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Have you ever felt like you connected with someone on Instagram so much so that you almost forgot that you haven’t met them in face-to-face? Yea, me too!
As I began building my Instagram through creating fashion and business content, I noticed that there were people on Instagram who shared the same interest and passions as me. One in particular was Vanessa from WhatWouldVWear (on the left of me in red). My mom was a friend of hers on Instagram and would always talk about how fashionable, fun and passionate this lady was. I would hear the name whatwouldvwear every day around the house. As time went on, my mom suggested that I follow Vanessa because she was so awesome. That’s exactly what I did. I followed her and she followed back. We began to comment consistently on each other’s pages and support one another’s businesses over time. That’s what’s so awesome about it all. You are able to not only build friendships, but you are able to make business connections and even deals that could be life changing.
When NYFW came around, we noticed that we would both be in the city attending the shows and had to have a meet up. Though things were busy, we were able to meet at the Vogue Retreat in-between shows and it was amazing. We chatted like old friends who had reunited. Though this was our first official time meeting, we connected right away and had a wonderful time.
The relationships you build online are no longer taboo, but can be powerful connections. The Internet allows us to connect with others around the world more easily whom may have been unreachable in the past. Before I go, I want to give you a few tips for connecting with others online that can turn into awesome friendships and even take your business to the next level.
- Be nice. Just like building old-fashioned relationships, you have to show yourself friendly if you want to build your online network. It helps to smile more in your photos. I heard the editor of Lucky Magazine, Eva Chen, say that smiling is key to growing your brand online. It’s inviting and people feel like you are approachable when you show some teeth.
- Be engaged. Being engaged means commenting, responding and interacting with others online. People only truly connect with those that show genuine interest back. When I first connected with Vanessa, I would and still do consistently say something sweet on her pictures. It’s important to show love to receive love and build a healthy social network.
