To say its been an amazing journey would be an understatement! This last one year has given me some incredible experiences that will continue to shape me as an influencer & also as a person! Taking the leap and pursuing your passion almost full time isn’t easy, specially when you have to constantly worry about your stay in the country with all the visa issues aka the immigrant life! I still remember that fine snowy evening during the last holiday season when I casually brought it up to Shaleen that one of my BFFs suggested me to start a lifestyle blog as she thought I always inspired people around me by my style, party planning skills, decor & more! And there he said, I think she is right, you totally should! I guess thats where it all started & within no time, we started researching more about this platform & after much thought, Couture & Beyond was born!
Sharing some of my experiences from this journey & if you ever want to venture out something similar, yours truly will always be at your service 😉
Find your niche, target audience & set the initial budget
This is something you will probably read in every ‘How to start your blog’ article but trust me when I say, it is THE most important element if you want to be an influencer in any area/industry! Knowing your specialization makes it easier for you to plan your content and identify your target audience, for example: if you want to focus on luxury brands and lifestyle, you cannot have students as your target audience. Knowing your audience drives EVERYTHING on your platform! Its only when you post topics relevant to your audience, that you’ll be able to drive the engagement! I cannot stress enough on how important it is to set your budget when you start as this is a never ending expense and you need to act smartly to not get carried away by this alluring world. I suggest you repurpose your current belongings and invest as little as possible initially.
Identify your Platforms
It is very imperative for you to be well versed with the platforms that you choose to interact with your audience. TBH, in today’s era, you cannot hate social media and become an influencer or a blogger as you need those platforms to reach out to the masses! Also, I did not create a new instagram account when I started C&B because I didn’t want to loose my friends who followed me as it would have probably been difficult to ensure all of them are redirected to my new account, but I did convert my account to a business one to leverage the Instagram analytics. You can do the same with Pinterest, YouTube etc. but I do recommend creating a new facebook page to link to your Instagram business profile. If you are also planning to launch a website, ensure that you own the domain name and host it with a reliable service, mine is Bluehost & WordPress (and I use Google Analytics plugin for stats).
Be ready to share your life
This is specially applicable if you’re going for a lifestyle influencer and I’ll be honest that I don’t think I’m a 100% comfortable with this yet! I know & follow a lot of bloggers who share their lives in a way that I almost feel like a part of it (which is awesome) but this is an area where I am still struggling & hopefully will be able to get more comfortable soon! I do however maintain transparency whenever I share something personal with my followers and ensure that they can relate to it. Sometimes you might think that do they even care whats going on in your life or they’re just interested in your outfit deets & its completely normal to have those doubts, but over a period of time, when you connect with your followers & build a community, you gain the confidence to share more with them!
Photography
Whether you’re a food blogger, a lifestyle one, fashion or beauty, you most likely need tons of pictures to promote your niche on social media! Photography in today’s world doesn’t mean an expensive DSLR & a professional photographer by your side, it can be as simple as your tripod and phone! I admit that most of my pics are taken by Hubby dearest but if you don’t have another person to take your pics all the time, trust me that modern day tripods and phones are your best friends. You can always look for local photographers to collaborate with & I’m sure you’ll find a good deal in exchange for some good content for their page! I suggest you read and learn more about editing skills and invest in presets if you feel like (I personally don’t), again, one of the areas where I’m still learning.
PS: Most of my edits are done in less than 10 minutes on my iPhone using apps like Snapseed, Aviary, Retouch, Lightroom etc.
Constructive Criticism
Always try to make every criticism constructive if not already given with the same intention and this will make your life so much easier! Let’s be honest, we say we’re open to feedback and criticism but if someone comes across as too harsh, it hurts because you put your heart & soul into your platform. I personally went through a phase where some of my friends would mock my blog in general (not sure if their intention was bad or their teasing crossed the line) and it was pretty difficult but a close friend of mine said that ‘ Its because they can’t do what you do’ 🙂 All I needed was some positivity and soon those comments didn’t make any difference in my life & I felt better than ever 🙂
Brand Collaborations
This is something I always had the most questions about & never really got my answers other than with the experience! If you ask me, while the follower count does matter, if you have good content, brands will start reaching out pretty early as brands are trying to leverage the reach of influencers to connect with customers as its been established that customers are more likely to relate to influencers than celebrities. I attended some local workshops & most of them suggested a Media Kit which basically is like a Resume for influencers. This helps the brand to know your work & demographics which in-turn determines if you’re a good match for their product or not. Initially it will mostly be promoting their brand in exchange for products and eventually it will lead to payment per post/story based on the brand company.
I hope my journey can inspire you in some way whether or not you choose to enter the world of influencers & bloggers! All I wanted to convey is that if you’re passionate about something and want to pursue it further, its never too late !
THANK YOU for all the support you have given me & I hope I can continue to connect with you all! Lots of love <3
xoxo
