Blogger Perspective: What Kind of Influencer Are You?
I may be an online influencer, yet I think everyone has some influence over the other people around us. My friend, Kay, is the person who pointed that out, and it’s true. That’s why I always think it’s good to take the time to present ourselves intentionally.
Quote of the day;” Just don’t give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” Ella Fitzgerald
What makes my day is when some woman tells me how I’ve motivated them to try something different with their style, or reintroduced them to color. Or especially how you love some of the small businesses that I love like the Sheec socks or Walking Cradles shoes. However, I wanted to be somewhat comical and confess that in the true influencer world, I’m a failure.
If you know me at all, I’m a positive person. So when I describe myself as a terrible influencer, it’s more about poking fun at myself. Because for many women out there, this is their full time job.
Influencer Fails
So here goes. The list of why I fail as an influencer:
1-I’m way too bold with my style most days. Or as my husband says, I’m swimming upstream. I’d be much more successful if I followed the rules and blended in with everyone else.
2-I’m more about teaching you to fish than hoping you buy a fish. What do I mean by that? Most days, I try to show you how to wear what you already have in your closet. Sure, it’s fun to update our pieces occasionally, but I’m not one to push you into buying things just for the sake of making a commission.
(For example, maybe you read other blogs that showcase the Nordstrom sale. I’m more of a frugal girl myself, and tend to buy things when they are deeply discounted. Unless I’m trying to support a small business.)
Yet I realize that if I went and did the try on posts at the store, I could show you what is available to purchase and give you the skinny about what it’s really like.
Insider thoughts: There is nothing wrong with the influencers that post about sales and certain clothing. In fact, that’s exactly what a fashion influencer is supposed to do, which is why I’m saying I’m terrible at it!
3-Our photos? So many of them are at the wrong time of day and therefore the lighting isn’t ideal, or some are even not perfectly in focus (see the last photo of this blog post, haha). Both my husband and I try to do it right, but we also don’t want to get up at 5 am in the morning. And we are truly amateurs (although we are learning new things every day).
4- Popular topics research. If you read any article for this kind of job, then you know you should research what women want and need. Do we do that? No way!! Sure, if you have a suggestion about something to style, we will ALWAYS try to fulfill it. But otherwise, we tend to find ideas that work from our closet and things we like to style.
5– Those store links and item widgets I add to my posts? They should be updated regularly in order that you can purchase the item you see instead of it being sold out. However, I would rather spend my time doing the things I consider fun, like exploring our new area, answering comments and finding new outfit combinations!
Wins
It’s not fair to only talk about my influencer failures!! Of course I have many wins too.
I absolutely love coming up with styling ideas that I would never have thought of years ago. It also floats my boat to discover small companies and introduce them to you. Another passion is to change the negative thoughts on aging. Loving our bodies as they are right now is a freeing ideal that I try to incorporate into all of my posts. It’s not always easy, but it makes life so much more positive!
Most “real” fashion influencers count on commissions from you purchasing items through their links. Since I rarely go to a store and buy something so you’ll be influenced to buy, I depend on other wins!
In fact, I recently discussed some of the behind the scenes aspects of blogging including the costs and how bloggers make money. That’s one of the reasons I have the link to “buy me coffee” if you ever want to “tip” me instead of purchasing items.
I try to use the blog to explain our outfits and get creative with our closet. Rarely do I post personal thoughts (besides in my Weekly Wrap up days) in a blog post. That’s why I hope that you sign up for my emails instead. It’s in my emails that I will give you more of our personal tidbits and share giveaways and things I hope you enjoy!! I feel like I want my emails to be something more than just an announcement of my blog post.
