We have worked with Stacey for many years arranging influencer collaborations and trusting each other implicitly, especially during the endurance test of back-to-school when influencer selection and engaging content is absolutely critical. A seasoned interiors influencer herself, here we spent a few minutes with her asking her perspective on influencer marketing.

How has influencer marketing impacted your brand's visibility and reach within your target audience?

Over the recent years we’ve seen the power has shifted from brands to influencers who are leading the way with reviews and promotions. Consumers trust what influencers have to say more than what a brand has to say about themselves and they act on these recommendations, so it’s vital they’re part of any social strategy. We work closely with influencers to build a credible relationship with them and their followers on both campaigns and giveaways, which has helped our social channels grow in both engagement and followers. 

It’s worth noting that consumers want everything instant these days and influencers are helping brands with this. Fast news and quick ways to purchase products. Facebook and Instagram are our key social channels for engagement and sales, with the back to school period our busiest time. School shoes reviews, creative video content and giveaways all help drive sales and engagement for us.

What key benefits have you observed from influencer marketing campaigns in terms of building brand credibility and trust among consumers?

For us, it’s not just about selling products, it’s also about creating interactive customer experiences, giving advice, building a loyal community and becoming available across multi-devices and sharing more user generated content, which influencers help us with. It helps to build trust with our audience and we’ve certainly been doing more of that on our channels. 

How has Vista PR assisted your brand in identifying and connecting with relevant influencers for successful collaborations?

We’ve worked with Vista for over 11 years now and they are very much part of the Start-Rite family. They are always bringing us new ideas and inspiring influencers who can help us to continue building our loyal community. They are first class in providing valuable guidance and insights, always with an eye on new trends, helping us to stay ahead when it comes to working with the right people and creating the right content. We’d be lost without them!