Influencer Spotlight: January
Meet Ixamar, from @thewandertog
How did you get into Influencer Marketing?
The Wandertog as a digital creator was born completely by accident in September 2016. I was at FIU finishing my Master of Science in Marketing degree and we were assigned a final project titled "Branding Yourself". We were tasked in creating a brand from scratch using everything we had learned about digital marketing. Monetizing a website through ads was the only thing I was familiar with and influencer marketing was almost never touched upon in class. So I created a blog and started posting delicious food, recipes, and travel hacks for my followers on social. You can imagine how shocked I was back in 2017 when I was approached by an agency with a cheese client wanting to send me a few pounds of cheese in exchange for a blog post and some social posts. On top of the already-incredible offer, they wanted to pay ME to eat cheese and make it look good. Well...the rest is history!
What has been your favorite Foodie Tribe campaign that you've worked on and why?
Just six months after starting The Wandertog, I got accepted to join the Foodie Tribe community in March 2017. I quickly learned that Foodie Tribe was one of the very few agencies that actually valued the lengthy creative process it took to produce content for a brand as an influencer. My first BIG paid campaign was thanks to Foodie Tribe and, because of that, it still holds a special place in my heart to this day. I was barely breaking 1.5k followers when they trusted me to create some engaging content for their client, Highland Quinoa Pops. This recipe campaign was so fun to produce! In full transparency, this gig paid me more than what I was actually charging my family photography clients per session. It was an eye-opener and I quickly realized the importance of knowing your worth. There are people less qualified than you, doing the things you want to do, simply because they decided to believe in themselves. It was the extra push I needed to start taking my influencer gig seriously and finally treating it as another branch in my photography brand.
Ixamar's image for her post promoting Highland Farms Quinoa Pops.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
Oh boy, this one's fun. haha I was crowned Miss Florida Jr. Teen back in 2006 at 16. Ever since I was little, I always found it exciting to step out of my comfort zone and create a plot twist for my life. I was a theater nerd since I was 8 and half my closet was straight out of Hot Topics. The plaid, the spikes, the black lipstick; you name it. I was the complete opposite of what a pageant girl would be back in the day. I found my evening gown in the sale aisle at my local Macy's, so seeing all the Florida girls rocking their $7k wedding gowns was pretty intimidating. Mind you they all brought their pageant coaches and all I had was a very level-headed Latina mom telling me to just have fun and never take anything serious. 150 girls were interviewed by 10 judges and walked the stage in their gorgeous gowns. One very confused girl made it out representing the state of Florida that night. There truly is nothing like the adrenaline rush you get when conquering your fears.
Meet Isabel, from @tastyaz
How did you get into Influencer Marketing?
My husband and I eat out so much that sometimes we didn't remember where we had eaten and what we liked about a specific restaurant, so I started documenting our foodie adventures on Tasty AZ. I learned photography and started taking pictures of our food while eating out and grew a following that way. It's been 4 years of my blog/Instagram and we love the opportunity to try new foods and travel as a result of Tasty AZ.
What has been your favorite Foodie Tribe campaign that you've worked on and why?
I loved working with Sonoma Cutrer because it allowed me to style my photo in a very pleasing way, using props such as a charcuterie board and putting a personal touch on the photoshoot.
Isabel's image from her favorite campaign, Sonoma-Cutrer.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I used to dance tango. I practiced for over 15 years and it's a passion I enjoy from time to time.
For our influencer spotlights from December visit the blog post here!