At Ranieri, we believe that cultivating organic and strong relationships between brands and creators delivers authentic content and brand advocacy. Our Influencer Q&A series takes a deep dive into the relationship from both sides with insights for both marketers and creators.
Q: Please introduce yourself. Who are you and what kind of content do you publish?
I’m Shell a content creator, photographer and mother to three beautiful children. We live by the sea in stunning Cornwall where we as a family enjoy an outdoor lifestyle. My Instagram @shellandthelittlies is all about our everyday family life, fashion for women and children, family food, travel and activities for families.
Q: Why did you become an Influencer?
I don’t really call myself an “influencer” it’s not something I planned on doing. I like to call my Instagram my “happy accident” as it came at a time when I was a bit lost looking for support from other mothers and it just grew from there. I create content on and off Instagram for brands now hope to inspire my like-minded followers with the content I share. It’s something I really enjoy and has helped me find “me” again. I studied fashion and then photography at uni so this has opened up opportunities to share the things I love and whilst working around my children
Q: What’s your biggest mistake on social and what have you learned from it
I don’t think I’ve made any, and hopefully won’t! I think it’s easy sometimes to fall into the whole comparison thing but to be honest I’ve never over thought it. I’ve always stayed true to myself and share what I love and it’s lovely that people enjoy it. I’ve gained some lovely followers I chat to regularly and made some real-life friends too.
Q: How has Covid changed being an influencer?
For me, it has opened up more opportunities as I share a lot of content about my children, so it’s been lovely having them home and homeschooling. We share what we’ve been doing, helping other parents by giving them ideas to keep the children entertained. I also share my fashion, style and beauty tips for mothers. Work wise, brands are focusing more and more online and on social media, so it’s been great to work on campaigns that help to keep my followers inspired throughout the pandemic. I always make sure the campaigns are sympathetic to what’s happening in the wider world, but it’s actually made me think more and become more creative due to the limited places to shoot content during lockdown
Q: What are the most important factors for you when collaborating with a brand?
I’m careful to ensure that the brand, campaign and product is a good fit for us – whether it’s a brand or product we already use or, try and lend up loving. I always like to work on campaigns with a diverse group of content creators and I like to work with brands with good ethical values.
Q: Do you have experience with TikTok? What are the opportunities for brands on this platform?
I don’t have any experience with TikTok but if I had more time, it’s definitely something I’d like to have a bit of fun with!
Q: What is your experience of e-commerce campaigns on social?
I love working with brands and getting inspired by a brief. I always put a lot of thought into my work and time into it, thinking about what I’ll create to make it engaging and natural to our lifestyle. It’s important to me it fits well with my feed and my followers enjoy what I share, which I think is recognised as I always get lovely feedback.
Q: What is your experience of Affiliate programs so far?
I don’t use affiliate links very often. I feel they get a bit of a negative reaction, so I prefer to share links directing my followers to a product or page just to help them navigate it more easily rather than them thinking it’s a monetary gain. Having said that, I think it’s becoming more understood these days, so I do test the waters occasionally and depending on the product I’m linking always get quite a positive result.
Q: What is your content format focus this year? Will you be playing around with new video formats such as IG Reels, IGTV, Snapchat Spotlight?
I definitely want to push myself out of my comfort zone so I will be doing more Reels. I am excited but equally nervous about a campaign I’m working on soon where I’ll be doing a live cook a long!
Q: What hidden potential do you see for brands and influencers in the near future?
I think there’s so many opportunities. Influencers/content creators have a niche audience that follow them and know their online presence. If brands are clever and choose the creators they work well with, it should have great results. Rather than focusing marketing elsewhere I feel online on social media is the place to be at this time.