Ever wondered what it’s like to be an influencer?
The ins and outs, the day to day. Well we have the answers!
Read more about our sit-down chat with Stacey Werner, creator of Newlywed Survival, a blog that she describes as one woman hoping to help others survive the first few years of marriage.
We’ve personally worked with Stacey on a influencr marketing campaign for the life insurance company, Ameritas. By doing this we were not only able to reach out to the main demographic of Ameritas in an interesting, engaging, and most importantly authentic way. This blog ended up making a large enough impact that Stacey was asked to do a follow-up campaign. According to Brian Noonan, Director, Interactive Experience, Ameritas Life Insurance, “Using influencers via social media helped extend our reach and provided good learnings for us as marketers. We were pleased with the results, especially on a small budget.”
Here at Fourstarzz, not only are we able to help companies like Ameritas grow through Influencer Marketing, we are also able to help influencers like Stacey grow their brand in a new and exciting way while still holding true to their original values.
Her post, while sponsored by Ameritas, still reflected on her ideas and beliefs she just provided her readers with a place to go to get life insurance and financial advice instead of just telling them why they should get it. That’s why we wanted to sit down with Stacey and talk with her about why being an influencer is just as important to her as it is to the companies she works with.
Through this Q&A we hope to give you an insight as to what it’s like to be an influencer in an ever-changing society.
Q: What is the main purpose behind your blog?
A: The role that my blog plays is to help newlywed couples find answers to any questions that they may have during the first few years of marriage. So it’s more of a place for people who may be having issues in their marriage can find someone who could also be going through the same issue.
Q: Do you make money from your blog?
A: Yes I do, through sponsored posts, advertising, and social media.
Q: How has working with Fourstarzz helped you in becoming an Influencer?A: Working with Fourstarzz gives me a lot of room to make the content on my own. For example, when I worked with an insurance company, it wasn’t just saying the particular insurance brand was great. I got to write from the perspective of my audience and let them realize for themselves why the insurance they’re getting is great and how it will benefit them through personal stories and examples.
Q: Can you explain your step by step process of creating and publishing sponsored content?A: It all depends on how active I want to be in publishing content. When I want to work with brands, I’ll work with third-party companies, like Fourstarzz, to find brands to work with and content to post. Sometimes, brands will reach out to me through e-mail or if I find a brand that I know my readers can relate to, I’ll reach out to them and see if they want to collaborate. Most of the sponsored content I write is from third-party sites that work directly with the brands. It makes it much easier to connect with a company that way and you know there already is an interest.
After I find the brand I want to work with, I work on establishing a connection. I’ll come up with content ideas and run them past the company. Once we agree on a piece, I work the content into my pre-set schedule. On one day, I’ll take photographs for the post. Then the next day I edit the photos before I write the post. Finally, I edit the post and get it ready to publish. Once everything is done on this daily schedule, I work on scheduling social media content for the post. Finally, I reply to the responses I get from the article and on social media.
Q: What is your personal favorite part about being an influencer? A: I like that I am helping somebody. The whole reason I started my blog is that I felt like there wasn’t a place I could go to find other couples like my husband and I—non-religious and without kids. A lot of marriage blogs are religious or kid-centric. I really enjoy when someone comes to my blog and asks me a question or tells me they appreciate what I have to say. That’s what keeps me coming back.
Q: Has being an influencer impacted the way you get your message across? A: It’s had a huge impact on my writing style. Before, I was only thinking about what I wanted to read about or things that were going on specifically in my marriage. Now, when I’m working with brands, I have to think in terms of what my audience would want to hear about. It’s also helped me improve my photography. Once I got into the idea of being an influencer, I realized that other influencers around me had such strong photography skills. It made me want to improve my own photography content as well.
Q: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to get into influencer marketing?
A: Yes. Definitely be true to yourself. Have your own voice and make sure you show that. Don’t write the same things that everyone else has written because it’s popular, write about things you are passionate about. The more genuine you are in your article, the better you will come across.
Q: Lastly, what is your personal favorite social media platform and why?
A: I would have to say Instagram right now. I love coming up with different photo ideas that will resonate well with my followers. I also enjoy seeing the differences between the followers on my blog and the followers on my Instagram account.
Interested in learning more about Stacey and her blog or just have questions that we didn’t answer? You can find her here or check her out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+!
Here at Fourstarzz, we help brands and non-profits all over the world to find ways to make influencer marketing work with them. Interested in hearing more about what we do or how to get started? Get in touch here.
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