media update’s Aisling McCarthy chatted to Kalish about Big Bad Wolf and the role bloggers play in today’s media and marketing spheres.

Where did the idea behind Big Bad Wolf come from?

Having interned for a couple of well-known magazines in South Africa, I realised that certain print media is dying and the blogging world is only getting bigger and better, especially in South Africa. We may have taken a little longer to get to this point, but we are growing in leaps and bounds.

The magazines gave me a network and understanding of the fashion world, yet they are lagging behind in so many aspects. Especially when it comes to telling the ‘truth’. After many events or fashion shows, I would see the team standing around talking about how terrible said fashion show/event was. However, in the next magazine's edition they would tell their readers how great it was (perhaps fearing they might lose advertisers).

That was when I realised that South Africa is in desperate need of an honest and open blogger, and that is how Big Bad Wolf came about.

I also believe that millennials need instant gratification. No longer do people want to wait a month to know what is happening in the fashion and lifestyle world. I can tell them day by day, and that is a bloggers power over the magazine world.

We also do not need to worry about advertisers and them 'pulling out'. We can be honest about anything and anyone without losing money.

What do you think is the key to a successful blog?

Knowing your audience or target market is key. I know exactly who reads my articles and those are the people I talk to.

One thing younger bloggers need to know is that if you try to write for everyone, you are essentially talking to no one.

How much of a role do blogs play in today’s media and marketing world?

Blogs have become the go-to medium for advertising. If a brand is smart, they will do their research and find the perfect blogger to suits their brand. Through this, they will find the perfect audience too. Bloggers cost a lot less than advertising does, and we have a much larger reach thanks to social media.

Social media is essentially free, so people who cannot afford magazines every week or every month will go onto social media to see what is new and happening. The quicker big businesses understand this, the bigger they will grow.

Magazines are a luxury, but reading is not. None of my readers has ever had to pay to read my work, watch my videos, or view my images and that is why I have the upper hand.

How do you market a blog? Does social media play a big part in it?

Social media is everything when it comes to my blog. Most of my readers find my work on Facebook and are then redirected to my website.

If it was not for social media, Big Bad Wolf would have a much harder time getting people to visit my website. I also get to connect with my audience on a grassroots level on social media.

I love that my audience are able to contact me directly and ask me questions or give me suggestions. If it was not for them, I would not exist.

Big Bad Wolf recently covered the opening of the new restaurant, Rockets. How important do you think bloggers are as influencers?

Bloggers have become the new ‘celebrities’, but instead of just plugging a brand because they pay us, we actually have to believe in, and be a fan of, the brand. People follow bloggers, not because of the way they look or dress, but because they align with the bloggers’ opinions and thoughts.

Bloggers are also far more approachable than celebrities are because we want people to see us as their friends. We only take work we believe in, so our followers understand that it isn’t just a means to make money, but to provide them with the best of the best – in our opinion.

With marketing trends leaning towards the use of influencers rather than a hard sell, how do you position yourself as a trustworthy influencer?

I make sure that I truly believe in the product/ brand I am approached by. That is why I believe Big Bad Wolf is becoming so successful. I will never be a sellout. Because of my ‘controversial’ articles, only certain brands will approach me which, is better for me. That means they want the honest truth. They want a blogger who is willing to give their audience an objective point of view. See the good with the bad. I believe my audience appreciate that too and that is the very reason they follow me.

For more information, visit www.bigbad.co.za

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Interested in the role that bloggers play in today’s media and marketing space? Read more in out article, Why blogs are still important in 2017.