• Beca Alexander @becaalexander—Brand Manager & Founder, Socialyte
• Wendy Nyugen @wendyslookbook—Blogger, Founder of Wendy’s Lookbook & Artemis
• Idalia Salsamendi @idaliasalsamendi—Brand Consultant
• Tessa Barton @tezza—Creative Director, Photographer, Musician
• Christie Ferrari @christie_ferrari—Blogger, Psychologist

WISE WORDS

Straight from the influencer’s mouths, here are helpful hints for every brand to consider, no matter how established they are.

Tessa Barton: “Come up with your brand motto.”

Having a motto will force you to think about what you want your brand to do. It’ll keep you consistent, helping inform your decisions (what should I say “yes” and “no” to?)  and answering your own questions (“I’m creatively drained—why am I doing this again?”). Also, it’s ok if your motto changes!

Wendy Nyugen: “Create three words that identify who you are.”

Think of the most important, defining qualities of your brand and use them to drive your work. For example: creativity, quality, philanthropy. Having them in mind can be particularly helpful when choosing projects—if you’re trying to decide whether or not to pursue something, see if it hits any of your three words. Usually if you can check off at least two, it’s worth checking out!

Christie Ferrari: “Find your niche.”

What sets you apart from the next girl? Because so many are going after the same things, identify what makes you stand out from the crowd. Why should people follow you? What do you offer that no one else offers? There’s only one you, so make sure that’s seen.  

Idalia Salsamendi: “Get a mission statement and find your five ‘buckets.’"

With a mission statement, you can keep yourself accountable, you can check whether or not you’re staying aligned with your vision. Also, come up with the five “buckets” that your brand embodies. Say yours are photography, art, music, fashion, and cooking. Make sure the content you’re exposing reflects those categories. If you claim to be a videographer and your Instagram only features pictures of your cats, you might want to rethink how you’re representing yourself.  

Beca Alexander: “Be as professional as you possibly can.”

From thanking your manager to talking to the receptionist of the brand you’re about to meet, be professional. With the demographic of influencers becoming younger and younger, some aren’t developing the necessary skills to conduct business as well as they could. The so-called “little things” don’t go unnoticed and make a significant difference.