5 Lessons from Natalie Wills

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking to the wonderful Natalie Wills.

Global Head of Marketing for Zalando, she knows a thing or two about the power of social media for good.

These are 5 of my key takeaways from our conversation:

1. We are all influencers

Whether you have 1 follower or 1 million followers, you are an influencer. In fact, Natalie argues that we don’t even need to have a social media account at all in order to be one.

We influence people all the time: with our unique points of view, our opinions, our outfits, our meals, our approaches to work, our interests, the causes we champion, the information we share and the way we communicate.

We are also influenced all the time by other people sharing the exact same things.

Being conscious of this and paying close attention to the way that influence manifests in our moods will be game-changing in our everyday life. It will give us the information we need to ensure we are surrounding ourselves with people who have a positive impact on us and to block, unfollow and detach ourselves from the ones who don’t.

2. We have a lot to learn from the way young people use social media

Natalie believes that we have a lot to learn from the way young people use social media, and I couldn’t agree more.

The creativity of emerging digital creators is like nothing we’ve ever seen online before, and a lot of that stems from their bravery when it comes to trying something new.?

So many of us are held back on our digital journey by the fear of judgement, but every single day we are given more and more proof of how many amazing things lie on the other side of that fear.

The way young people support each other on social media can teach us a lot about the power of digital communities too. Showing us that our people are out there; that we will be celebrated for our interests and skills - no matter how unique; that we have nothing to lose in simply starting.

3. The authenticity movement online is driving transparency in the real world

Calls for authenticity online and the very nature of social media are helping to drive transparency in the real world.

Natalie uses a great example of this, arguing that new political movements are able to connect with people on a grassroots level by building communities online and offering real-time insight into the progress and efforts of their campaigns.?

We still have a long way to go here, but this shift we are starting to see is definitely a promising one.

4. All marketers and brands have the opportunity to shape the future

All marketers and brands have an opportunity to shape the future, and the key to doing so in a positive way lies in diverse, inclusive and value-based collaboration.

Take the casting of talent for example. Brands and the marketing teams behind them have the opportunity to challenge traditional stereotypes within the industries they operate, developing amazing authentic relationships with the creators they work with and making real-world changes as a result.

5. There has been a positive shift in the way influencers are using their platforms

The events of the last 2 years have catalysed a HUGE shift in the way people are using social media.?

The biggest of these changes is the way people are switching off their outward portrayals of perfection in favour of a more unfiltered look at the ups and downs of everyday life.

In turn, we are seeing brands celebrating their target audiences and the talent they work with for their uniqueness instead of their ability to fit into a narrow box.

This is a huge win for all of us - and long may it continue.

You can listen to Natalie's episode here: https://bit.ly/3JDnHJa