Be true to what your interests are — build an online brand around that. For me, I love fashion, travel, and health/fitness. So I share lots of content related to these topics.
Share interesting content on a regular basis — Consistency is key! I have one full day every week dedicated to planning and executing content for my public figure digital brand on social media. Make it a priority and share content every day if you have the capacity.
We often use the term “Influencers” to describe people with significant social media followings on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Youtube, Linkedin and Facebook. Influencers have become today’s media titans, sought after for everything from product placements to timely trends. What’s the difference between influence and impact? Fans and followers? Sizzle versus staying power?
In this interview series, called, “How To Cultivate Community In A Click to Connect World” we are talking to influencers about how they define success and what we all need to discover about the true nature of influence. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tayler Mercier.
Tayler Mercier is a professional swimsuit model, influencer, playboy model and entrepreneur who has been internationally published on numerous prominent magazine covers including Playboy and FHM. With over 250,000 followers on Instagram, Tayler has established a strong reputation in the beauty and lifestyle industries as a beautiful, vibrant and seductive public figure and personality.
As a seasoned influencer, Tayler has gone on to found and launch Mercier Media, a new influencer lifestyle agency that brings together major brands and influencers to develop innovative brand partnerships, advertising campaigns, sponsored events, red carpet events, and provide social media marketing consulting.
Tayler is also involved in other ventures — she is a licensed real estate agent and recently completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas. She is currently preparing to take the LSAT in early 2022 with the ultimate goal of becoming an attorney in the state of Texas.
Thank you for making time to visit with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. How did you discover your career path and what got you to where you are today?
Modeling as a young teenager enabled me to develop a professional full-time modeling career. It’s been my experience that a lot of diligence, hard work and dedication are required to making it in the fashion and entertainment industries.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned along the way that influences how you operate now?
Keeping an element of privacy regarding your personal life is a must for me. It’s OK to share parts of your life with your online family/community, but it’s also important to have a private life offline as well. Establishing privacy and health boundaries are essential.
We’re all searching for some good news. How are you using your platform to make a positive social impact?
Animal adoption awareness is a social impact project that I am constantly sharing with my 250,000+ followers on Instagram. I am currently working with BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions in Houston to help spread awareness about dog and cat adoptions. Animal welfare and adoption is something near to my heart and the more often I can use my platform and visibility to help sweet dogs and cats get adopted, then I feel like I’d added some good to the world.
Many of our readers are influencers as well. Others have tried and have yet to succeed. What words of advice would you offer to aspiring influencers, knowing what you know now?
I think it is important to be kind, thoughtful and strategic when becoming an influencer and building a public brand. Always keep going and find a team that can support your vision is essential. Creating interesting and regular content that displays your interests and values is also key.
Success is often a matter of perspective. I’ve always resonated with Henry David Thoreau’s quote, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” How do you see success — or define success — for yourself now?
I have always defined success as how far a person has progressed, not how far they have gotten. To build something out of nothing for yourself and by yourself is a major accomplishment that will make you feel like no other. Success is relative and it is important to remember that. Compare yourself to yourself — not to others because you will always be more or less successful than others. There is no point in comparing yourself. But it’s the measure of how far you have came from where you started that truly defines success.
What are your strategies to make room for who and what matters most?
Some of the strategies that work for me include daily To Do Lists, quarterly vision boards and month planning sessions with my team. This has helped me keep a clear vision of what is important and what isn’t — and then from there, focus on the positive and keep taking action towards my goals and desires.
How do you reduce or mitigate stress?
Daily exercise, meditation in hot bubble baths and eating organic whole foods are essential for minimizing stress.
I’m going to try a few of your tips, and I’m hopeful our readers will, too. Now it’s time for the big reveal — the moment our readers have been anticipating. What are your “five strategies to cultivate a large & engaged social media community?’ Please share a story or example for each.
1) Collabs are key — Collaborate with other influencers as much as possible! This will broaden your reach. Forces are always stronger together.
2) Be true to what your interests are — build an online brand around that. For me, I love fashion, travel, and health/fitness. So I share lots of content related to these topics.
3) Share interesting content on a regular basis — Consistency is key! I have one full day every week dedicated to planning and executing content for my public figure digital brand on social media. Make it a priority and share content every day if you have the capacity.
4) Truly engage with people in two-two-way communication — this will help you build a grassroots audience.
5) Be versatile, authentic and vulnerable — Some of my most open, honest and transparent content has helped me build a huge following on Instagram and Facebook.
What do you do to create a greater sense of connection and community among your fans?
I genuinely try to engage with my followers on a regular basis — this helps establish authentic connections. I try to respond to every comment if I can. Engaging with your fans is key to social media success!
As an influencer, you are, by definition, a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
If I could inspire a movement, it would revolve around helping and giving. homeless animals around the world safe homes and human families. If I could encourage everyone to adopt a dog or cat and end animal homelessness, that would a wonderful thing.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you’d like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He, she or they might just see this. 🙂
Paris Hilton. She is the old school original influencer and pioneer of social media and influencing. I would love to pick her brain on being creative and how she worked to grow her public image brand around the world.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
IG: https://www.instagram.com/taylermercier_/
Thank you for these thought provoking insights. Here’s to your continued success!