Podcast Summary
From solo creators to collaborative partnerships in influencer industry: Embrace collaboration and hard work to turn passion into a thriving business in the influencer industry
Danny Austin and his wife, who run the influencer brand Divvy, have experienced significant growth in their business, from making content online a decade ago to now running a scalp care product brand. They've gone from being solo creators to working together and building a successful lifestyle brand. Despite initial resistance to the label, they've come to embrace being called "Instagram husband and wife" as a part of their journey in the influencer space. Their story highlights the evolution of the influencer industry and the shift from individual creators to collaborative partnerships. Their success shows that with hard work and dedication, anyone can turn their passion into a thriving business.
Marketing Trends and Unexpected Connections: Stay updated on marketing trends, make unexpected connections, and be adaptable for business success.
Staying informed about marketing trends is crucial for businesses to thrive in the ever-changing tech world. This was highlighted in the HubSpot 2024 State of Marketing report, which identified top trends based on data and insights from marketing professionals worldwide. Another key takeaway from the discussion was the power of connections and opportunities that can arise from unexpected places. For instance, a chance encounter on Twitter led to Danny from Divvy being featured on a podcast, showcasing a niche business to a wider audience. Lastly, the importance of being adaptable and trying new things, even if it means ordering alligator at a fancy dinner, was emphasized as a way to impress and connect with others. To learn more about marketing trends and optimize your business strategies, check out the HubSpot 2024 State of Marketing report at hubspot.com/stateofmarketing.
Trying new things can lead to unexpected opportunities: Starting a YouTube channel from scratch led to viral success and collaborations for a creator inspired by her brother's experience
Trying new things, even if they seem strange or unappealing at first, can lead to unexpected opportunities and experiences. This was the case for a YouTube creator who, inspired by her brother's success, started her own channel and quickly gained a large following. She shared how in the early days of YouTube, around 2012, her brother, a musician, had built an audience through posting covers on YouTube. When she was bored during winter break, she decided to give creating videos a try and her first video on affordable New Year's Eve outfits went viral, leading to a manager and opportunities to collaborate with other creators. She emphasized that the early years were collaborative and everyone was helping each other out. This experience shows that taking a chance on something new, even if it's outside of your comfort zone, can lead to remarkable outcomes.
Starting small and focusing on authentic connections can lead to opportunities: Building authentic connections can lead to significant opportunities. Stay true to oneself and seize opportunities that align with personal passions and needs.
Starting small and focusing on building authentic connections can lead to significant opportunities. The speaker shared her experience of being a YouTuber in Austin, where she felt like she stood out and was able to secure brand deals by introducing them to her manager. However, she realized she wasn't big enough for the brands to care about her personally, so she decided to manage herself and build her own team. Now, with over 2.5 million followers on Instagram, they prioritize authenticity and connect with their audience through Instagram stories. They also launched their own brand, Divi, after noticing successful creators with businesses outside the usual examples. Confidence came from addressing a personal issue, losing hair due to stress, and recognizing a need for a solution. These experiences demonstrate the importance of staying true to oneself and seizing opportunities that align with personal passions and needs.
Hair Loss from Extensions and Wigs: A Hidden Issue for Women: Women dealing with hair loss due to extensions or wigs may feel embarrassed and ashamed, but sharing experiences can lead to connections and solutions. An antifungal treatment like Monistat can help remove product buildup and promote hair growth.
Stress and hair extensions can lead to traction alopecia, causing multiple bald spots. The speaker's experience involved trying wigs due to shame and embarrassment, but eventually sharing her journey led her to connect with other women dealing with hair loss. She also discovered the use of Monistat, an antifungal treatment, to help grow back hair by removing product buildup on the scalp. The speaker's story highlights the emotional impact of hair loss for women and the importance of addressing this hidden issue. Additionally, the misconception that not washing hair is beneficial has contributed to the problem, as it leads to product buildup and hindered hair growth.
Identifying a need and filling it: Successfully identifying a market need and providing a high-quality solution can lead to significant revenue growth.
Passion and filling a need in the market can lead to the creation of a successful business. The speaker, Shauna, shares her experience of creating a clean scalp serum after feeling frustrated with the lack of education about scalp care in her college chemistry classes. She started making her own serums at home and sharing the process on YouTube. When people started asking to buy it, she teamed up with a chemist and launched Divvy, a clean scalp serum brand. The business took off due to the power of before-and-after pictures shared by customers and the educational aspect of the brand. Divvy's first full year brought in $40 million in revenue, and they are on track to grow by 30-35% in their second year. This success came from a combination of the power of their community and traditional marketing efforts. The story illustrates the importance of identifying a need in the market, filling that need with a high-quality product, and effectively marketing it to the right audience.
