Instagram influencers are becoming increasingly popular in the media, as they can influence a wider audience and increase exposure. In an interview with influencer Chloe Alysse, Chloe shares her journey as a fashion blogger and Instagram influencer, focusing on ethical fashion and the subculture of independent companies and eco-friendly clothing lines. She shares her experience of entering an established Instagram community and suggests embracing the community to build a personal brand and increase exposure. By building ties with established influencers in your industry, you can be noticed by their followers and those with related interests. Additionally, Instagram will show other users’ posts, making it easier to build a personal brand on the platform.
In light of recent modifications to the site, Instagram influencers are presently a hot subject in the media. The world is interested in how the average influencer would perform on a platform that shields views of weight loss and cosmetic surgery product posts from impressionable viewers, as well as if they are a good or bad addition to Instagram.
I couldn’t refuse the opportunity to see what it’s truly like inside the influencer marketing industry and what it takes to stand out with extreme sincerity.
In order to explore developing a personal brand, finding success on Instagram, and the realities of being an Instagram influencer, I sat down for an interview with influencer Chloe Alysse.
This interview is for you if you’ve ever wondered how to get into the world of influencer marketing or how to increase your exposure, website traffic, and possibly even collaborate with others.
You’ll enjoy Chloe’s hilarious, unique perspective and her sincere Instagram style. She also offers priceless guidance on how to build your personal brand on the site.
How did you become into a fashion blogger and Instagram influencer?
It all started last summer when I learned about the entire field of ethical fashion, which I had never heard of before. For a few weeks, I oversaw a vintage resale account until shipping took over. I’m not cut out for it.
But when I started to learn about vintage stores and influencers, I learned that there is an entire subculture of people who support independent companies and eco-friendly clothing lines. We are a creative … community. That inspired me to start blogging, which ultimately resulted in brand collaborations!
How challenging was it for you as a new blogger to enter an established Instagram community?
I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about what I do through studying other Instagram fashion influencers’ success. I think you should embrace it and not be afraid of it once you find a larger group of individuals that share your interests.
You may be noticed by their followers and those with related interests who may already follow these bigger accounts when you build ties with established Instagram influencers in your industry. Additionally, if Instagram is showing other users’ posts, it will also show yours.
“Competition can be frightening, but if other accounts are making money while doing what you are, there is a market,” the author says. People are enquiring!”
Let’s discuss Instagram’s growth. In less than a year, you grew your following by more than 25,000. Why were you successful?
I think time management is a big factor. I used to approach my time on Instagram in a disciplined manner. Making sure I am acting sanely and safeguarding my mental health is the most important thing for me to do on Instagram. Even as a young child, I’ve always set hourly alarms for when I’m in the program.
You must be careful not to exhaust yourself because this is a lengthy project. It demands commitment. You’ll come up with better ideas and feel more creative if you can approach your Instagram strategy with a positive outlook and without feeling stressed.
Planning a social media post or strategy may be quite intimidating since it might seem like you have to accomplish everything at once. I would become worn out if I had to complete all of that in a short period of time EVERY SINGLE TIME I POST. The pressure from social media, especially on Instagram while observing other influencers, may have a big effect on mental health. It’s crucial to look after oneself!
That is really intriguing! Normally, how do you fill one hour in the application?
I split things to make them more manageable and set plans for the future week. For instance, I could take pictures of my outfits for the week as well as potentially some extras for a gloomy day on the first day of the week. I’ll concentrate on captions on day two. The three best methods to boost engagement on social media are to tell a story, include a compelling call to action, and prepare my hashtags (use Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder – it’s amazing!).
On the third day, I’ll do research on additional influencers, publications, and companies that are doing things I like. I’ll utilize an inspiration and credit the account where it came from if I use it! It has really drawn a lot of influential users with enormous followings and Instagram-like profiles to my young account, which is quite remarkable! I’ll import everything into Tailwind’s Instagram Planner on day four and schedule posts.
In order to answer to comments in real time, I also make an effort to be available for the first five to ten minutes after a post is published. I turn on comment notifications so I can see them on my phone and reply right away. This is great since you can thank your followers right away and even carry on the discussion to build engagement!
You should spend at least some of your app time communicating with your followers. Utilizing an Instagram scheduler will allow you to publish more frequently and concentrate on interaction.
Do you have any other advice for controlling your Instagram time?
You should constantly spend more time producing and preparing since they are the most important activities. When people spend more time responding to and interacting with the app than they do creating and planning, they start to suffer.
Spending all of your effort on engagement without seeing the expected results might be exhausting!
And keep in mind that success in business, blogging, or advocating a cause you care deeply about all comes down to doing what you like. Just take care of yourself.
You have a very active Instagram following in terms of followers. How did you win their loyalty?
I put a lot of work into developing a strong following. What makes me happy and draws me back to social media is the sense of community it fosters. The statistics will follow if you focus on creating this!
In fact, the optimum time to concentrate on community building is while you are still growing. Even while it could seem absurd if there are only a few people around, that is where everyone starts and the most memorable time to make it! It is harder to communicate with everyone as your audience expands.
Establishing a norm is essential since the growth of this connection depends on constant communication. Establish the expectation that you will reply to comments made by followers on your posts, even if you are unable to do it personally due to the volume of your account.
As an Instagram influencer with a blog, the community component is essential for engagement, but it’s also really beneficial for bringing visitors to my site.
Do you frequently concentrate on subjects that have historically piqued interest in your audience, and if so, how do you decide?
It varies greatly, and occasionally I significantly miss the mark. I’ll upload a picture to my feed that gets very little attention. Or I may ask a question in Stories that gets very few responses!
