Anyone these days with an Internet connection has heard the term ‘influencer’, but what does it actually mean? How does one find themselves in such a coveted position, and what does managing yourself as a brand actually entail?
Easy eCommerce spoke to Ashleigh Huynh, who works as a stylist and content creator via her Instagram @ashleighhuynh. Ashleigh studied Commerce majoring in Marketing at the University of Sydney, and has worked for Australian designer label alice McCALL for over 3 years now. As a passion project, Ashleigh creates digital content for fashion, lifestyle and beauty brands.
How did you start your account? Did you intend to grow your following, or did it start organically?
Ashleigh: I created my Instagram account at a time where a lot of “OG” fashion bloggers such as Aimee Song were gaining prominence. I really looked up to their style and creativity, especially because of the fact that there weren’t many Asian figures in the fashion sphere of Western media that I felt I could look up to. I already had a significant affinity to fashion and styling, and seeing bloggers such as these inspired me to intentionally switch my account to public and start posting fashion content. After some persistence and continual engagement with brands and other creators in the fashion space on IG, my account started growing organically, and has excitedly grown to 10.3k+ followers.
What do you think the key is to developing yourself as a brand?
Ashleigh: Creating a personal brand can definitely be difficult and quite daunting. Firstly, and this is cliché, but you have to know yourself and what it is that you do. Are you a wedding cake-maker? An interior and architecture mood board creator? Narrowing down your niche is key to developing yourself as a brand because it helps you narrow down who your target market is and how to create content that has value to them. It is important to remember that you cannot appeal to everyone, and often creators who try to squeeze a bit of everything into their account find that their brand message and ethos often gets lost in the noise of the process.
The second critical factor following up from that would be to hone in on the narrative that you want to tell to your audience, and ensure that everything you communicate helps to develop and nurture that narrative. This is not just from the imagery you post, but also your bio, your handle, your captions and your Instagram stories (don’t underestimate these!). Everything should flow and align with your personal brand. The inclusion of Instagram stories has really elevated the platform and for me is one of the top ways I try to communicate my personal brand to my followers, because it allows for so much freedom in creativity.
What tips do you have on working with brands?
Ashleigh: The biggest tips that I have would be to:
1. Imagine that the PR rep of your favourite brand is looking for creators to work with and just found your page. Ensure that the presentation of your Instagram feed is original and visually captivating, and that your contact details (eg website, email) are present in your bio.
2. Create a Media Kit! This is especially relevant now that likes have been disabled in Australia. A brand will not only look at your followers but your engagement rate, which can sometimes be even more valuable. Your Media Kit should be succinct and uncluttered, featuring key statistics and analytics such as your engagement rate, average number of story views, and the gender and location of your audience. Attaching a Media Kit to your outreach email to brands instantly makes you more professional and boosts your chances of getting a response back.
3. Don’t be afraid to be the one reaching out, especially if you’re just starting out. I know from personal experience that I gained more collaborations from my outreach emails than emails I received from brands who stumbled upon my account. Take the extra minutes to locate the exact person in the PR/Marketing role to email instead of just sending it to a generic email address, and trust in the originality and quality of your content.
What is one mistake you see a lot of influencers making?
Ashleigh: BUYING. ARTIFICIAL. ENGAGEMENT. Any website or company claiming they can drastically grow your followers or likes is too good to be true, due to the proliferation of fake accounts or “bots” that they send to make your follower count higher. These bots cannot provide value to the brands you work with. It actually hurts your brand in the long run, and brands can very easily detect which accounts are buying likes or followers through programs, algorithms, or just a simple calculation of your engagement rate. Organic growth and building genuine connections with your fashion, art or foodie community for example will not only enable you to attain better partnerships with reputable brands, but also enrich your whole Instagram experience, as you become genuinely invested in the community you’re a part of.
Follow Ashleigh on Instagram @ashleighhuynh.
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