You may remember from a few blogs ago, that for a long time I felt a little lost and disconnected from my brand. So about a month ago I decided to move all our social media over to my personal page and completely stop using a separate Ridiculously Rich page. I really wanted to show that the “by Alana” part of the business was very important to me. It was a big change and one that I didn’t take lightly. You can read about why I did it HERE.
I am currently writing sat on the beach in the blistering heat, just after taking a few pictures of me “working on the beach” to pop on my social media and decided now is a good time to honestly write about what it’s been like taking back the control of these platforms and the brand, so grab a cuppa and let me tell you how it has been.
The first thing I noticed is that I needed to learn how much is too much. How much of my life do I show you all and how much do you guys actually want to see? It’s a real balancing act, deciding how much of my personal life I want to share while understanding the types of things that you enjoy knowing. For instance, should I post pictures of my family, should I post cake related posts every day or should I show you the less glamorous side of the business when I’m at my office desk sobbing when it all gets a bit much (don’t worry that’s not a regular thing) but you get my gist. There was a feeling for a while, and I think to a certain extent there always will be, that I am now such a part of the brand that my customers and followers are in a position of knowledge over my entire life, and that’s quite a strange feeling.
Secondly and much along the same point is the pressure of constant content creation. This point I have come to accept very quickly, that sometimes I will have a lot to say and show you, and sometimes I won’t. Sometimes I will be sat in my office all day emailing and cracking on with things and will either forget to post or simply not have anything post-worthy. And honestly? I think this is ok, after all I don’t want to start posting just for the sake of it and misleading you all.
Finally I needed to start getting used to different platforms. Instagram is by far where it is at for me. I love it. It’s suited to my style and works well with me and the business. Facebook I find the same but Twitter is more of a challenge for me as it is so interactive, but in this day and age it’s not enough to just do one! Not only do I have to be the face of the brand by literally showing my face on my posts, but the voice of it too (written and out loud!). This sparks off a whole new world of how much is too much. I mean, do you want to hear who I thought should be kicked out of Love Island and my political stance on certain things…
I am a month in to managing this all myself again, and if there is anything I have learned it’s to just go with my gut feeling and not worry too much. I have to keep a certain amount of my life personal and off social media or I think I will go completely insane! For instance, some people love to do yoga to relax, but my go to for relaxation is to sing. I have recently started having singing lessons and it’s my happy thing. For now this is in the box tightly locked away. It’s not something I do for any reason other than it helps me relax and switch off from the ever filling inbox for a little while. Reading this I am sure some of you will start wondering “is she any good at it?” and maybe want to hear me sing, but it’s only recently that I have discovered that this is something that helps me unwind and once you find that something, I think it’s really important to hold on to it and not turn it into something that defeats the object and becomes another part of your life that you share with everyone (I say as I am writing a blog about it!).
All in all, after the month of being back in control I feel pretty positive. I don’t have any regrets at all and feel like it was 100% the right thing to do for the business. I feel so much more connected to the business, to my followers and customers than ever and so much more excited about everything. I love visiting stockists and ambassadors and showing you all these trips. How mad that that’s actually a thing I can do now? I also love that I can ask you guys questions through the likes of polls and get an idea of what you actually want to see, it makes my life a lot easier and I love hearing your opinion. I am still getting used to it all and I am just as excited when you tag me in your photos and share in what I am doing. Thank you all for helping me get back into it.
Instagram: @ridicrichbyalana
Twitter: @Alana_Spencer_
