In the realm of public relations, influencer and word of mouth marketing is becoming integral to brand campaigns. Bloggers across all different verticals are communicating brand messages to niche audiences and are able to connect with these audiences in a more direct way.
Speaking of connecting, PR professionals are looking to connect with bloggers everyday. So, we sat down with Toronto blogger, Joelle Anello from La Petite Noob, a fashion and lifestyle blog for a behind the scenes look at what it’s like from the blogger’s perspective.
What inspired you to start a blog?
I was inspired to start La Petite Noob when I was going through a bit of a rough time at my former job. I felt as though I needed a creative outlet, and had always enjoyed reading blogs myself, so I thought it would be fun to start one! Originally I had created La Petite Noob to document my 30 Before 30 list, however the blog organically evolved into more of a lifestyle focus as time went on. What started out as a hobby quickly became a huge passion of mine, and the more I received feedback and interaction from readers, the more I wanted to keep going and push the blog further.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My days devoted to blogging are never similar to one another – and that’s exactly how I like it! On a typical day there are meetings with brands and agencies, emails to answer and fun events to attend – anything from a store opening, to local concerts, product launches and overnight retreats. Content creation is key so no matter how busy I get, I always set aside time to style outfits, shoot photos and make sure that I have enough original content to keep my followers engaged throughout the week.
What do you look for in a brand when choosing what to feature on your blog?
Authenticity is so important to me, so working with brands that I genuinely use and believe in is crucial. Another thing that I always ask myself when working with brands is if my readers and followers would find the collaboration useful. For example, if my followers visit my blog and social platforms to see content about women’s fashion and I start working with a brand that produces hotdogs then that won’t garner much interest. Staying true to myself and my brand always comes first, and that helps to build and maintain trust with my followers.
What do you consider a successful blog post? How do you measure the success of the content?
I use Google Analytics to track the stats of each of my blog posts. Maximizing the number of visits per post is a great way to gage how successful a blog post is, but it’s not the only way. If a particular post has a high number of comments and interactions from readers, then I consider it a successful post. My favourite is when I can actually get a discussion going between readers in the comments section of the blog post – to me, that is the most satisfying thing and is a huge measure of success. Tracking the number of pins and shares on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are also valuable stats to know when measuring the success of a blog post.
What is your favourite social media platform and why?
My heart will always be with Instagram, but lately I’ve been absolutely loving Snapchat! I feel so much more connected to my followers knowing that they’re able to see my everyday life, hear me speak and get a glimpse into my personality through Snapchat. I also am a firm believer that Snapchat is a great method to work with brands – there’s an enthusiasm and excitement that comes with actually talking about a product that you can achieve through Snapchat, rather than a stylized photo on Instagram.
What do you love most about your work/ what inspires you?
I truly believe that blogging is the best job out there. Not only do I get to connect with people all over the world, but I also have a new lens to the city, which makes me appreciate Toronto even more! The fact that I am constantly meeting new people who have such creative minds and drive is amazing, and really helps to keep me motivated and inspired!