Behind every brand is a great story for how they got started. I’d like to share the story behind why I started Ludlow Social, and why I feel so strongly about the business of influencer marketing and all things digital.
Let’s dive in!
Before becoming an influencer marketing pro almost a decade ago, I was behind the computer watching YouTube beauty videos and tweeting my favorite vloggers to be featured in my senior capstone paper in college.
The topic? The Influence of Consumer Reviews in the Beauty Landscape. I knew the impact of my favorite vloggers and their ability to sway purchase behavior through their endorsements (this was back before you could really make money on social media too!).
I joined the influencer marketing industry in 2013 right after college. I moved to New York City one week after graduation, and it was love at first sight in turning my personal passion into a professional career.
It wasn’t long before brands started to expand their communications strategies to include influencers in addition to their PR efforts with long lead print publications and short lead editors. Brands were asking how to collaborate with bloggers (yes, bloggers as social hadn’t taken off just yet!) to showcase their products. I had always been interested in the business side of influencers (everything from the ethics with FTC disclosure to the content creation side) and it fascinated me to what brands would do to get on an influencer’s page.
I loved being on the agency side where the industry really started to get traction with brand partnerships 📈 Working with brands like COVERGIRL, Gillette Venus, Head & Shoulders, Sephora, and so many others to shape brand strategies and influencer campaigns was a dream come true. Fast forward to 2020, it became clear pretty quickly that the industry was pivoting with brick and mortar stores closing during the pandemic. The spotlight on influencer marketing was stronger than ever and budgets for campaigns were shifting to digital.
Did you know brands are on track to spend $32.5 Billion in 2023 in influencer marketing?
I always knew influencer marketing would be my focus, and it was just a matter of figuring out what that looks like for me. It was time for a change after working in agencies for almost a decade. I was burnt out from the pandemic and from climbing the corporate ladder.
So I did some self exploration and took on freelance projects with beauty and fashion brands who needed influencer marketing support with their campaigns. I also helped influencers who were seeking clarity with their business. I immediately noticed a huge need in the marketplace for influencer expertise. Brands were spinning their wheels trying to launch ambassador programming and talent were frustrated with brands for not letting them be creatives. There were so many un-met needs!
This brings me to today with Ludlow Social, where I am focused on empowering influencers and brands to create aligned, dynamic, and compelling partnerships.
Ludlow Social is devoted to driving creativity and authenticity in the influencer marketing industry for influencers, agencies, and brands. It acts as a full-service agency for campaign strategy + execution from start to finish.
For influencers, Ludlow Social provides strategic support with creators to grow their business. The goal is to help creators create strong, purposeful partnerships with the right brands. This includes how to navigate the best influencer collaborations, partnerships, and influencer marketing relationships, and more!
There is a lot of advice out there focused on content strategy, how to get more followers, how to optimize your feed, what platforms you should be on, etc. But there aren’t as many resources about the business operations of influencer marketing for content creators. There also aren’t many resources for brands unless they want to give $50K of their fee to an agency.
...That's where Ludlow Social comes in.
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