However, I am constantly surprised by what others find interesting. Sometimes it has nothing to do with fashion, as when I asked about a TV show!
Maintaining your specialization while displaying your true interests requires a difficult balance. I make an effort to combine the two. Frequently, my audience is uninterested in anything I post that is unrelated to fashion, but on occasion, they are also uninterested in my fashion-related stuff.
I’ve become better at being patient and trying new things, and Stories are a great opportunity to do that before putting anything on the Feed.
Has it been difficult for you to get blog readers from your Instagram followers?
Because most Instagram users desire to stay there, it is really challenging to move them to another site. How you engage with your followers makes a huge impact in terms of increasing traffic to your site.
Addressing subjects that your followers will be interested in learning more about is crucial, as is making it as simple as possible for them to find that material.
Through the use of my Link in Bio tool and Link in Stories, this is done. I was really lucky to be one of the first beta testers for Tailwind’s smart.bio, and it has seriously altered the playing field!
I was using another program when I signed up to be a smart.bio beta tester, and any of my links had a click-through rate of between 40% and 50%. My CTR rose to 70% after making the switch, and both the number of people signing up for my email list and visiting my affiliate articles both greatly improved.
Since no other link in bio utility permits both static links and connections to picture uploads, I think this is in part owing to its originality and aesthetic appeal. Additionally, it is totally unique because it uses MY photographs and MY colors!
What do your followers think of your sponsored content and brand collaborations as an Instagram influencer?
My audience has always seen me advertise affiliate links (I have ALWAYS been open about it and often remind followers of what is legal and what is not when exposing affiliate links), and I think they appreciate the fact that I don’t try to hide anything.
The “inauthentic” aspect of sponsored postings is a common complaint. Since women are routinely blamed for their financial success in a field where women predominate, I honestly think that is the problem.
I put a lot of effort into building a site and providing material, and I wanted to be paid for it! Early on, I started making money off of my work.
How do you assess brand collaborations to decide whether you are the right influencer for them?
I often reply to businesses who contact me by saying, “If you want to send a gift, I cannot guarantee exposure.” If you’re interested in seeing my media package, do let me know.
The number of businesses who try to get me to labor for free (and sometimes be so rude!) is really depressing. What other sector of the economy offers free advertising to businesses?
As a result, if you represent a company, I advise developing enduring bonds with influencers that uphold your principles. I’ve had a great working connection with a few companies from the beginning. I can’t wait to tell my readers about their newest offerings.
Remember that your time is valuable and that the effort you’ve put into building a platform is respectable if you are an influencer or wish to be one. Even if you don’t start off with a big salary, it’s important to get paid for the job you do.
You place a high priority on being true to yourself and being real. Ever turned down a chance because it didn’t suit your personality?
I receive a lot of discounts requests from brands, and other Instagram influencers regularly post affiliate links to these promotions in their Stories. I used to worry that if I skipped these blogs, it would hurt my business.
I had to look in the mirror and accept the truth that I don’t buy on sale. Without a doubt, I like a good deal, but I don’t like to purchase something just because it is discounted. As a result, I didn’t feel naturally inclined to continue reading these kinds of postings.
Finding my affiliate link, taking product images, and blogging about them brought me absolutely NO delight. It didn’t have the same effect as creating a blog post with the same material presented in a useful way, which I like doing.
I think a lot of other bloggers enjoy promoting their earnings and affiliate relationships, but I didn’t find it motivating. So I made the decision to stop, and I’m glad I did.
This is extremely efficient and perfectly matches your genuine brand. On Instagram, you’ve done a great job creating your own personal brand. How did you decide on the Instagram aesthetic?
I was first preoccupied with creating a unified style for my Feed. However, I also conducted a ton of detailed location and setup experimentation to find something that worked for me. I came to the realization that although having an aesthetic was important, having an Instagram style that worked for ME was even more important.
I needed a setting that was appropriate for the interior settings where I shoot pictures. I made my own presets because it seems that outside photography is where most presets shine.
I spent months perfecting it, but I did not wait to submit it on my Feed until it was perfect. In reality, I routinely posted images that I didn’t like and I kept track of how they were received. When I started “warming up” my images, I saw a rise in interaction.
I make an effort to take two out of every three photos there. This is my basic paradigm, however occasionally it is more and other times it is less.
I really love organizing my feed and seeing how my forthcoming posts will look next to one another using Tailwind’s 9-Grid Preview. For instance, I object to two pictures being close to one other. I occasionally take a close-up and a distant picture.
I’m delighted with how straightforward my style is. It makes it easy for me to update regularly and keep in touch with people!
Your move from a fashion blog under the handle @chloandclothes to a lifestyle blog under the handle @chloealysse was recently disclosed to your followers. What motivated the rebranding of your company?
I didn’t give Chlo & Clothes’ name or goal any thought when I originally started it. I only wanted to try out an internet secondhand business! But gradually it changed into a fashion account, which gave rise to the development of my blog. I became aware that Chlo & Clothes was not something I could see myself doing after my one-year mark.
My brand was stale and unable to develop along with me. I regularly shared my outfits for the day. That was the result. I was getting worn out and felt that the job I was doing had no direction or goal.
I started to feel the need to change towards the start of the summer. I tend to be less concerned about fashion in the summer. I want to be outside, sweltering in the heat.
I found that I was reading and working out more than I was planning clothes, so I made the decision to create a new environment where I could be more creative and try new things!
As I continue to research and grow, I want the Chloe Alysse brand to be strong and vibrant. I want my blog and Instagram to represent how much I appreciate finding the remarkable in the mundane.
More information:
You can check my site or follow me on Instagram
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