An Octoly Community Manager Spills All Her Insider Secrets

One of the best parts about working at Octoly is getting a first look at what brands want from creators. Often times, you don’t get to hear that information. We aim to change that with this new series.

Every couple of weeks we will be interviewing Octoly insiders on our staff. These are people who have a direct link to hearing about what brands want from creators. So instead of guessing at what brands want and hoping your content works, let us tell you what brands are looking for.

Meet Ana Venzal, an essential part of the #OctolyFamily and the Community Manager of Octoly Spain. We were over-the-moon to be able to track her down and pick her brain to cull a few insider secrets about influencer marketing.

Tell us a bit about your role at Octoly!

I am one of the Octoly Community Managers (CM), more specifically I am the Spanish CM. Octoly arrived in Spain a year ago and the Spanish influencer community is already thriving. My job is to make sure all Spanish creators are having a great experience with Octoly. I answer the influencer’s questions, help them meet each other influencers in their area to share their work and strategies, and keep them updated on the latest news, features, events happening with Octoly — and of course, I let them know about new products in the Free Store.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part is also the most rewarding. The best thing is getting to know the creators and making them feel special because they are special and talented! It’s funny how at a certain point you can tell when a review belongs to a creator just by looking at it. You really get to have a relationship with the creators on a personal level. So that’s why I also love Octoly events because they give the Octoly corporate team the chance to meet creators and talk to them directly, in real life.

As someone who works with influencers all the time, what are the top mistakes you see influencers make when working with brands?

The biggest mistake creators make is having a lack of professionalism. I get that for some influencers, their social media profiles are not their main career but the moment you start collaborating with brands, you’re engaging with professionals who really care about their brand image. They want influencers to do the same. Even if the line between professional and personal life is a little blurry on social media, brands expect a certain level of professionalism.

As an influencer, you can be informal, creative and fun and protect your own personal style when working with brands but still respect the agreements and commitments that you have with them. Try to build a long and lasting relationship with the brands that fit your style by showing that you’re trustworthy.

In your opinion, what are the top three things brands look for when they want to partner with an influencer?

It depends on their goals. Some brands want to increase their exposure and visibility, others want to generate traffic to their e-commerce site or reach a younger audience.

However, generally speaking, when they work with influencers they expect:

1. An expert opinion on their product. Your audience trusts your opinion in a particular field because they see you as a role model. So your voice counts (to the brand and to your followers). When a brand chooses to work with you, it’s because they like your voice, your tone, and your style and they want all of it linked to their product.
2. An engaged community. Your community is the key to your success as an influencer. But you already know that! ;)
3. Quality. An image is worth a thousand words and brands really take into account the quality of the pictures or the videos you post. They are not expecting professional results, but we all know that YouTube and especially Instagram are really visual. Brands expect a quality image to go with their product.

The influencer world is becoming increasingly crowded, how can influencers make themselves stand out?

Influencer marketing is working and it is working well. So everyone wants to step in! When this happens it’s important to use creativity, quality, and authenticity to shine.

• Creativity: You need to use your creativity to do the same general ideas that everyone is doing but making it seem different.
• Quality: When you replicate something that has been done a thousand times before, you better do it right!
• Authenticity. This is the last and the most important one. All you need to do is look at the comments on social media to see that audiences across the board are complaining about their favorite influencers “selling” products. The key is to set the record straight: yes, you collaborate with brands, but only with the ones you love and you always giving your real opinion.

Who are your favorite YouTubers and why do you like them so much?

All of our Octoly creators! They are amazing because of their passion. They are truly committed to their channels or blogs. They are a real source of inspiration: they never stop working to achieve their dreams.

Also, it takes a lot of strength and confidence to “put yourself out there” in the social media game. That is something I admire.

What are your favorite products currently in the Octoly Free Store?

I’m gonna take you to the Spanish Free Store ;)

One of my favorite products is the Aveda Damage Remedy Split End Repair, perfect if you use a little too many hot tools and the Fluid Foundation from La Mer, because… La Mer!

What are some YouTube trends you love? Which ones could you do without?

I love the trend “My boyfriend/brother/father does my voice over” I’ve watched some of the videos a thousand times and I still find them hilarious!

For the ones I could do without I’d say I don’t watch “Slime Challenge videos”, I don’t see the interest, but apparently, it’s just me because they’re a thing!