We had a bright and early start on day three of Adelaide Fashion Festival to learn from some of our brightest and best fashion entrepreneurs at the Fashion Insider’s Breakfast. On our panel was Alyce Tran, co-founder of The Daily Edited, Siham Elmaway, head designer of C/MEO Collective, Tania Debono of The Writing, Tiff Manuell of the eponymous-named art and design house and Rebecca Evans from the Art Gallery of South Australia. For those of you who couldn’t bear to crawl out of bed at that hour, we’ve composed a list of the top five tips for bloggers we learn at the Fashion Insider’s Breakfast.
Tip 1: Instagram follower count doesn’t matter as much as it used to. While brand alignment with strong influencers like Song of Style, Margaret Zhang and Gary Pepper Girl (who all have hundreds of thousands of followers and pioneered the blogging world) will always sell a product, micro-influencers have a strong trust relationship with their followers and can cause a serious sales spike. Just remember to always keep your content unique and quality high!
Tip 2: When pitching to a brand, don’t just ask to collaborate. Alyce Tran receives dozens of emails from hopeful influencers wanting to work with The Daily Edited, but what makes one stand out is when they pitch their exact idea. By being specific about which product(s) you want and what you plan to do with them, the company has a good idea of what to expect and don’t need to waste time liaising back and forth.
Tip 3: Don’t be intimidated by copy cats. Tiff Manuell says (from experience) it’s not worth the legal battle over copyright and they will disappear as quickly as they pop up. If your idea is your dream and your passion you will succeed over them!
Tip 4: Take any job in the industry you can get your hands on. Tania Debono took a job answering queries about cricket on a sports show, even didn’t have the slightest idea about cricket. This job took her to Sydney, where she landed many other opportunities that eventually led her to New York.
Tip 5: Always have a plan for your website. Set KPIs, goals and a structured plan, whether it be for one year or five years. By setting goals you can monitor your progress, push yourself and reward yourself when you reach milestones!