Identifying a market need and creating a product to fill it: Seeing a gap in the market and creating a product to meet that need, even outside of one's expertise, can lead to unexpected success. Focus on refining your core product and building a strong brand.
Identifying a need in the market and creating a product to meet that need, even if it's outside of one's initial expertise or comfort zone, can lead to unexpected success. The founders of Divvy discussed how they saw a gap in the market for a subscription-based skincare service and seized the opportunity, despite initially having no experience in the beauty industry. They drew inspiration from successful businesses like the Kardashians, who have built an ecosystem of interconnected brands, but ultimately their inspiration came from the trend of skincare and the desire to offer a unique subscription model. They tried various approaches, including launching an app and hosting in-person events, but found that managing these additional platforms and interactions was challenging. Ultimately, they focused on refining their core product and building a strong brand, which paid off in the long run.
Finding a unique focus or niche for your brand: Authenticity and vulnerability in sharing experiences can help build a relatable and engaging online presence. Find a balance between professionalism and relatability, and embrace your unique voice and experiences.
Having a clear brand identity can help build a successful online following. This can be achieved by finding a unique focus or niche, as exemplified by figures like Jay Shetty. However, not everyone's brand development may follow a clear-cut path. Some people may find their identity organically and gradually over time. It's essential to understand that authenticity and vulnerability in sharing experiences, even the mistakes, can be crucial in building a relatable and engaging online presence. The key is to find a balance between professionalism and relatability, which can take time and patience. When trying to build a following, avoid the trap of striving for perfection and instead, embrace your unique voice and experiences.
Sharing vulnerabilities builds a stronger connection: Authenticity and vulnerability can help influencers connect with their audience and build a stronger following by creating relatable and engaging online content.
Being relatable and showing vulnerability can help build a stronger connection with your audience. This was highlighted in a conversation about influencers and the importance of authenticity. A personal anecdote was shared about a mom who made a mistake while cutting grapes for her daughter's lunch and received backlash online. Instead of deleting the content, she used it as an opportunity to teach others the correct way and show her vulnerability. Comedian Hasan Minhaj also emphasized the importance of low status in comedy and connecting with audiences by being relatable and showing weaknesses. By embracing our flaws and sharing them with our audience, we can create a more authentic and relatable connection. This can help influencers build a stronger following and create a more engaging and relatable online presence.
Identify your signature stories and transformation you offer: Build a personal brand by sharing relatable stories and emotional transformation, standing out with authenticity and attracting a loyal following.
Building a strong personal brand involves identifying your signature stories and the transformation you offer to your audience. Signature stories are moments in your life that define who you are and reveal what you will be known for. They could be turning points where you made a decision never to do something again or moments of growth and confidence. The second part is understanding what you offer your audience in terms of transformation. People come to your content seeking to change how they feel, not just for information. By consistently providing this emotional transformation, you will stand out and attract a loyal following. The "girl next door" approach, being relatable and authentic, also plays a significant role in building a strong connection with your audience. When you meet people who engage with your content, it feels like you already know them, creating a sense of friendship.
Authenticity and relatability in content creation: Unique, authentic content strategies build lasting connections with audiences. Consistent feelings of entrepreneurial energy, motivation, or inspiration keep listeners engaged.
The authenticity and relatability of content creators are key to building a successful and engaged audience. The podcast format allows listeners to get to know someone's personality and build a connection, similar to hanging out with friends. The consistent feelings that listeners get from such content are the entrepreneurial energy and motivation or inspiration. However, it's crucial for creators to stay humble and consistent to maintain that authenticity. Starting out with a unique and honed-in content strategy, rather than chasing trends, can lead to a more genuine and lasting connection with the audience. For instance, the speaker's first video focused on affordable New Year's Eve outfits, which showcased a unique and relatable angle. While platforms like TikTok and YouTube have their merits, focusing on a unique and authentic content strategy is essential for building a lasting and engaged audience.
Discovering and highlighting unique brand and characters: Creators should find what makes them unique and embrace relatable characters to tell their story authentically and build a stronger connection with their audience.
Developing a unique brand and consistent characters within content is crucial for TikTok creators to build a relatable and engaging presence. Dani shares her experience of getting lost in trends and not showcasing her true passion, leading to a lack of connection with her audience. She emphasizes the importance of discovering and highlighting what makes one's family or persona distinctive. By creating and embracing relatable characters, creators can tell their story authentically and stand out from the competition. This approach not only makes content more interesting but also fosters a stronger connection with the audience.
