We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Harrup recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I love creating an environment online where people feel inspired to tackle home DIYs and renovations in their own spaces while giving them the tools and information to do so!
Jennifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started out in interior design in college, received my degree, and then worked as an interior designer for a few years out of college. My husband and I soon found out I was pregnant and I knew it was time to start a business so I could work from home and take care of my new baby. As much as I wanted to start an interior design business I didn’t yet have a portfolio or a home to show for my work. But I had just gotten married and had some beautiful wedding photos… so I decided to start a wedding planning business instead. This would send me down a decade long path of planning luxury weddings for some really special Houston, Texas brides. I loved my job, but it was also incredibly demanding and I knew in my heart it wasn’t what I was meant to be doing. In 2019 my dad passed away and I knew life was too short to spend one more year wishing I was doing something else, so I decided to shut down the wedding planning business and become an online interior design content creator. I now am living my dream of making over my home, sharing the process with the internet, and teaching my followers how to tackle their own home projects along the way.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building my audience on social media has been a slow and steady process and I still have a long way to go, but Tik Tok has been instrumental in growing my audience the past two years. The Tik Tok audience has a short attention span, but they love seeing room makeovers and hearing the story behind the process. It’s a fun challenge to figure out what they are going to be interested in next. I also have to say in this post 2020 world if your online social media presence doesn’t include video content you’re already behind. I never imagined that videos would be what I was posting more than perfectly curated Instagram photos, but it’s what we all want to see online right now.
Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?
I think one of the questions I get asked most frequently is how do I make money as an influencer. And the truth is it is all about creating multiple streams of revenue. We can’t rely on just one or two platforms like Instagram or Tik Tok to monetize. What if one of these platforms goes down one day? Creating a website or blog home for your brand is so important, building up your web traffic with Pinterest and SEO is a surefire way to build up a great traffic stream that can host ads. Plus adding in affiliate links to your posts so your followers can buy the products you’re using and recommending. This should be the backbone of any content business online that you can then branch out from and make additional revenue with branded partnerships, the Tik Tok creator fund, or selling services or products to your followers.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jenniferlauraliving.com
- Instagram: @jenniferlauraliving
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlauraliving
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-harrup-8896b842/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCat4JZfSsyoEkoN9VqXS0Vg
- Other: Tik Tok- @jenniferlauraliving
Image Credits
photography- Jennifer Laura Living