INTERIOR INFLUENCE: May/June

Sometimes referred to as micro-influencers, Instagramers with audiences that are too small to move the needle for any mass consumer brand, like Coke or Ford, can be most valuable for advertisers looking for a more pinpointed campaign. Local brands and retailers are looking for influencers with geographically defined followers, and many advertisers require a specifically focused audience to make the ad spending efficient (eg. a fishing tackle company wants an audience of fishing enthusiasts).

Gaining 10,000 followers can be pivotal, as it’s a critical step in getting the ‘swipe up’ feature on Instagram stories, and micro-influencers like @Dianarosespier, with 24,000 followers, are now a focus for many marketers looking for influencers with a more defined, engaged, dedicated and loyal following than the mega-influencers can offer.

Diana started her Instagram account in 2014. As a new stay-at-home mom living in Bedford, she was looking for hobbies, and was in the process of decorating her first home. “I was just taking pictures of my house. Instagram was still pretty new, and I figured it could be fun to post some of the pictures I was taking. It was a personal, private thing. I was doing it just for kicks,” Diana says. But as she began using hashtags and posting regular content, all while keeping her anonymity, the account, then called @BedfordRose, began to grow.

In her Bedford home, Diana tried out some flamboyant trends, like painting a room hot turquoise and using bold wallpaper. And her eye-catching décor began to attract a following. “As the account grew, I got more and more into decorating. I’m not a professional decorator by any means, but I was having a lot of fun, and I thought maybe one day it could lead to something,” Diana recalls.

@BedfordRose reached a crossroads, as Diana describes it, when the Spiers moved from Bedford to New Canaan in 2017. 

The account had amassed about 6k followers, which was enough that Diana knew she had something worth pursuing, but also enough that the account required a real time commitment. “That’s when I realized I could really grow this thing if I focused, and implemented some small tweaks.

 

And, with a new house in New Canaan, I had a new blank canvas to work with!”

 

she exclaimed. And as the content was no longer Bedford-based, Diana changed the account name to @dianarosespier, and began to incorporate herself into the feed more as well.

For Diana, her brand has been more about the connections she builds and the fun she’s having, than turning her hobby into a business. As Diana sums it up, “First and foremost, I’m a mom. I have two kids, a boy and girl. But my youngest is off to kindergarten next year – so I’m only going to have more time to make this even bigger and better. Sometimes I get partnerships with companies that make sense for my brand or my home, and that’s always fun… but what I’ve enjoyed recently is creating a bit of a design consulting business. Followers would reach out all the time asking for advice, or maybe needing a specific item to fit a space, or just wondering what would look good to complete a room. So I’ve started working with them to source some great stuff. Still, being part of the local influencer community has really been most rewarding. I get to meet new people constantly, and I’ve made so many great friends and connections from doing it!”