Interview with Dallas influencer @littlemixico
The life of an Influencer and brand partnerships!
As I wrap up my final research project for Capstone, I took it upon myself to dig a little deeper into the life of an influencer and the behind the scenes of brand partnerships, with the help of @littlemixico Dallas, T.X. influencer.
With technology advancement, brands have transitioned from traditional to virtual communication, and influencers have flourished from social media platforms. This has allowed for brands and influencers to collaborate and partnership.
@littlemixico aka Daniela Rios, was born in Mexico city and raised in Dallas, T.X. She studied Marketing at Dallas Baptist University for a couple of years and decided to take a semester off. While on her break, she started what soon became her career, blogging.
Her career kicked in full gear 8 -12 months after her first blog post. She showcased both her American and Latin roots, and now Daniela is known as an Instagram influencer with more than 21 thousand followers and 2 thousand posts. She self-brands herself as a beauty and lifestyle influencer with a focus in skincare.
Prior to her start in social media, Daniela worked a full 9 a.m.-5 p.m. job. After work, she would attend events to socialize and gather content for the week. At times she’d wake up early before work to shoot. It was a non-stop routine for a whole year as she remembers.
Now, she has worked with brands such as: Honda, Choctaw Casino, Vita Coco, Algenist Skincare, JBL Studios, and many more!
However, what does collaborating with a brand really mean? This is where I decided to focus my research study. I wanted to learn more about the following:
The unfiltered life of an influencer.
Social media influencers and their relationship with brands.
How brands throughout the years use influencers as their market tool for brand awareness.
Guidelines and requirements.
Rate negotiation on content creation.
For this portion of my research, @littlemixico and I jumped on a Zoom call where I had the opportunity to ask 10 - 13 questions. She discuses the unknown on brands, and shares her experience with some of them.
I learned the life of an influencer is not how social media has portrayed them to be. We often believe brands send free products in desperate need of brand awareness in any way, shape, or form. But in reality influencers work twice as hard than any other individual creating content that can reflect both their self-brand and business partnerships. They work under the pressure of demands, deadlines, and the uncertainty of payment in return.
As she looks back to her start, her advice to anyone interested in becoming an influencer is: dedication and consistency. Two key ways to succeed in the social media world.
Lastly, I would like to thank @littlemixico for her time and knowledge. It was a pleasure speaking with you on a topic we both share interest in.
Click the link below to watch the full interview with @littlemixico:
Due to COVID-19, the best way to gather my information/research was to hold a Zoom call.
Some images may be blurry or lag, but I worked with what I could!
Nevertheless, join me as I learn about @littlemixico experience as an influencer and brand partnerships!