Incorporating a husband-wife dynamic in content creation: Effectively engaging audiences by incorporating authentic and relatable experiences, even if it means bringing a team into your personal space, but maintaining balance and authenticity.
Creating authentic and relatable content often involves incorporating the people and environments that are a part of your everyday life. For content creators, especially in the podcasting or YouTube niche, having a husband-wife dynamic can be particularly effective in engaging audiences. This dynamic allows for a more natural and unscripted feel, which resonates with listeners and viewers. However, bringing a team into your personal space can also present challenges, such as navigating the technical aspects of production and maintaining a relatable and authentic presence. Ultimately, the key is to strike a balance between incorporating your team into your content while still maintaining the authenticity and relatability that draws in your audience.
Balancing audience needs in influencer marketing: Providing authentic recommendations and exclusive deals based on audience needs leads to trust, authenticity, and long-term partnerships in influencer marketing.
Prioritizing the audience's needs in influencer marketing, especially in brand deals and affiliate partnerships, leads to success. The speaker started out focusing solely on making rent through brand deals but soon realized the responsibility and importance of serving their audience. They adopted a mentality of always providing the best deals and authentic recommendations, which became their unique selling point. The speaker also found success by combining brand deals with affiliate partnerships, allowing them to share genuine recommendations and earn commissions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for exclusive deals and promo codes skyrocketed, making this approach even more effective. The speaker's success came from maintaining a balance between the audience, business, and brands, ensuring that everyone's needs were met. By focusing on the audience's needs, the influencer was able to build trust and authenticity, ultimately leading to long-term partnerships and growth.
Authentic partnerships with timely collaboration: Effective brand collaborations require authenticity and timeliness. Long-term use and promotion of a brand can lead to significant sales and a mutually beneficial relationship. Instant content creation at weddings presents an opportunity for influencers to offer a solution and capture the market.
Authenticity and timeliness are key factors in successful brand collaborations. The speaker shared an example of a partnership with Stanley, where their long-term use and promotion of the brand's crop tops led to significant sales and a mutually beneficial relationship. They also discussed the emergence of a demand for instant content creation at weddings, which could provide an opportunity for influencers to offer a solution and capture the market. The speaker expressed frustration with the delay in receiving a code for a specific product from Stanley, but overall, they were satisfied with the partnership. Additionally, they noted the trend of content creators focusing on producing content for others rather than building their own influencer brands.
Brands pay creators for UGC, leading to better performing ads: Brands tap into UGC economy for authentic consumer engagement, driving better ad performance
The user-generated content (UGC) market is becoming increasingly valuable for brands looking to authentically engage with consumers. Brands are now paying content creators directly for their content, creating a new economy for those who don't want to be influencers but are skilled at creating engaging content. This approach is leading to better performing ads and a more organic feel for consumers. Divvy, a company that specializes in influencer marketing, has seen significant success with UGC content outperforming branded assets. They are now expanding into retail distribution and focusing on innovation and patenting technologies to stay ahead in the industry. The name Divvy comes from the idea of dividing attention to different areas of life for overall better lifestyle and wellness. The next challenge for Divvy is continuing to innovate and find new ways to stay competitive in the ever-evolving influencer marketing landscape.
Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship involves overcoming numerous challenges, from managing a small business to expanding internationally, while staying passionate about your work and maintaining a strong partnership with your co-founder.
The speakers have faced numerous challenges in growing their business, from managing everything themselves to expanding internationally without raising additional capital. They've learned the importance of listening to their audience and developing products that cater to their needs. The process of growing the business has become more complex with the addition of VPs and the need for a more formal decision-making process. They've also had to navigate the formulation process carefully to find reliable manufacturers and chemists. Despite these challenges, they remain passionate about their work and plan to continue creating content in the future. Their relationship and creative partnership have been key to their success. Overall, their experience highlights the complexities and rewards of entrepreneurship.
Working with a Spouse Business Partner: Unique Challenges and Rewards: Working with a spouse as a business partner can lead to unique challenges and rewards, including shared goals and the ability to adapt to challenges together. Clear division of labor and effective communication are essential.
Working with a business partner who is also a spouse can lead to unique challenges and opportunities in both personal and professional relationships. Danny and Jordan shared their experiences of working together in their business, Divvy, and how it has strengthened their marriage while also presenting new complexities, particularly when it comes to balancing family life. They also discussed the benefits of having a clear division of labor and the importance of communication and flexibility. If you're interested in learning more about Divvy or potentially working with them, you can find them on Instagram under @DannyAustin and @DiviOfficial, or email them at hello@diviofficial.com. While some may find the idea of working with a spouse daunting, Danny and Jordan emphasized the rewards of shared goals and the ability to adapt to challenges together.
