How to Create and Strengthen Brands with Influencer Marketing
Interview with fashion blogger Luana Silva on the topic of influencer marketing
Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof: You are primarily active as a fashion blogger on Instagram, and you now have more than 400,000 followers. What are the topics that attract the attention of your audience?
Luana Silva: Originally, I just always took pictures from my everyday situations and let the followers participate in my life. Over time, several areas have emerged that I post or write about more often. On Instagram, the topics of fashion, beauty, travel, lifestyle are particularly visible. If you click a little further and land on my blog, you can also find general tips and texts on personality development. The basic idea for me is always to inspire my followers and motivate them to their personal best form.
Riekhof: Can you describe in a few keywords what a typical day of a fashion blogger looks like?
Luana Silva: The nice thing is, there is no classic daily routine for a fashion blogger. Many bloggers are on the road around the world for part of the year. I personally attend many events, but I also like to be at home. It is important that I think about posting my photos every day, give my followers insights into my everyday life and constantly create new content – whether it’s photos, videos or texts. It is also always important to keep an eye on trends and changes in the market and in fashion.
Riekhof: Why do you mainly rely on Instagram? YouTube plays a rather subordinate role for you, although it is a very wide-reaching channel.
Luana Silva: Yes, that’s absolutely true. It’s just a matter of type. I’ve always enjoyed Instagram the most, and since success in this area comes with a lot of perseverance and continuity, it’s important that you really enjoy the thing and the platform. I also try myself on YouTube from time to time, but the platform simply demands much more time and energy from me than Instagram.
Riekhof: You have succeeded in making Luana Silva a brand. What principles should one absolutely observe if one wants to successfully lead a brand in social media?
Luana Silva: It is important to become aware of the principles you represent and what the brand should stand for. Once you have found a suitable name for the brand, it is simply important to regularly create good content. We always say: What is the added value for the consumer? What feeling should the brand evoke in him? Anyone who manages to convey this message with qualitative content should no longer have a problem with the success of the brand.
Riekhof: How does the commercialization of your fashion blog work? From when – i.e. how many followers should one have? – do your fashion blogging activities “pay off”? And do you rely on agencies as service providers for marketing?
Luana Silva: This question cannot be easily determined by the number of followers. It may be that small bloggers who occupy a certain niche can commercialize their reach earlier than medium-sized fashion bloggers. In addition, each blogger monetizes his reach in different ways. For example, many bloggers link outfits for restyling on their blog. The products are provided with affiliate links, and the blogger receives a commission for each purchase.
Riekhof: Many companies are currently developing and implementing an influencer marketing strategy. Can you tell these companies what they should definitely pay attention to and what is often done wrong here? And for which industries is influencer marketing suitable, for which rather not?
Luana Silva: Many companies are still not really daring to just do it, and that’s actually the worst thing. Better to do something than nothing at all, and those who deal a lot with the topic will also grow with the topic. The rules in social media change all the time. The most important thing is the authenticity and approachability of the brand as well as the continuity of the postings. Social media gives companies so many opportunities to associate beautiful associations with their own brand. Many companies from the classic blogger areas have recognized this for themselves. I see influencer marketing as somewhat more difficult in the B2B area.
Riekhof: How do you see the future opportunities and developments of influencer marketing? Will the topic soon be outdated? And in which industries do you possibly see a particular need to catch up?
Luana Silva: I think influencer marketing itself will stay as long as the internet exists and some people say their opinions and others want to hear them. However, the way advertising is done will change, as will platforms and protagonists. So far, mainly companies that can present an aesthetic product have dared to tackle the topic. Particularly hesitant are conservative companies or companies without or with an unaesthetic product.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof: Thank you very much for the interview and the insight into the work of a fashion blogger.
More information about Luana Silva at: www.luana-silva.com