Influencer of the Week – Nandini Swaminathan #InfluencerSpeaks
As part of the #InfluencerSpeaks series, we bring you the interviews with top influencers across India. This week, we are featuring Nandini Swaminathan, a blogger & social media influencer. Here’s the transcript of her interview:
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your blog/online presence
I’m a fashion, lifestyle and beauty blogger and founded Sartorial Secrets early this year. I’ve also been a social media and digital marketing professional for nearly 5 years now. I have over 1000 followers on my main Twitter account and close to 600 on my blog handle. I am an influential user on the Wooplr platform and have over 1500 followers on Instagram as well. My blog receives upto 5k views a month, and I’m excited to build it further over the next few months.
2. How did you get started online? How has the journey been?
I have always been an avid internet user, right from when I was in school. I was interested in social media when Facebook first came out with the concept of ‘fan pages’ and was fascinated by the concept, being a marketing professional. I have a keen interest in high fashion, beauty and luxury lifestyle and would read a lot on these topics, which is what gave me the idea to start my blog. It’s been an exciting journey so far, as the response to my blog both from readers and brands has been wonderful.
3. What type of content do you create?
I create content around fashion tips, reviews of major labels, curated fashion picks, outfits styled by me, beauty reviews and tips as well as lifestyle reviews.
4. Tell us something about the most interesting projects you have engaged with.
One of the most interesting projects I engaged with was running a giveaway with Triveni Ethnics, where I built a concept around creating one’s own contemporary ways of draping a sari. In addition, I also was invited to an interesting event by Zespri India where we had to guess the secret ingredient in cocktails crafted for us, and finally had a chance to sample some amazing recipes based on the Zespri kiwi fruit.
5. Which brands have you associated with in the past?
I have associated with brands like ITC Hotels, Adidas Originals, Yauatcha India, Triveni Ethnics, Zespri
6. Where do you see opportunities and challenges in being an online Influencer?
Being an influencer presents you with the opportunity to truly showcase your talents while ensuring that what you publish is useful to your audience. It also provides a platform to build awareness around happenings in your niche and lets you provide an honest opinion or position on topics. The challenge is to keep your readers/followers constantly engaged and to build a loyal base of followers, which can be built over time through a lot of hard work, dedication and marketing.
7. Any thoughts or tips to share with your fellow Bloggers and Influencers?
Stay true to your brand. When you write or post content, do it with an understanding of what your readers might look for. Be selective in choosing collaborations with brands and most of all, know what you’re worth.