Influence, An Industry Dominated By Women

Vertuelles
Nov 3 · 3 min read

More numerous in the sectors of influence, these female leaders are the natural representatives of the expansion of social media and content creation. While brands today fully integrate the power of digital technology into a purchasing cycle, women influencers in fashion and beauty and their role as prescribers have really changed certain industries!

A STORY OF WOMEN

At the origins of influence as we know it today, it is the many blogs and YouTube channels that were widely acclaimed in the early 2010’s. Ten years ago, content creators shared their opinions and advice in a non-profit way — it was above all a matter of passion! Already a majority on the different platforms, women were already addressing lifestyle-oriented topics, such as fashion, cosmetics, well-being and culture. Video formats were conducive to tutorials, and blogs to magazines, bringing a significant commitment, then, to brands.

It is therefore only natural that there are more women leaders in this industry. Digital and its very low barriers to entry have allowed the multiplication of content, simple, free and direct on the subjects of predilection of influence: purchasing advice and lifestyle.

MORE INFLUENTIAL LEADERS

Among the most influential people on the Instagram social network are many “ex” bloggers — Chiara Ferragni, Julie Sariñana, Aimee Song — and youtube girls (still active) — Camila Coelho, Sananas, Desi Perkins. While the video format is still on the rise, blogs are not neglected by some influential women with more mature communities and more inclined to prefer articles. This is the case of Sivan Ayla, who explains in The Boss Babe Podcast that she continues to post daily on her blog because while content published on social platforms is important, the blog ultimately belongs to her 100% and social networking trends fluctuate. Thus, she has been able to bring together tens of thousands of people who have subscribed to her newsletter and her blog allows her to convert more efficiently.

It is also the beauty sector that is the most engaging on Instagram, with 32% of total interactions. Here again, women are in the majority and the cosmetics industry is fighting hard to get their hands on the game: PR kits, trips, collaborations with headliners… Even crazier, a study reported on Forbes cites that 92% of make-up users find information thanks to the videos on YouTube posted by influencers.

FROM INFLUENCE TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Another phenomenon related to the influence industry: today’s influencers are tomorrow’s business leaders! In order to take advantage of their strength of prescription, to combine passion and entrepreneurship and to ensure a future beyond the promotion of other brands, many have chosen to create their own brand, and sometimes even their own company. This is the case of Marianna Hewitt who, with an influential friend, founded the Summer Fridays brand. Known for its expertise in the field of cosmetics, it is only natural that it now offers a range of skin care products, sold worldwide and distributed by the giant Sephora.

But the biggest coup d’éclat and certainly the one made by Arielle Charnas and her Something Navy line of clothes sold exclusively on Nordstorm. The first launch generated $4 million in revenue in a single day. In the summer of 2019, she became the first influencer fundraiser with a $10 million round of financing, signing the brand’s independence and the end of the contract with the original distributor.

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