DIARY directory recently caught up with fashion blogger Anna Hart from South Molton St Style. Having launched her blog in 2011, Anna initially ventured into blogging to combat the age-old problem of having too many clothes yet nothing to wear. Setting out to create the perfect capsule wardrobe, Anna's ever-evolving blog not only led to a fashionably versatile wardrobe but also an in-depth understanding of the influencer marketing industry. Having previous brand-side marketing experience and first-hand insight as a blogger, Anna noticed the opportunity for a new agency that helped bridge the knowledge gap between a brand and an influencer, leading to her launching One Roof Social in 2015. Now a successful blogger and entrepreneur, Anna shares how brands and PRs can work better together with influencers, her top tips for social media strategy and why she's turned to YouTube. 

Worked with brands including The White Company, NET-A-PORTER, San Pellegrino, Dermalogica

"I think 2018 is going to be a big one for the world of influencers. We no longer need to convince brands that working with us is a thing, instead, we need to make effort to show brands what we can offer..."

What was the catalyst for you starting your own business?

I always knew I wanted to run my own business and having worked in digital marketing I knew I wanted it to combine my brand experience with my findings, having been a blogger. Campaigns were being run so terribly and having tried to execute them from both sides of the fence, I thought there was a gap in the market for a company who understood both sides.

You have a unique viewpoint, from a brand’s perspective with One Roof Social, and the influencer side of the business - where do you see things heading?

I think 2018 is going to be a big one for the world of influencers. We no longer need to convince brands that working with us is a thing, instead, we need to make effort to show brands what we can offer and become better at understanding their challenges. For example, it’s inexcusable not to know industry terms or know your stats. At the same time we also need to help our audiences understand that running advertising campaigns isn’t a bad thing – and in my mind, that’s only possible through pairing with brands that fit and creating original, integrated content.

Product placement is no new thing; it’s been going on since the 1890 and consumers only ever pipe up when they feel an advertisement is out of place or unjustified. The analogy I give is everyone skips the ad breaks unless its something they really want to see, like the Christmas adverts. It’s got to be relevant and a genuine fit to the influencer working on it.

How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers? 

I could go on about this for days but I think PRs need to accept that influencer work is a marketing discipline now and it’ll only work for them if they bother to learn the marketing terms and disciplines required to make a campaign work.

Everyone involved has to be on the same page, and know wholeheartedly that the partnership makes sense.

Your Insta Stories are hysterical - was it the feedback from these posts which made you recently decide to put more emphasis on your YouTube channel? 

Stories has been amazing for me. I could easily fit into a broad bracket of influencers who are over 30, live in London and like a striped top – it’s allowed me to show my personality. I’ve only started YouTube because it’s easier for me to manage, I can produce it all myself and I don’t need anyone to take my pictures. My friends and family were so sick of me asking to snap my picture, I essentially just did it so I wouldn’t end up living alone (with 200 dogs).

You’ve decreased your written posts year on year. Are you finding Instagram & other visual apps are increasingly more important than traditional blogging? Do you see a day when you’ll move away from your blog completely?

Ummmm no, I love my blog but with One Roof Social time is difficult. Now that we’ve got things like the Instagram swipe up there is less of a need to create an entire post and sometimes a simple link does the job. My following do like proper content though so when I get time I’ll do it – plus PRs really push for blog posts as the industry still sees that as a necessary content deliverable – especially those who don’t understand the real-time platforms.

With regards to social media strategy, what are your top tips…

Brands...

Don’t be naive to the total sum of someone’s followers, concentrate on those who can seriously drive attention to your brand. Also, don’t send out mass emails because we hate them.

Influencers...

Don’t be greedy, price yourself fairly and don’t fuss over what everyone else is doing – your greatest strength is being yourself.

How do you feel about being labelled an ‘influencer’? 

I don’t have a problem with it, I don’t think it’s a perfect term but it’s the closest thing to describe what I do. I can’t stand the “creator” label – bloggers need to understand that we’re a digital media form and are valued on its worth just like any other media form.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? 

I can be very shy and I won’t walk into a room unless I know there’s someone I know in there. I go red, I sweat, sometimes there’s a gentle wheeze going on… it’s pretty gross.

What creative projects are you involved in at the moment?

Lots, I’m really happy with things at the moment. I’m really pulling back on the amount of projects I’m working on now – unless it’s something I really want to do I just can’t justify taking the time away from One Roof Social anymore. The agency is going really well and I’m lucky to have an amazing team – it’d be unfair for me to disappear too much on trips or to take pictures of myself in the street!

Listed in DIARY directory in the blogs & vlogs section, Anna is one of over 1500 categorised influencers that PRs could work with. Subscribers can sort blogs according to social media following across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and filter by country and UK region. See our previous Featured Influencers here!