We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Roeloffs recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)? Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style.

When I was in college I said yes to every internship and opportunity that came my way. Some were really good and others were pretty tough, but I would not be the person I am today without it. I remember a few different circumstances where I found myself steaming clothes on set for 8 hours straight because I thought I wanted to go into styling. I did all the setup, tear down, hauling, labor work (the typical work on an intern) and quickly realized this was not my passion. I had quite a few circumstances where I did an internship in all different parts of the fashion industry and I specifically remember being at work those days thinking to myself “gosh, I really wish this day way over,” but looking back it was the best thing I could have done for myself because it really helped me figure out what my passions were career-wise!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the co-founder of Visualize Creative Agency. We are a full-service marketing agency that specializes in influencer marketing, event planning, public relations, earned media, talent and brand representation. Our attention to detail and full-picture thinking really sets us apart and helps our clients stand out in this saturated world. Through all aspects of branding, we help generate a deeper connection with your audience and push the boundaries of brands and talent to obtain maximum success!

I didn’t get here overnight! I always knew I wanted to get into fashion and entertainment. I studied Visual Communications at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. I got jobs in influencer marketing, talent management, and creative direction for some of the biggest brands and most relevant influencers. In my previous positions I always tried to learn “what I would do differently if I was the boss/owner” and apply it to my future projects.

I am most proud of helping one of my clients grow their social media channels over 2 million followers in one year through creative direction and strategy planning. It was so exciting to see their dedicated community and revenue grow as we strategically grew their fan base.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

This is such a fabulous question! I am a full believer in being willing to pivot. It is important to have a written out plan and goal, but when you start to execute this goal, if you notice that something is not going as planned, you must be willing to analyze and pivot! Being willing to accept you are wrong and make a change is so important for longevity of your business.

I learned this lesson first-hand. When we first launched Visualize Creative Agency, I planned on keeping our services extremely limited to focus on one type of fashion brand client. I quickly realized that our agency would thrive if we pivoted and worked with brands AND talent. Being willing to make this change has opened so many more doors than we would have had before. It was a hard pill to swallow that we may had made incorrect projections in the beginning, but luckily we were aware and ready to make a change!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I had always been passionate about creating content, so when I saw TikTok starting to gain popularity back in 2019 I saw this as my opportunity to get in early and build my audience! I started posting anything and everything to even see what people liked! Once I had my first video hit a million views, I started creating more content like the best performing videos. I was able to grow rather quickly in the beginning because TikTok was not as saturated and I saw the opportunity early! I got on Instagram reels early too and I saw drastic numbers at the beginning of that too!

What really helped me grow on social media was collaborating with others in the industry as well! Doing this helps you share audience with others and gain exposure.

The advice I would give someone who is trying to grow now would be to really focus on the quality of content and your storytelling now. Now the platforms are so saturated, so you have to create content that is eye-catching within the first second! Pay attention to what does and doesn’t work and continue posting consistently for what is working! Don’t sleep on cross-posting content on different platforms!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.visualizecreativeagency.com
• Instagram: @hannahroeloffs
• Linkedin: Hannah Roeloffs
• Other: TikTok: @hannahroeloffs Snapchat: @hannahroeloffs

Image Credits
Branden Ponschke