The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 39: Oct/Nov 2018 | Page 14

CREATIVE THINKING
by Fiona Scott
WHAT IT TAKES
TO BECOME A SOCIAL
MEDIA INFLUENCER
Gina Akers is often called a social media
influencer – a term which she despises yet accepts.
She’s actually a person with a portfolio career. She has always had a
passion for beauty and fashion, is a qualified hair stylist, nail technician,
beauty therapist, FE Lecturer and an NVQ assessor, she ran her own
salon for a decade, is an experienced TV presenter and a journalist. She
has built up a large audience on her social media networks which include
Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. She’s also got a degree in business
management and is an ambassador for HABIA – the Hair & Beauty Industry
Authority. Latterly she’s developed significant management and PR
experience in the music and festivals business.
Twitter: @ginaakers
Instagram: @ginaakers
Facebook: @ginaakersTV Presenter
When did your relationship with
social media begin?
It wasn’t really social media – it was the
internet and what it could offer in general.
I’ve always been quite geeky and into
techie things and I loved the idea of a
virtual world where you could share stories
and communicate instantly with anyone
anywhere in the world.
How did your media role evolve?
When doing my HND in business
management I loved the marketing
element and I couldn’t help but get
involved with activities which allowed me to
understand marketing more fully – by doing
it in the real world. I was, at one time, a
member of the Black Thunder Radio crew
(with GWR) and I was the one who would
do the ‘live links’ as there as always an
argument about who would do them. No
one liked it and I didn’t mind so in the end I
said I’d do them all.
I then got the opportunity to do some TV
work and I took the opportunity. I was a
consultant on the first series of The Salon
and I was one of the on-screen participants
– I chose to be the receptionist - in series
two. I’ve appeared often on This Morning
doing beauty demonstrations and tips, I’ve
done regular stints on various shopping
channels and presented numerous
corporate videos for brands including hotel
groups and educational establishments.
The most recent one was an interview with
Marco Pierre White for P&O Cruises.
You ran your own hair salon in
Swindon too?
www.juicy-designs.com
REFRESHING BRAND AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS WITH ADDED JUICE
14
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018
Yes, I was brought up in an entrepreneurial
family. Many people know my great
grandfather was the person who handed
over Lydiard Park in Swindon to the local
authority back in 1943. My close family ran
their own businesses at different times and
are significant landowners locally. So it was
something I always felt I would do – I did
after all choose to do a business HND and
then a degree.
After the success of The Salon, and the
fact that people were recognising me in
the street, I felt there couldn’t be a better
time. I’d actually had my first job in a salon
in Purton at the age of 12 and loved it. I
opened up my salon in the Brunel Centre
called aqua-G and it was an amazing time.
It was hard work, I learned so much about
actually doing business as well as being
an expert. I still had other career paths I
wanted to follow and I didn’t want to be tied
to one place so I eventually let a member
of my salon team take-over my salon. I
came away from it completely and it proved
to be a very professional and positive
management takeover.
What is a social media ‘influencer’?
I hate that term as it’s too simplistic – being
successful on social media and then being
in a position to ask for payment in order
to have access to my ‘network’ requires a
huge amount of work, it requires a legacy
built up over time. It’s more multi-layered
than just messing about on social media.
Also it’s not social media management
– it’s not me running other people’s social
media platforms. It’s me including a brand,
business or service within my own social
media conversations.
One definition I’ve heard is that it’s a
person who “has the power to influence
someone’s decision-making’. Even that
doesn’t feel right for me.
For me, it’s someone who has done the
work over time – often years - required to
be an expert, an educator and who truly
knows their sector and is mindful in their
activity while at the same time being active,
ethical and honouring any business deals
mutually agreed. Reputation is everything,
as with much of marketing, so you have to
stick to your principles.