We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andie Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andie , appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I went to college and got a degree in Elementary Special Education. I worked in that field for a few years before leaving to be a stay-at-home mom. I worked with very young children and would do home visits to help parents support their child’s development. When I started working in social media marketing, I realized that some of the lessons I learned as a teacher, help me in this work as well. The biggest one is that to get respect, you must give respect. When I was being welcomed into people’s homes as a teacher, I always wanted the parents to know that I would listen to them and respect their ideas, their struggles, and their point of view. It’s the same with the people I interact with daily on social media, and the companies I work with. I want people to know I’m listening to them and I appreciate them.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I kind of fell into social media marketing on accident. I started my Instagram account for fun, but soon amassed a sizable following. When companies started first reaching out to me to help Them promote and spread the word about their products, I was so excited! Now I’m just as excited but I am more experienced and have more ideas. I have lots of smaller businesses reaching out to me who just aren’t sure what kind of content they should be producing. I love working with them to make content for or with them, and I encourage them to have fun with social media! The biggest thing I bring to any collaboration is just myself. I’m genuine, energetic, and excited to share good quality products with my followers.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I wasn’t particularly looking to build a social media following, but I did. I built my audience with three points: consistency (I post 3 times a day, 6 days a week), hashtags (I use them on every post), and, most importantly, fun! I enjoy my time on social media and I think that comes through to my audience.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As a plus- sized woman on social media, I have received many rude or negative comments in response to my content. I think most, if not all, people with a following on social media will experience the negative comments, but that doesn’t mean they don’t affect you. I have had to learn repeatedly to be resilient, and to build myself up when someone else is rude. I have worked hard on myself, I know my worth: and I always come back stronger from anyone who wants to tear me down. I’m proud of myself for my own confidence. It comes from within.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ziggityboom/

Image Credits
All photos were taken by me.