Naomi D’Souza: Life of a Social Media Influencer
Naomi D’Souza never expected that her love for desserts and taking pictures would one day collide together to become her career. Naomi is a Dubai based social media influencer that has worked with several restaurants to try their food, using Instagram to post photographs and promote her latest outings to her audience. With over 66 k Instagram followers by her side, Naomi went on to set up her own blog, where she posts reviews, personal experiences and information on places that she has visited.
A snippet of Naomi's Instagram Page
What does being a social media influencer involve and how does it work?
There’s no rule of thumb on how it works. It mostly just involves accepting an invitation, going to the venue and then posting about your experience right after. The more popular you get, the more your presence is valued.
How did restaurants begin noticing you and how do they approach you?
I believe I started getting popular because of ‘Word of Mouth’. If I ever posted something ‘drool-worthy’ on Instagram there would be a string of people tagging their friends! I was often told that my pictures used to pop up in the ‘explore tab’ of Instagram.
Ultimately, I started getting more exposure and companies noticed that. Majority approach me via emails, but I even get invites through my Instagram or Facebook Direct Message.
Did you ever plan to be doing something in social media or was it an unexpected decision?
I was studying Mechanical Engineering, and believe me when I say this, I need some chocolate or delicious cake every now or then to keep me sane with all the stress! Little did I know that what I did during my breaks would turn me into a 'blogger'.
Have you faced any challenges in your work?
Several!
It is taxing to choose and create content that will resonate with my audience every single time. Their happiness is my priority, thus I try my level best to curate articles and blog posts they relate can relate to and love!
I work at IBM and I am doing my Masters in engineering while managing my blog. This is the biggest challenge I face, managing everything and acing it all.
Having tasting sessions in a dark restaurant is a nightmare for photographers. It is crucial for me to show my followers that my experience was indeed phenomenal.
Have you ever encountered any hate, and how do you deal with it?
I receive hate, all-the-time. It’s been 2 years since I’ve been blogging and I’ve learnt to just ignore it (more like, gotten ‘used to it’). Influencers cannot succumb to hatred every time they receive it.
Do you find it easy to keep a balance between work and leisurely activities?
It is not one bit easy to manage work and play. However, I try, as everyone’s gotta ‘Work Hard, Play Hard!’ I give myself a Thursday night and half a Friday to do as I please.
What social media platform do you use the most and why?
Instagram any day! My success is because of Instagram as that’s where my journey began and I get the most engagement from that platform.
What is the most important part of your job that you spend the most time working on?
I spend most of my time editing the pictures I take and choosing which to post from a big batch. Upon choosing the best [pictures], posting and interacting with my followers go hand in hand.
If the content is good, they interact, if not, the engagement is low. Interacting with my audience is a top priority for me.
