The ever growing industry of social media and digital and influential marketing has changed the ambiance behind modern entrepreneurship, and Alex Lombard undoubtedly deserves a kudos in revolutionising online brands and entrepreneurs. From teenage years, Alex aspired for something greater than the social norm and although he did not have an idea as to what this ‘something’ was, he was open to the possibilities that the world of success offered. In his early 20s, Alex was introduced to his first business opportunity which sparked his current success as a serial entrepreneur.
As a founder and CEO of VisionWall INC, Alex’s current niche lies in the world of influence. For the past 7-8 years VisionWall INC has helped various successful and creditable entrepreneurs build and maintain a credible brand on Instagram. With over a million followers on Instagram, the Success Club account acts as an extended branch, a business motivation platform and a brand on its own which helps with the development of other growing brands and automatically becomes an active leverage – all in the name of influence and marketing.
Alex further highlights the uniqueness of VisionWall INC which differentiates itself from any other respected ‘Instagram services’. By working exclusively with already established and legitimate entrepreneurs, a foundation of the anticipated brand is easily driven by the category of niche. Furthermore, VisionWall INC uses well defined and organic strategies tailored for their clients’ brand building techniques, customary to their content creating and inclusive in all exclusive processes and networks. Their main strategy is for VisionWall INC (as a brand) and the client (as a value) to be fully understood, and allow both parties to work cohesively and produce the desired results – credible online brand appearance.
Your Brand is Your Billboard
Alex uses the analogy of a billboard in Time Square New York as a gateway for the audience to call the number on the billboard and buy the product. In that same way, an Instagram account acts as a gateway for your audience to buy in your brand. Referring to Instagram as a digital billboard, Alex sheds light on the power that big brands with large followings have on promoting and marketing one’s profile and brand. Also known as influential marketing, leveraging the following of large pages is a great way to promote your brand!
Some tips he shares for those aiming to grow their brand and audience on various social media platforms include:
- Clear and quality-based content. Ask yourself what is unique about your page? What message are you trying to give off? And what is the theme of your page? And what value does your page offer to your audience?
- Collaborate. Get in touch with similar accounts, reach out to influencers within your niche and build your brand by building others (influencer marketing)
- Consistently engage with your followers or related accounts. Use the like, comment and hashtag section to rip the fruits of ‘the algorithm’.
Network Is Net Worth
Building your brand is one thing, growing and expanding it is something different and over the years, we have seen various ways that Instagram can be a platform of monetising and flipping hobbies into careers. Referring back to the billboard analogy, Alex speaks on the ways your brand and profile act as the digital billboard which promotes your brand, your service or your product. Some of the best strategies and techniques include affiliating your brand by promoting someone else; investing in a digital product, whether it being a certain skill that could be of service, or a product that can be sold and/or used online; and use your Instagram as a lead and tool to monetise.
There are numerous strategies to monetise on Instagram but the greatest principle is “you gotta have something that can sell before you can monetise anything”, he mentions.
Okay, so we’ve figured out the context of branding, influence and monetizing, yet how can one upscale their network and community to put themselves out there with the big brands?
Well firstly, Alex places great emphasis on becoming organically valuable. Have a valuable product that is worthy to your audience, targeted accounts, related accounts and future clients. Therefore, what unique asset does your account hold in comparison to similar brands? Secondly, it is important to prepare and position yourself to meeting and connecting with bigger brands. I mean let’s be honest; there is less than 1% chance for a 1M+ account to respond to your collaboration request on their DM – unless you are able to offer their valuable brand some form of value. So, go to their seminars, make an effort, attend their webinars and stay persistent!
Reflecting on his journey to success, Alex empathises with those getting rejected and what seems like no progress by stating that “persistency is a major aspect to success”.
“Prepare for Your Success”
Thriving in all that we do is an inevitable desire, but as for his purpose in the world of business, Alex mentions how this discovery is driven by daily action and understanding that it’s the journey that leads to where you are destined to be. Therefore live life to the fullest, by living in the moment.
For 28 year old successful digital entrepreneur, Alex Lombard would encourage his 16 year old self to start earlier, study other people, read books about entrepreneurs and to educate himself to be better prepared for his desired success. As a kind reminder that life happens for you and not to you, he understands that everything happens for a reason yet let these reasons lean towards your aspirations.
