Recently I've done a lot of research. More than academic research, that is. I've been really interested in finding out what it takes for people to establish themselves as a personal brand in whatever realm that they so choose, and the techniques that they choose when attempting to do so.
This curiosity was inspired by a few things, however, I originally became interested in this when I needed beauty advice. A quick background on that: I have unbelievably oily skin, which has been prone to severe acne for almost a decade now. I was always told by friends and family that just using face scrubs and not wearing make up will make it go away. Well, ten years later, that advice has not gotten me very far. I took to the internet to figure out why my incredibly smart friends and family were (not purposely) misguiding me. It turns out that you can learn a lot from Youtube. Beauty bloggers are a very hip thing on Youtube currently, and I decided to explore the trend and the people behind the trend. These Youtubers that call themselves beauty bloggers (many have separate blogs and various social media accounts) will tell you everything that you need to know about makeup and skin care; from what's new in beauty to how they go about caring for their skin. There is loads of information readily available. But why trust their opinion? What have they done to establish their ethos? Most of the viewers have never met these beauty bloggers, but take what they say as the end all be all. After conducting research for the past four months (that's right.. that's a long time) I have found that there is generally a common theme amongst how beauty bloggers get started and work to establish themselves as a name in beauty advice and beauty blogging. They begin as amateurs, sometimes filming with their 'Photo Booth' application on their Macbook, just going through their makeup collection and talking about things that have worked for them for a long time and why. These people have been interested in beauty for a while; whether it be their childhood obsession or their actual training as a professional. As they continue, they next begin to brach out and buy higher end beauty products and give their likes, dislikes, etc. All while still buying concurrently from the drug store products that they have never tried or that is new. It is important to note that the frequency of updates and uploads is very important. Similar to creative writers, beauty must be updated and unexplored territory must be pioneered. Most beauty bloggers update their blog at least twice per week. One blogger has certain days in which her audience can expect a certain genre of beauty video. I thought that was a great strategy, because it gives her audience something to look forward to or get excited about, and it's scheduled. Humans are creatures of habit. After a bit I couldn't help but think, this has to get expensive for them. A great business man once said, "to make money you must spend money." I admit, I giggled a bit when I considered that concept in the realm of beauty blogging, but it really does apply. I did the math, and an average beauty blogger will most likely spend about $500-600 per month on products that they buy themselves to introduce and try out new makeup for their audience***. I like to think of this as an operation cost: it is a necessary expense to stay in business and continue to occupy the market niche in which they are either in or striving to be in. They also utilize other social media to build their following. After they post a video, it gets linked on their other social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) in an attempt to build a following on their Youtube channel. What I found most key, however, is that beauty bloggers tag brands they are using in their pictures and comments. This is not only helpful to allow them to be seen by the brand, but it also makes them accessible to other viewers and brands that are competitors. This inspires not only more views, but the potential for contracts and partnerships from other brands. There is, obviously, a waterfall effect when this occurs. The more popularity, the more brands and people will desire to parter, have contracts, or just take what you have to say very seriously. Many Youtubers also collaborate with a brand to create their own beauty products. Talk about existential growth in ethos. A Youtuber can only go up from here, friends. I know the Youtube beauty blog industry may not be the most interesting for everyone, and that is understandable, but it is worth considering the strategies these young men and women (whom many do not take seriously) use. Also, how hard they work to build a Youtube 'channel' and readily following audience from the ground up. In 2016, there are many forms of entrepreneurship. One thing they all have in common is that they require discipline and hard work. Establishing a personal brand, which is essentially building a business, is no joke. I have a few friends that are marketing majors, one specifically that chose not to take an internship this summer in favor of creating a personal brand. She has recently released a podcast called 'Same,' in an effort to build her person brand. She has expertly strategized her techniques and established her niche as friendly, personable, and talking about things she knows and loves: dogs, chipotle, with her final goal being "to connect people everywhere". Conducting this research (although I did not realize searching for one answer on the internet would become another project for me) has taught me quite a bit about what it takes to build a brand, but also be passionate enough about something to act upon a whim and do it. I know the purpose of this blog is to 'follow all of my whims', which is funny because after writing this I have inspired myself to go on more whims and follow my own ideas more seriously. It is very exciting to know that people who work hard, at almost anything, can achieve great success with the audience and within the arena that they desire. Have a great Sunday, folks. ***for more information about my data, please contact me directly using the contact me link.
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Author: Allyson DitizioGeographer, yogi and occasionally creative writer. Archives
September 2016
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