We at Vimma realize how appealing becoming an influencer is. Creating a business that revolves around talking about the things you love is a dream come true. More and more people are taking that bold step ahead, walking straight towards their goals.
However, we realize there are only a few that make the cut and become a massive success. But what if we told you that you do not have to be (that) Instagram famous to be a successful influencer?
That's why we created the Micro-influencer corner. Space where we introduce you with influencers who are getting campaigns and doing collaborations. But those are people such as you and I. And yet, they are still doing it.
Meet June Divino. This petite girl with enormous heart shared with us her experience of being a micro-influencer, and how does she manage to stand out in the overly-saturated market of Instagram wannabees.
Hello there! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is June, and I’m based here in London at the minute. Even though I have a small number of following (2000+), I feel like my followers do support me and that they do engage with whatever is I post to my social media account. It is really nice seeing people who engage with my content and when they ask where I got things that I’m promoting.
Regarding the things that you're promoting... What would you say is your niche?
I love promoting fashion, so I would say that it is my niche. I love blogging about it, and especially about fashion for petite women, as well as doing lifestyle features.
I find it hard to find stores that sell clothing of my size. And if I do find clothes that are perfectly fitted for me, I am really happy about it, because I feel like there is someone attending to my consumer group. Especially when it comes to women of Asian descent.
So I get very happy when I find something suitable for me, and I want to show it to other people who might be experiencing the same "problem" like myself.
Why did you decide to become an influencer?
I firstly opened just a personal account, but I always wanted to promote positivity on my platform. I wanted to help people make better choices with whatever it is that they do or buy.
It really got to me that I wanted to become an influencer when I posted a photograph once, and had all the random people from across the globe commenting, and asking me details about that specific photo. I was like: ”Oh, why not give it a go?”.
In the beginning, I was tagging brands, and they didn’t even know I existed. When I landed my first campaign, no matter how small it was, I truly felt this was the beginning of something great! As a matter of fact, the first campaign that I did was with Vimma, when I did a campaign with Lucky Checkout!
What has been your biggest customer success story?
Yeah, I was when I tried to promote this hair salon I go to. Two of my friends saw that post and asked me about it. Then, they went to that saloon! I followed up with them, and they said they enjoyed the saloon. I was thrilled that people actually look at my posts and stories, and listen to my advice.
I also get occasional questions – where you did you get this, and that, and I love it. It makes me feel I'm doing something worthwhile.
What do you think, what do brands look for the most when it comes to influencers?
I feel brands are looking for a good follower/engagement ratio, and to see if the influencer will highlight the product more than themselves. From my experience, I think those two are the most important factors for them.
What would be your dream brand you'd love to collaborate with?
Honestly, my dream brand would be H&M because I believe what they stand for. They are all about recycling old clothes, instead of them being just thrown away in the dump; they reuse it and sell it again.
Plus, H&M sells a variety of sizes, from the smallest ones to the biggest. There is a sense of inclusion in there and it is just nice. The clothing itself is simple, yet glamorous and classy. They would be definitely my dream brand to collaborate with.
So, are you an influencer full-time?
(Laughing) No, no, I’m not. I have a job, which is a staff nurse. In my free time, I try to invite my friends over to try and do some tutorials and see how we can promote stuff we love and share it with our audience and the world.
It is not easy, though. When I get home tired and have to get up early... I don’t really have that much time during the week. Sometimes it can be a week before I find time to post something worthwhile. I try to juggle between finding the time and making sure that I post something that is nice.
I would love to go full-time eventually if I see this skyrocketing.
How do you then find time to manage work and being an influencer?
I feel my followers engage more when I post regularly. That’s why I try to post every two or three days, and I make sure to have plenty of photos from my tutorials so that I can always have something to post, even when I’m at work.
Was there any time when things would get though... what kept you going then?
I think it is just me staying positive. Even if I don’t get much engagement, I am happy with what I’m doing and I guess there will always be days when they are not the best days. But I always say to myself to keep pursuing the thing that I love, and people will appreciate what I do.
What are your go-to apps you think every influencer should use?
Uh, okay. Well, using raw photos is nice, but I think you should always add a certain “ump” to your photos. Make them stand out. That’s why I use Lightroom and create presets. Before I got introduced to Lightroom, I used Snapseed to polish my photos. So for the best effect, I use them both now.
I also plan on using a scheduling app, so that I would save myself a lot of time when I schedule out a lot of content. It would give me time to create content I wish to post.
When did you first come in contact with Vimma, and what did that bring you?
I came in contact with Vimma when you guys reached out to me via email. I was really stocked and excited about it because I couldn’t believe that someone like me, with a very small following, can be contacted by you guys and stating that you can actually help me land campaigns with some known brands or products.
The first chance I got, I really grabbed it to see how it would go. The platform was really easy to use, and the people behind Vimma are very people-friendly and were always there whenever I needed any help.
I think I've done two campaigns so far with you guys. Nevertheless, there is more value in working with you than just getting collaborations through you. I enjoyed your tips on how to improve my account.
Going back to being an influencer... Would you do anything differently if you were starting out just now in your industry?
No, I feel like if I changed my style, then that wouldn’t be me. I just hope to get to post more, because of my job taking a lot of time from me to do that. I feel like there is a lot of people out there trying to do this, and in trying to become successful, they lose themselves. I'm always for keeping your own style and getting across your message.
That's true. So can you share - what does being an influencer mean to you?
To me, it means promoting positivity into the world. From the word influence – you want to promote a positive change. You want to help other people’s lives with your positive attitude and view of the world, or even with the simple products you use. You know, the things that could actually help people somehow. It's all about being a positive change in the world.
Do you have any advice for other influencers that are starting out?
Just find your niche. Otherwise, you as an influencer will be confused, and that will confuse your followers. Make sure to show your personality, and be yourself.
The social media world is very saturated, so it’s all the matter of how you stand out. It sounds cliche, but everything will fall into place if you just be yourself and share your story.
Follow our lovely June Divino on Instagram if you love fashion and lifestyle!