How Tammy Hembrow Squat Her Way Into Social Media Success
The world of health and fitness have become defining characteristics of the 21st century. These days, eating well and exercising, largely contribute to our cultural values. And as a result, the wellness industry has an estimated global worth of $3.7 trillion. More recently, social media has given a platform for health and fitness enthusiasts to share their knowledge and expertise with the 2.6 billion social media users worldwide. Whether or not the information is reliable, social media influencers significantly drive the health and fitness industry forward. The number of social media accounts have exploded within the realm of fitness, but one of the most popular influencers, Tammy Hembrow, has stood out from the rest. The 23-year-old Australian mother of two, has leveraged her online presence to dominate the fitness and fashion game. With over 8 million Instagram followers, and more than one million YouTube subscribers, Tammy Hembrow has launched her career into celebrity status, winning Cosmopolitan’s Woman Of The Year Award for social media fitness. Her healthy lifestyle, beauty interests and fashion sense has caught the attention of millions around the world, allowing her to be the powerful influencer she is today.
Her aspirational media content manages to achieve something very few influencers can do. As she posts photos of her sculpted physique *cough* booty, healthy lifestyle, and journey through motherhood, Hembrow caters to almost every audience. Food, lifestyle, and parenting are the three largest influencer based markets, and somehow, she manages to tick off each category. She has cultivated a diverse audience of both gym junkies and mothers, who are equally engaged in her day-to-day activities. Simultaneously appealing to people of all ages, Tammy Hembrow has become a reflection of many lifestyles, whether that be a gym fanatic, busy mother, or businesswoman, she has built a strong brand both nationally and internationally.
The young mother built her online community to motivate and inform her fellow mamas that having a child does not mean you can’t look or feel sexy again. As she puts it, “I don’t want women to give up after having a baby thinking their body is ruined or will never be the same. The truth is that it probably won’t ever be the same, but it can be even better! I want to teach women how to train for their goals and how to use food as fuel so they can work towards being a stronger, healthier, happier version of themselves.” By providing healthy eating tips and workouts, Hembrow has become an inspiring fitness mentor to her entire fan base.
Initially, her use of Instagram triggered a global obsession as she shared her pregnancy experience to her post-baby body. People around the world were curious as to how she was able to achieve her post-pregnancy body goals, and Hembrow was more than happy to share her knowledge and expertise.
Naturally, this lead to her first fitness venture in launching her 8-week booty building guide, which was promoted only through her social media accounts. Her fitness programs prove that all it takes is long-term dedication in weight training and healthy dieting to really see a difference.
Hembrow’s online presence grew as she became the face of many different brands. She is the brand ambassador for the protein shake company, Women’s Best, has a fashion collaboration with brand, In The Style, is sponsored by the popular clothing brand, Fashion Nova, and is part of the #goodsquad for Khloe Kardashian’s denim label Good American. Her influence power was able to grow based on her authenticity, where she only collaborates with brand that truly appeal to her. Since she actually uses this protein powder, and wears these clothes, they are authentically part of Tammy. It is her overall transparency and legitimacy that strengthens her personal brand. But, in all honesty… You know you’ve made it when you’re not only working with a Kardashian but envied by one too.
Her fitness brand soon expanded into fashion, where she launched her own athleisure clothing label, Saski Collection. Her fitness programs came before her clothing line, meaning you have to first purchase the Tammy Hembrow fitness guides in order to look just like she does in those leggings, and boy is that ever the goal. As her two business ventures work hand-in-hand, the fitness star reaps the benefits from the increased sales revenues.
With Tammy’s established online presence, getting the word out about her new label was far from challenging. Saski Collection only advertises through social media, using Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and LinkedIn, in order to cater to specific audiences and retain their engagement. With 300 thousand Instagram followers, the page is carefully curated to inspire confidence in women. Saski Collection frequently uploads photos of fans rocking the gym sets, which further incentivizes her followers to make the final purchase. Because in order to become a “Saski girl,” which associates you with Tammy, you must disconnect yourself from your wallet and spend money on her products. Women around the world share photos in their Saski wear, which not only enhances their own profile, but helps amplify the original message of the brand. And of course, joining the online team gives you the status of leading a healthy lifestyle, which brings its social benefits.
Saski Collection has successfully launched two collections: The Originals Collection, which offers a range of neutral coloured gym attire, and more recently, The Pastels Collection, including trendy colours like bubblegum pink, mint green, lilac and sherbet yellow. With more than 1000 transactions made just on launch day, the Pastels Collection was quick to sell out, of course, crashing the website. Active women from over 30 different countries admire the simple yet unique designs from her two collections. This is because the clothing have come to represent health and morality, while demonstrating a lifestyle we all strive to achieve. As sales continue to rise, it makes sense that the Insta-celeb’s business has already hit the $1 million sales mark.
I mean just look at the content. It’s seems so playful and exciting, which paints the gym as an inviting and beautiful experience. In fact, when I finish this rant I may just buy myself the mint green set.
Talk about visually appealing content. The Pastel Collection’s success has much to do with its retro-feeling. This take on 80s fitness apparel is undeniably stylish. The vintage inspired activewear demonstrates individuality, of fitting in while standing out. Clearly, Saski Collection’s attire has been built off timeless classics— proving what goes around comes around.
In just one shot, Tammy Hembrow has perfectly combined fashion, athleticism, relationship goals and parenthood. Strengthening and reinforcing the message of her brand.
It is impossible to ignore the growing power and value of visual content. Visual content generates brand awareness and engagement, while enhancing the overall design of one’s platform. In fact, statistics show that posting images on social media produces 650% more engagement rates than posts without images. It is clear that Tammy has mastered this trend, with an estimated net worth of $2 million. She has become one of the most recognizable faces on social media. How? Quite simple…
DO THINGS, TELL PEOPLE.
By constantly sharing her journey online, she captured the attention of millions. As she continued to tell her story, her fame grew alongside. Social media gave her branding power to create fitness guides and fashion lines, which continuously inspire women to reach their fitness goals. By posting to various platforms, such as Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube, she gives her followers new perspectives of her fascinating and glamorous life. Statistics prove that half of YouTube subscribers between the ages of 18 to 34, would stop whatever they were doing to watch a new video from their favourite channel. Since Tammy’s weakly uploads present her honest day-to-day experiences, ranging from motherhood, workout sessions, fashion hauls, and makeup tutorials, she has branded herself as expert in all these fields. This ultimately strengthens her ability to influence mass audiences.
Evidently, the celebrities with a huge fan base hold the power to shape our consumer desires. This is because more followers equate to more power. Hembrow successfully taps into our emotional desires, enabling us to trust her recommendations as if she were a close friend. It takes only 50 milliseconds after seeing content for people to form their first impressions, and through her high-quality, frequent postings, and continuous engagement with her fans, Tammy leaves an impact in this time frame.
In just her early years of adulthood, Tammy Hembrow began the path into two distinct journeys. One, as a young mother, and the other as an ambitious entrepreneur. And if it isn’t obvious enough, she is killing the game in both.
Cailey Bisgould
References:
https://saskicollection.com/blogs/saskigirl-blog/why-we-re-hooked-on-social-media
