, all about beer.

I did a few things with Timex and they were really cool to work with. I love watches and enjoy the opportunities I’ve had to work with different watch brands.”

What brand has resonated the most, or had the most engagement with your followers?

“I did a cool campaign with Reebok over the summer that got a lot of comments and messages. It was a new shoe line made from renewable material. Those pictures came out great and it was an all around awesome campaign. I heard from the agency that the brand itself did well from it.”

What, or whom, inspires you?

“Moving to New York City a few years ago has inspired me to get up and go and do this for a living. Living the New York City life has inspired pretty much all of my work. Everyday I see people hustling and doing everything they can to survive and thrive here. That’s really inspiring to me.”

In the world of influencer marketing, it appears to be heavily female. As a male influencer, tell me about the community of influencers you engage with. How would you describe that community?

“I definitely think women have the upper hand at this, which is not a bad thing at all. Women have started this influencer marketing revolution and that’s awesome. Male influencing is a whole different ball game. We have our own little group. When I go to events, I’m often asked if I know many women influencers. I really don’t because every event I go to for a brand is primarily a male event. There are a ton of new influencers popping up every week which is awesome. More competition is more incentive to work harder. For every one male influencer there is probably ten female influencers fighting for jobs. I think it’s pretty cool that guys have caught on to it and are now able to do it for a living.”