Next up we have my sassy interview with My Place Soho who were awarded the 'Coffee Shop of the Year by the London Lifestyle Awards.
I sat down with one of their founding team members Grace to discuss what London means to them. Expect the aubergine emoji to also be mentioned... (blame it on the espresso martini's.)
Watch the interview below on YouTube, and don't forget to subscribe!
Stay sassy, xoxo
Hey darlings,
In November I was there to witness EF Medispa awarded as the 'Beauty Facility of The Year' from the London Lifestyle Awards. I had the pleasure of meeting with their founder Esther at their beautiful Spa located in Kensington to discuss their win and what makes them so fabulous. Check out the video below and make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Stay Sassy, xoxo
London is one of the hottest cities in the world, maybe not in temperature, but definitely in terms of setting the pace of worldwide trends. What started as a hobby then passion for all things social media, has turned into a career where I help different types of businesses add to this narrative, engage with their customers via social media and ultimately help them to grow. As we celebrate all things London with the London Lifestyle Awards 2017, here are the top 5 tips and themes that I have noted consistently with businesses that are curious about social media engagement and specifically how to get bloggers to blog about them.
The first is a nice and easy quick win. You’d be surprised how many businesses are keen to connect with bloggers via social media, yet don’t have a social media strategy themselves. In this day and age everybody wants information at their fingertips - keep your social media up to date! By doing this not only will your customers be more engaged, they can get information who you are, what you’re doing and anything exciting coming up. The reason people click that unfollow button literally and figuratively is because if you can’t keep up to date, there is no reason for them to keep up with you.
Bloggers are the same in the first instance. When I’m looking for something new and interesting to blog about that I may have heard about through the grapevine, the first place I stop is their social media. If the last post was 8 months ago it’s something that is likely to turn me off and push me to the next place on my list. Bloggers ultimately want something interesting to write about. It’s all well and good having the best products/services, but if people don’t know about it you’re not going to effectively build a solid follower base.
If you’re not sure as to where to start with your social media strategy, thinking of the London social scene is a good place to start. With many seasonal and annual events such as London Fashion Week, London Cocktail Week, festival season etc. There are many opportunities for you to find synergies with these events that you can potentially attach yourself to that would peak a bloggers interest in actually writing about you. Thinking of your target customer base, the thought process should go like this: the type of event they would be interested in and the blogger who might be interested in covering the event. If you have access to said events inviting the blogger along to do a write up about you is a good place to start. This makes for a much more interesting blog post to write. Bloggers want to talk about the hot new thing. Do something that make bloggers want to talk about you.
The copycat syndrome! Whilst there are many great ideas worth replicating you don’t always want to be in the race for second place. Challenge the status quo by not always going with what your competition is doing. Bloggers like to write about things that no one has ever done before.
Instead of trying to take 10% of a 100 customers, target 100% of 100 customers by doing something new - innovation. The fact that nobody else is doing it is doing it is going to make everybody want to talk about it. Bloggers will be excited about writing something unique that is hot off the press.
Some of the work that I do is not only helping companies polish off their social media presence, it’s also about getting them to think about doing something that hasn’t been done before. Be a leader, not a copycat. You have a first movers advantage of getting a blogger to write about you if they’re writing about something that hasn’t been written about 50 times before.
When you’re thinking of the bloggers that influence your space the most, what are the type of things that they write about? Do your research! If you’re struggling to know what you can do to be innovative, building relationships with these bloggers who are influential in your space is critical. The same people who follow bloggers are the same people who could potentially be your customers. Don’t underestimate the power of an influencer.
As great as it is to have all the different types of businesses come to me, whether it’s to promote them or for me to help with their social media strategy, you’d be surprised how often I’m contacted by people who are interested in my numbers, but have very little understanding as to who I am, my platform and the things that I cover. Whilst I’m happy to help all types of businesses with their social media strategy, when it comes to writing blog posts or collaborating it has to be in line with my follower base and the same theme of what I usually cover.
For example, I once had a bridal wear designer contact me. As amazing as her designs and dresses were, there are no signs on any of my platforms that would suggest that my target audience are people looking to get married. This was a misaligned shot. My target audience are young adults who who aren’t necessarily looking for wedding dresses, but are definitely looking for the best place get a daiquiri on a Saturday night in London
Don’t send a mass email to bloggers just because of their numbers, instead show that you have a genuine interest in their platform and how both brands can collaborate. Spontaneous invites can have a place too, but you will receive a better result when you understand the blogger and they can see you have a vision as to how you can collaborate.
As I’ve mentioned in some of the points above, picking the right blogger to collaborate with is a delicate important balance, depending on the size of our business and the budget you have for marketing. Whilst it may be desirable to collaborate with a blogger with a million followers, it’s not always necessary, especially if your budget is limited. Remember this is about real sustainable growth rather than a temporary spike in your numbers.
Stay sassy, xoxo
Last year at the London Lifestyle Awards held at The Lancaster Hotel
Hello darlings,
It's that time, The London Lifestyle Awards are back for the 8th year running and I'm extremely excited to say the least!
I recently attended their shortlist announcement held at Mayfair's prestigious Tiki Bar & Nightclub Mahiki. The event conveniently happened to fall on national rum day and guests were treated to a selection of cocktails that were mixed together with the finest Caribbean and Polynesian rum.
In attendance were a mix of entrepreneurial individuals from a diverse mix of London based businesses to find out if they had been shortlisted to be nominated for this years awards. As a born and bred Londoner I absolutely love any opportunity to celebrate my city, and it's the amazing businesses based in London that are to thank for that. A city where you will never get bored, and hold endless opportunities.
The voting is now open to the public for the following 14 categories:
1. London Bar of the Year
2. London Beauty Facility of the Year
3. London Best Live Entertainment of the Year
4. London Coffee Shop of the Year
5. London Cultural Attraction of the Year
6. London Fashion Retailer of the Year
7. London Fitness Facility of the Year
8. London Hair Salon of the Year
9. London Hotel of the Year
10. London Late Night Venue of the Year
11. London Private Members Club of the Year
12. London Pub of the Year
13. London Restaurant of the Year
14. London Theatre Show of the Year
Public voting closes at midnight on the 14th October 2017. Good luck to the all of the nominees! The awards will take place on 14th November at The Brewery.
P.s. Keep an eye out for something exciting coming up!
Stay Sassy, xoxo
