5 Branding Lessons from an Influencer with Over 1.35 Million YouTube Subscribers
Here’s how to stand out from the rest.
Photo: Karen Rosalie Courtesy of Aileen Xu
Here’s one thing that has remained consistent since I started Lavendaire in 2014: My hair color is constantly changing. My subscribers always notice when I go from pink to blonde to lavender to blue, and everything in between.
At this point, my changing hair color is part of the Lavendaire brand. I encourage my audience to experiment with their looks as a form of creativity and self-expression, which are core values for Lavendaire as a personal-growth brand.
Framing my hair changes as an example of how to embody Lavendaire values is just one way I’ve been intentional with my brand.
If you’re looking to start or refresh your own brand, here are five other lessons for you.
Lesson #1: Choose your brand name wisely.
It would have been easy to name my brand after myself, but “Aileen Xu” is not easy for people to spell or pronounce. I wanted it to be easy for people to recognize and—more importantly—to share my brand name.
“Lavendaire” was unique, easier to spell and pronounce, and it also reflected the aesthetic of the brand itself: dreamy, fresh, and clean.
Bonus tip: Think about Google-ability. If you Googled your brand name, would you get a bunch of results unrelated to your brand? Since I made up the word, if you Googled “Lavendaire”, you’d only find Lavendaire-related results.
Lesson #2: Be strategic about your niche.
Here’s a lesser-known fact: I used to be involved in the Asian American YouTube community, mostly through music videos. It was a fun experience but not related to what I wanted my brand to be about.
So, I made the decision to distance myself from that niche and create content in my own niche of personal growth. I wanted to be “Aileen of Lavendaire,” not “Aileen from that music video.” If I hadn’t made that decision, it would have been harder to position myself and my brand as separate from the entertainment niche.
Lesson #3: Make what’s missing, and make it your own.
Self-help content already existed online, but it didn’t feel like it existed for me. The people creating the content were generally older white men that I couldn’t relate to as a young Asian woman.
So, I made the content I wanted to see, but I also put my own spin on it. I wanted to bridge the gap between practical self-help and woo-woo topics like manifestation. Other people who couldn’t relate to existing self-help content could turn to Lavendaire instead and get that extra value from the woo-woo topics.
Ask yourself: What gap does your brand fill and how can it stand out even further?
Photo: Courtesy of Aileen Xu
Lesson #4: Have a long-term vision.
Here’s mine: In ten years, I want Lavendaire to be a household name. It sounds a little vague, but having that vision allows me to ask, “Okay, so what would it take to get there? Marketing, PR, maybe projects with a wider reach.” And so, we planned projects with that in mind.
Your vision doesn’t have to be super specific, but you have to have some sort of idea of where you want your brand to be a year or five years from now. That way, you can work backward and plan projects that will get you closer to that vision.
Otherwise, you might just keep churning out work without direction, using your time and energy just to keep your brand relevant.
Lesson #5: Curate your brand with one person in mind.
I create content for Lavendaire with one person in mind: a girl in her early twenties who’s looking for her path in life. She loves inspiring books, yoga, astrology, and journaling. Her fashion is feminine and relaxed. Ultimately, she’s the ideal client for Lavendaire.
She’s who I had in mind when I created the 2021 Artist of Life Workbook. I know this girl wants to plan her year with intention, and it would be a bonus to do all of her planning in a pretty notebook that she’d be proud to keep by her side at all times.
By keeping this ideal client in mind, Lavendaire’s branding and messaging stay consistent across the board. Obviously, not everyone who follows Lavendaire fits perfectly into that mold, but enough of the brand resonates that people are drawn in.
If you know who your brand is for, you’ll reach and attract people who resonate with it. You’ll also naturally repel people who don’t resonate with it, which is perfectly okay and even beneficial to your brand! Don’t think you’re shutting anyone out or losing potential audiences.
As Lavendaire subscribers know: It’s more valuable to use your energy on people who effortlessly vibe with you than to use it trying to convince people who don’t.
About the author: Aileen Xu is a content creator and entrepreneur in personal growth and lifestyle design, inspiring people around the world to embrace their true potential and create their dream life. Her YouTube channel, Lavendaire, has over one million subscribers and her podcast, “The Lavendaire Lifestyle,” has over five million downloads. Aileen is the creator of the Artist of Life Workbook, a detailed guide to creating your most inspiring and successful year, and the Daily Planner by Lavendaire, a tool for designing a productive, effective and meaningful day.
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Ask an Expert: How Influencers Can Keep Their Business Thriving While Social Distancing
The key? Serve a bigger purpose.
We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!
