Being a macro-influencer can really be hard. You've got to interact with your followers, continuously post engaging content, and keep up with all the strange algorithm shifts. However, many of us can feel like everyone's posting the same photos, in the same poses, asking for the same things.
Contrary to popular belief, influencers are actually meant to influence (I know, right?). So when this influencer with over 2 million followers couldn't sell 36 shirts to launch her online clothing brand, people on Twitter stopped to assess the situation.
In what appears to be a now-deleted IG post, Arii, an 18-year-old IG influencer with 2.6 million followers, wrote that the clothing company she was working with had rules around her first sales, which included selling at least 36 pieces from her line.
The influencer bubble is bursting. This young lady has well over 2 million followers and couldn’t sell 36 shirts. Focus on genuine engagement and not followers cuz they ain’t gonna buy a thing.
She wrote: "Unfortunately the company that I'm working with goes based on your first drop sales. In order for them to order and make my products (even to keep working with them) I have to sell at least 36 pieces (knowing I've become super irrelevant, I already knew it was gonna be hard) but I was getting such good feedback that people loved it and were gonna buy it. No one has kept their word so now the company won't be able to send out the orders to people who actually bought shit and it breaks my heart."
Twitter gave her constructive criticism on the launch, first pointing out that you need to know your consumer as a business owner:
@kissmyelite The truth is that her followers aren't her customers. Understanding who will actually buy from you and what they will buy is a key business lesson.
And that if you're not really building up a personal rapport with your followers, who are coming to your page for a specific reason, you may not be as influential when it comes to sales:
@kissmyelite skimming her ig, it looks like she just didn't have a real "brand" other than taking cute photos of herself, there was no videos, no comedy, nothing inspirational. i thin she mistook people liking her aesthetic as "a brand"
In fact, Twitter did a whole Marketing 101 class in the comments, and I found myself writing down all the notes:
@kissmyelite Some people will launch a business prior to creating a business model to support their concept. Sounds like she truly didn't understand her target audience, market product fit, revenue generating model, marketing strategy.
We got visuals, side-by-sides, and comparison analysis (any marketing majors mad about this free content?):
Look at her feed vs her product line. These aren't even close to the same aesthetic. If you can't imagine her wearing any of these, why would her followers?
Others questioned Arii's marketing stance, since it felt like she never actually promoted her own work for people to get behind:
@kissmyelite
We even got an in-depth analysis and the details with the side-by-sides:
Maybe I missed her IG Stories or promoted posts, but looks like she announced w/ video, only put up one more video, then said she failed 13 days later? Not one single pic of her in product. Only two posts even about it? She basically didn't even try to promote her own product.
And then people suggested conspiracy theories behind this whole thing, and y'all KNOW I love a good conspiracy:
@JuiceboxCA @RexCaulfield Not so hot take. The failure and subsequent pity party IS her marketing angle and she’ll use it later to pivot and say how she overcame adversity and try to sell ebooks on the road to success 🤷🏾♀️
👀👀👀
PLOT TWIST: she deleted her “my brand failed” post. Something is definitely up. The “positive” spin: she took flak for failing & wanted it to stop. It’s seeming more plausible that someone’s lying somewhere. “Marketing stunt” maybe? Sympathy post for future $? Lie about sales?
What do y'all think? Spill your marketing tips down in the comment section and give me all the tea!
We've reached out for comment.