Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah McKinley.
Savannah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in a small town and moved to Dallas when I was eighteen years old. After I graduated college and began working a corporate job as an Account Manager for a staffing firm, I began to realize that my creative skills were not being utilized to the extent I had dreamed for them to be. While I still needed the stability I gained from working full time, I began pouring heart and time outside of the office into developing @savmckinley: My personal platform for influencing and creativity.
My personal Instagram account was an easy starting platform for me to begin to play with content creation specifically in yoga, traveling, modeling, photography, editing, writing and blogging. With having a strong base of followers from college, I began studying social media trends in order to eventually evolve my account from simply having personal followers into engagement from outside followers interested in the account’s content. After the initial first step of finding my brand’s focus and feel online, I began to see emails and phone calls start coming in from companies and influencers interested in cross promoting, engaging in partnerships and product promoting. My eyes were opened to the business of social media as I gained more connections in the industry.
Since committing to the focus and growth of @savmckinley, I’ve watched my following count and engagement rate skyrocket as I’ve honed in on what the business is all about and how it can draw in both friends and consumers alike. From social media and marketing seminars to photoshoots around the city of Dallas, @savmckinley has led me to meet so many incredible creatives whom I now work with regularly and call friends.
We’re just at the start of all that this platform and business can be and will become and I can’t wait to see what the months ahead have in store!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would be lying if I said it’s been a smooth road, transitioning from a personal platform to a business and evolving a brand. I believe that the best things in life require the most attention and our best effort- and that certainly has rung true with @savmckinley.
Emerging into the Social Media Influencer scene in 2018 is a difficult task in and of itself. The market is saturated with professionals and amateurs alike and it’s a struggle to make your presence known and offer something unique and different to your followers. The key that I found is being true to yourself and your passions. If you refuse to compromise and refuse to take the easy road and ride someone else’s cart, you will eventually find success.
For me, it took time to figure out what @savmckinley needed to be. That alone was a huge mountain to climb when starting out. Personally, I have the unique mixture of posts on travel, yoga, product ads, writing, modeling and personal updates. These are the things that I am passionate about and want to build my brand around but I also realized that without brand consistency my page would fail to attract any sort of attention and growth. What was most important that I had to spend time focusing on was consistency of my brand and with Instagram that means color scheme, editing and caption consistency and overall feed feel. I began to see tremendous growth when I found my overlying theme and stuck to it post after post after post. It’s when you find consistency in the visual elements of a business that you can begin to find freedom in the content you post.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about savmckinley – what should we know?
I’ve created @savmckinley to bring opportunity to personal platforms that someday want to launch into becoming something beyond just a social media site. @savmckinley is a platform where followers can feel inspired and encouraged and can gain access to deals, ideas and creative content that is relevant to their everyday lives.
I specialize in product promotion, mainly products that target the world of beauty, travel, food and athletics. I also specialize in modeling and photography, yoga and travel, writing and blogging. With partnerships in place with local, small companies to large, international brands, @savmckinley has the opportunity to reach a wide range of followers and cultivate a community of engagement on the site.
What sets @savmckinley apart from the world of social media influencers and bloggers is authenticity and transparency. With its roots being a personal account, @savmckinley still has a significant following of friends and family who have been along for the ride for years. I’ve worked hard to ensure that @savmckinley is a platform that while it hosts posts that promote products and give reviews on various elements of its purpose, it is equally authentic and transparent in what is happening in my life, good and bad. Topics like anxiety, commitment, relationships and friendship are all topics I’ve covered at @savmckinley that have generated so many likes, comments and conversations from followers who felt encouraged and connected to the topics I was discussing. This authenticity is what I believe and have seen set @savmckinley apart from the rest and continues to.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Behind every successful person is various people that helped them get there!
I have so much love and gratitude in my heart for every person that has played a role in encouraging me, pouring into me, taking a chance on me and supporting me in the process of getting @savmckinley to where it is today. From content development to modeling, yoga and writing, I’d like to thank:
First photo shoot: Mo Sadjapour, Photographer
Shooting and Modeling coach: Adrian Stecker, Photographer
Lifestyle Sessions: James Parry, Photographer
Social Media, Blogging, Editing: Victoria Ellis, Content Creator
Yoga Pioneer: Kelly Suckow, Instructor and Close Friend
Yoga Elements: Shannon Lucas, Mentor and Friend
Took a chance on contracting me: Social Native, Content Creative
Contact Info:
- Address: ATTN. SAVANNAH MCKINLEY
1701 PAYNE ST. #607
DALLAS, TX 75201 - Email: SAVMCKINLEY@GMAIL.COM
- Instagram: @SAVMCKINLEY
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.