Photo: Courtesy of Idalia Salsamendi
If the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it’s that no business is immune from COVID-19’s far-reaching economic impact—even one that’s predicated on social media. To find out how influencers can keep their businesses thriving while social distancing, we tapped business strategist and social media consultant Idalia Salsamendi whose client list includes Chriselle Lim, Brittany Xavier, and Jacey Duprie, to name a few.
If you joined us for her Ask an Expert Instagram Live conversation this week, you know that the influencer world is spinning with one critical question in these difficult times: What happens now? Scroll on for the business strategist and social media consultant’s top three tips for how to manage not only your career and business but also your stress, and find out how to tune into our next Ask an Expert segment on Instagram Live.
1. Time to Influence
In today’s society, the word “influencer” is tossed around so frequently that perhaps we’ve lost focus on what the word actually entails. Our minds are instantly transported to those men and women posing in their latest outfit by a hot pink wall, and/or promoting their favorite skincare brand saying how “obsessed” they are with it. That’s all fine and dandy. I mean hello, I’m the one booking those deals.
However, since the dawn of the arrival of social media (yup, I’ve been managing influencers, talent, and models for over a decade now), I’ve always instilled in my clients one main thing: serve a bigger purpose. Now more than ever we are truly seeing the rise of the innate meaning of “influencer.” We are seeing men and women around the world donating their resources, voice, and money to the pandemic at hand and guess what, it’s making a difference. I’m noticing a beautiful shift in the paradigm to use this “influence” to do more than to sell an object, but rather to serve a cause. Here’s a beautiful thing though, you could actually do both. Hence point #2...
2. Pitch Smart
A common question I get asked is, “Idalia, should I even be pitching to brands right now?” My answer as of today, March 26, 2020, is: YES. Please pitch. Please support your small business (remember you are one!). Here’s the clincher though: You have to pitch smart and not be tone-deaf to the global pandemic. Like I mentioned in the first point, you have to use your influence for good, and so do brands. Now is the time to think about how you could make a difference and ask your favorite brands to join you on that journey.
If you’re self-quarantined, think about brands that speak to that situation... is it your favorite snacks, wine, sweatshirt, book, etc.? Then reach out and tell them you’d like to unite forces and raise awareness around a charity, organization, hospital, etc. Donate a part of your rate to a charity. You can even ask them to chip in, too! You both could raise funds to support your local food drive or raise awareness to a cause... possibilities are also endless here. Encourage the brand, and show them your passion and education about the subject.
One extremely crucial point to take into consideration when doing this: it has to be genuine. Please do not link yourself to a brand or charitable cause if you feel nothing for it and are doing it to look good. It will bleed into your work, and people can sniff a fraud from a mile away. So really sit yourself down and consider what you care about.
Pssst... If you need a helpful nudge, here are a couple which I’m personally donating and raising awareness for:
And if you’re scratching your head wondering how you can properly even pitch, definitely check out the Powerful Pitch Kit for Influencers, and enjoy 50% off with promo code: CULTIVATELOVE.
3. Say Buh-Bye to Your Comfort Zone
The chances of you reading this while self-isolating are pretty high, so I’m going to be your cheerleader right now and encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. I get it, we are all locked up and it’s human that at moments we feel disillusioned, hopeless, stuck, confused, angry, sad... the list really could go on and on. Here’s the thing though, you have to push through. Keywords: HAVE TO.
Influencers that have been able to take the quarantine and show different sides of themselves are the ones that are not only the happiest (mental health check) but are also the ones that are getting reached out to by brands (pay-check). Simply taking a pretty photo is no longer the status quo, but rather something that may turn off your followers if you do it too frequently. So I’ll ask you what I ask everyone I work with: what sets you apart as a human being (forget business)? Do you play the piano? Do you paint? Do you do funny impersonations? Do you dance? Do you love to work out? The answers are endless, and what’s imperative to understand here is that there is no right or wrong answer. The end-game is the same: show it to your followers.
Since the rise of TikTok, I’ve seen influencers that are much more polished and serious on Instagram, let loose and have some fun on the ‘Tok. I’ve seen them without makeup in their sweatpants trying to a crazy dance move. And people are going nuts over it, even when syndicated on Instagram! Moral of the story: people want to see all your wonderful, quirky, funny, inspiring dimensions and now is the time to show them.
I genuinely hope these three tips inspired and empowered you in one way, shape, and form. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for stopping by and reading this. If you’re curious about more of what I’m up to, feel free to check out my website and my podcast.
About the Expert: Idalia Salsamendi is an industry-leading business strategist and social media consultant. With over 16 years of experience in PR and top-tier talent management, Idalia opened her company in 2016 with strategy for both brands and influencers at its core. Known for being selective towards the types of projects and clients she engages, the mantra for her company is to inspire, inform, and empower. Her roster includes Chriselle Lim, Brittany Xavier, and Jacey Duprie, to name a few.
Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert.
Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!