Putting things out there is what makes me accountable. I mean, posting on Instagram to my followers or talking about it on TikTok. When I tell other people, it’s what really holds me accountable. Maybe I’m just letting the universe know what I am ready for 🙃 It might not all stick and I might change my mind on things but I find I am more productive and motivated when I share my goals and what I am working towards. This could be sharing it on Instagram, or writing a blog post.. like this. It could be adding it to my “productivity journal” where I note monthly goals and doodle. Maybe it is just dreaming with my partner before bed or on a walk! Maybe it’s just sharing my goals with friends and family.
So what do I have on the go?
PROFESSIONALLY
– taking on more social media management clients as my marketing and communications agency continues to grow
– working with influencers to understand their value and create a clear vision for their business
– expanding my own opportunities to speak and educate on social media and branding
– creating a content calendar that includes more video content and is more strategic
– planning a new service offering that will support entrepreneurs in a new way, unlike anything I’ve seen before
PERSONALLY
– excited for gyms to reopen so I can lift heavier and get back to it!
– improving my meditation + yoga practice
– making sure I am drinking more water
– saving and planning for the wedding!
Should Employers Hire Influencers?
One time I had an interview for one of the larger North American agencies that manage online influencers, despite them knowing very well that I am an “influencer” and them having a policy that they do not hire influencers. Fun fact, I have interviewed at pretty much all of the top agencies but never felt like any were the right fit for me. Personally, I think that this policy gives off “dated” vibes. I’ve been working in influencer marketing for a long time, a very long time. I have experience as an influencer/creator, talent manager, agency director and on the brand side of things. A brand is going to pick an influencer (or creator) because of their content, their brand alignment or because they want them based on their personal taste, following count or whatever factor they’re set on. This agency was pretty set on their way of thinking and didn’t like the idea of having someone who does brand deals working on their talent management team because of a conflict of interest.
On the flip side, many influencer talent agencies have influencers on staff and their talent roster is okay with that. If I am managing mommy bloggers and personally am not a parent, it’s unlikely the brand is going to want to work with me. It’s also unlikely your employee is going to be pitching themselves instead of their roster – again, a conversation worth having with your employees. A little bit of flexibility goes a long way for employees. I mean, they could just go work for another talent agency and make money from their personal brand and from their job.. right? Retaining your staff is a lot cheaper than hiring.
As a person.. a human.. a whatever.. I think it’s important that we do not let working for someone else hold us back from building our own personal brands. If you want to make money, you need to be influential. If you are influential, you will make money. Using employee and founder stories in marketing is not a new trend, but it’s something more and more companies are tapping into on social media because it works. I’ll use myself for example — more than 90% of my new business comes from my personal brand (not directly to my company!)
Why? Because they trust me and want to work with me. People buy into people. Of course, it can become a conflict of interest in certain situations but I don’t think it warrants a strict policy against letting any talent managers take on their own brand partnerships – even ones that are 100% not related to their job (ie. an inbound message from a brand that doesn’t work with your talent/employer)
Have tough conversations and be transparent, transparency always wins. Communication is key! If you’re not leveraging a personal brand, sharing the wins of your team or sharing your founder’s story, you’re cutting yourself short! Also, stop holding people back… or they’re going to leave.
Costa Rica Trip
It’s our goal to continue to travel every Winter. I am from Canada, where the weather is extremely cold in the Winter months. Aaron and I both wanted to check out Costa Rica and we’re so glad we did.
We stayed in Tamarindo, Monteverde and La Fortuna. If you’re looking for more tips or want recommendations for places to see, where to eat or anything else.. just reach out to me!
small space: new flooring
Oh boy! Imagine having a water leak and not knowing how bad it was.. until it was really bad. Well, that was us. Our mobile home has really old plumbing, many of which have since been replaced and updated. However, we had a really bad leak. It was in the bathroom corner, on the shared wall to the kitchen and leaking under the counters by the kitchen sink. It ruined the flooring in the hallway and the kitchen. It started to bubble and that’s when Aaron decided to cut a hole in the wall and find where the leak was originating from.. thanks babe.
We then had a plumber come and fix the leak the next day, as soon as possible. It was pretty… wet. Luckily, we were able to fix the problem quickly. This project was the most hands-on one that we’ve been a part of at the mobile home. We did the complete demo ourselves, just Aaron and I. However, we did tap into family to support us with laying the new floors.
We went with vinyl plank flooring that we found at Costco. It was from Golden Select and we found the price was really good and I liked the look of it. Honestly, it was pretty easy to install. We were lucky to have support from experienced men that knew what tools to use and had a strategy on how best to lay the flooring.
Honestly, it looks so much better! I’m also SO happy to not have any carpet anymore. By having all the same flooring, the space also looks bigger. Have a better look by checking out my Instagram/socials: @boywhoblogs
The Worst Ways To Get Followers
Sure, follower count still matters but I think we can all agree that how many followers you have is not nearly as important as how engaged those followers are. Yup, influencers bring value by understanding their audience and speaking to them in a way that others have a hard time replicating. A vanity metric, like follower count, is tough to not get caught up on.
Let’s talk about four of the worst ways to get followers.
Automating Engagement via Hashtags
Don’t have bot accounts message and leave comments asking people to follow or DM a main account. It’s spammy and there is a better way to engage new audiences.
You should hit follow because you are interested in connecting with them and seeing their content, not because you expect to be followed from them.
Not only is this frowned upon in the industry, but it’s also unsustainable. You’re paying for a boost of followers that are only following you because they could win a large ticket item, often fooling you when they don’t win. People have been caught for fraud surrounding this method for selecting a fake winner.
The vanity of having a certain number of followers doesn’t mean anything if they don’t care about you, aren’t engaging with your content and you don’t know anything about them. Over time, these accounts are removed from the platform — again, not sustainable and also against the community guidelines.
If you’ve fallen into any of these tactics, move away from them and start building a strategy that is measurable and a little bit more authentic.
Common Social Media Goals
Have you had a chance to review your goals and check in on the plans you had in mind for your social media strategy?
It’s time to step it up when it comes to using social media to grow your personal or business brand. Now is a good time to reflect and plan for the next quarter.
Here are some common goals —
▪️Post more consistently ▪️Improve the quality of content
▪️Try new platforms
▪️Create a social media strategy
▪️Focus on engaging with new + current community
▪️Increase reach, clicks + sales
▪️Produce more video content
▪️Collaborate with another business or creator
▪️Show up on more surfaces (Stories, Reels, Live, etc.)
And hey, if you need a marketer who is straight-forward, fun and effective on your side — book a free intro call with me online right here