The power of influence: Indy Blue
The overarching goal of digital strategy is to build a community that cares about and is invested in whatever a brand does. Influencers are the most obvious demonstration of the power that comes with community and the multitude of ways to make money from that relationship -- from sponsorships, to selling products, ticket sales, affiliate links -- the list goes on and is ever-expanding.
The question is though, how do you create that elusive dynamic of brand and community?
Indy Blue is a great example of an influencer who has created the perfect recipe for real, organic growth. Her skills at documentation [video, photos], plus her adventurous personality, coupled with exposure and amplification on social media equals a killer account with a loyal following.. She simultaneously feels like your best friend, effortless popular girl, fearless daredevil and smart businesswoman, all at once.
At the start, Indy was a cool and fearless teenager, partying and traveling the world. As she’s grown up, we’ve watched her swing from a tree in Bali, become pregnant, adjust to motherhood and learn to live with diabetes.
We have also seen her gain control of her influence, start a lifestyle brand -- Lonely Ghost -- and begin to create revenue streams, all with the fervent support of her community of diehards. One of Lonely Ghost’s more recent projects is an Instagrammable pop-up grocery store in Provo, Utah that was profiled in Forbes and discussed in-depth -- and on location -- on the Sofia with an F podcast [so good].
Her iconic tagline featured on her clothing -- I LOVE YOU SAY IT BACK -- has also been worn and shared by Kylie Jenner and Addison Rae [with just a tad bit of drama] among many other influencers. It’s exciting to watch as she and her business partner Bronson Christensen continue to evolve the brand through franchises like Ghosted Garments and collabs with brands like igloo coolers, all while championing her community with the same curiosity, fun, and spirit she’s always exhibited.
The other reason we love Indy is that through all of it, she’s open, honest, raw and real about the process, both the grit and the glam [her Instagram stories are works of art]. She pulls back the curtain and brings us along on her journey by being candid about ways she needs to make money to survive, challenges she faces with the business, like when Addison Rae’s beauty brand started using her tagline. And she excitedly shares the big moments, like when Forbes covered her grocery store. Her excitement is contagious and she makes you want to root for her. We are rooting for her.
In her on-going transparency, she also shares influencer insights [huge bonus for those of us who want to learn from her!]and we happened to snap a couple photos of them [thank you Indy!].
So, what are the takeaways that you can apply to your own brand or business? Try these:
Document. Show the process of working toward a goal. Don’t just focus on the end, bring your followers along on the journey by showing behind-the-scenes and sharing both the ups and downs. If your followers feel an emotional connection to the process, they’ll develop an emotional connection to become your cheerleader and defender
Use platforms in a way that feels good. There’s best practices, tips & tricks, analytics and strategy, but none of that works if you don’t use a given digital platform in an authentic way. If you want to post sporadically, go for it. If you want to post 100 stories in a row, great. There are always going to be better, more efficient, creative ways to do things, but first and foremost, get comfortable with how you publish on the platform because followers can feel when it’s programmed or inauthentic
Take your time and start small. Transitioning to a position where you’re being mindful of building an audience is a major adjustment and takes a lot of experimentation. Start with a small goal and begin sharing how you work toward it. Even if it’s something that occurs over the course of a week. You’ll begin to train your followers to tune-in and care about what you’re up to. They’ll want to stick around for the final payoff, just watch
Be vulnerable. Nobody likes a showoff. Be real, be human, be vulnerable and open with your experience. This doesn't mean you need to air your dirty laundry, and being vulnerable is different for everyone, but the idea is to share your emotions along with the step-by-steps
Keep going and think BIG. It’s a long game. Creating meaningful content and building an audience that cares is HARD and takes time. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a video go viral, that’s only a short-term win and the immediate next question is, now what? Lots of people have content that goes viral or they go on reality tv and randomly gain tons of followers overnight. What is really impressive is what somebody does with that attention. How do you continue to engage and grow an audience from there? Are you able to sell products? How about a book? Do you have talent and can you pivot into other industries? [Here’s a NYTimes Mag breakdown of Addison Rae, who is a perfect example of this]
Also -- this is important --don’t get caught up with the follower numbers [case in point why]. Stick to your game plan and listen to that audience as you publish. They will tell you all you need to know.
Melissa Blum , CEO and founder of M.T. Deco, and her daughter Lucy, both Indy Blue fans!