An Interview with Karen Mangia
Consistency uploading content — This needs to be almost religious. It’s also important to upload your content at the best time for your target audience engagement — this is really just a case of trial and error until you find a way that works for you.
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 Alexia Woods.
Alexia Woods is a 20-year-old content creator from London who has millions of followers on Instagram, Tik Tok and OnlyFans.
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?
I began building my profile and brand on social media while we were locked down during the pandemic. At the time I was working as a manager in a restaurant, but due to the restrictions I wasn’t able to work. During this time I saw a lot of people online trying to make a living using social media so I decided to try my hand at it. After a few months I started to make a bit of extra money to cover the bills. Once my brand took off, I made the decision to do this full time and am so happy I did!
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned along the way that influences how you operate now?
I think it’s important to diversify the platforms that you use and promote yourself on. It’s essential that people are always able to find your content, so if for example, one avenue of social media fails, you will always have a way of communicating with fans and vice versa.
We’re all searching for some good news. How are you using your platform to make a positive social impact?
I always try to spread the message of body positivity and female empowerment, I think it’s very important to feel comfortable in your body and with yourself. I also use my platform to try and raise awareness about different topics. For example, back in October it was breast cancer awareness month so I made sure to upload a post to try and raise awareness — Don’t forget to check your breasts, this goes for men too!
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?
To be tenacious. Maintaining consistency across all your platforms/networks is key and finding internal motivation and inspiration to keep moving towards your goals is paramount to succeeding.
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?
Success for me isn’t something that is achieved but something that is maintained. For me it’s not a singular goal or accolade that would make me think “oh, I’ve made it.” Instead it’s about moving towards my goals and striving to be a better version of myself each day.
What are your strategies to make room for who and what matters most?
I think it’s very important to keep a healthy work/life balance, so I always try to make time at least twice a week to see family, friends or other recreational activities.
How do you reduce or mitigate stress?
I love to meditate and practice yoga when I wake up to start the day off right. I find having both your mind and body in harmony makes way for a much more productive day. I also find it very beneficial to keep to a home workout routine — it can be great when you need to blow off some steam!
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.
- Consistency uploading content — This needs to be almost religious. It’s also important to upload your content at the best time for your target audience engagement — this is really just a case of trial and error until you find a way that works for you.
- Maintain a presence across different platforms — I find it more beneficial to have a consistent presence across various social media platforms rather than “putting all your eggs in one basket.” This will also mitigate any risks of having your social media profiles disabled, as you will always have an alternative avenue to reach your fans (and for them to reach you!).
- Communicate with fans — It’s vital to keep a line of communication open with your fans to gauge their interests and to get a feel for what kind of content they want to see. This can be done through polls, by conversing in the comments section or by ”going live,” which is when you livestream to followers and converse in real time.
- Networking — This one might go under the radar a lot of the time, but it’s an indispensable part of content creation. It’s important to speak with other creators to see what’s working for them and how you might be able to ride the wave of a current trend — or perhaps set your own! A lot of the time conversing with other creators or like-minded individuals can be a mutually inspiring experience.
- Have a positive influence on your followers & fans — Try to upload content that will inspire your followers or provoke positive emotions. Try to engage with followers in a joyful and buoyant manner — happiness really is infectious!
What do you do to create a greater sense of connection and community among your fans?
I try to communicate with fans as much as possible and give them the opportunity to give me their opinion on a wide range of topics, whether this is vía opinion polls, AMAs (ask me anything) or live-streaming. It’s always good to hear what they have to say and learn more about them.
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.
With so many amazing social and political movements happening in the world right now, it’s very hard to think of any movement I support more than women’s abortion rights. I find it crazy how many women still don’t have the right to choose in 2022!
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. 🙂
I’d love to meet Elon Musk! He seems like such an interesting character with so many forward-thinking ideas. I can’t say I agree with everything he has to say, but it would definitely be an interesting breakfast!
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
You can find more of my work on my social media accounts which are @alexiawoods11 !
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?
I began building my profile and brand on social media while we were locked down during the pandemic. At the time I was working as a manager in a restaurant, but due to the restrictions I wasn’t able to work. During this time I saw a lot of people online trying to make a living using social media so I decided to try my hand at it. After a few months I started to make a bit of extra money to cover the bills. Once my brand took off, I made the decision to do this full time and am so happy I did!
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned along the way that influences how you operate now?
I think it’s important to diversify the platforms that you use and promote yourself on. It’s essential that people are always able to find your content, so if for example, one avenue of social media fails, you will always have a way of communicating with fans and vice versa.
We’re all searching for some good news. How are you using your platform to make a positive social impact?
I always try to spread the message of body positivity and female empowerment, I think it’s very important to feel comfortable in your body and with yourself. I also use my platform to try and raise awareness about different topics. For example, back in October it was breast cancer awareness month so I made sure to upload a post to try and raise awareness — Don’t forget to check your breasts, this goes for men too!
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?
To be tenacious. Maintaining consistency across all your platforms/networks is key and finding internal motivation and inspiration to keep moving towards your goals is paramount to succeeding.
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?
Success for me isn’t something that is achieved but something that is maintained. For me it’s not a singular goal or accolade that would make me think “oh, I’ve made it.” Instead it’s about moving towards my goals and striving to be a better version of myself each day.
What are your strategies to make room for who and what matters most?
I think it’s very important to keep a healthy work/life balance, so I always try to make time at least twice a week to see family, friends or other recreational activities.
How do you reduce or mitigate stress?
I love to meditate and practice yoga when I wake up to start the day off right. I find having both your mind and body in harmony makes way for a much more productive day. I also find it very beneficial to keep to a home workout routine — it can be great when you need to blow off some steam!
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.
- Consistency uploading content — This needs to be almost religious. It’s also important to upload your content at the best time for your target audience engagement — this is really just a case of trial and error until you find a way that works for you.
- Maintain a presence across different platforms — I find it more beneficial to have a consistent presence across various social media platforms rather than “putting all your eggs in one basket.” This will also mitigate any risks of having your social media profiles disabled, as you will always have an alternative avenue to reach your fans (and for them to reach you!).
- Communicate with fans — It’s vital to keep a line of communication open with your fans to gauge their interests and to get a feel for what kind of content they want to see. This can be done through polls, by conversing in the comments section or by ”going live,” which is when you livestream to followers and converse in real time.
- Networking — This one might go under the radar a lot of the time, but it’s an indispensable part of content creation. It’s important to speak with other creators to see what’s working for them and how you might be able to ride the wave of a current trend — or perhaps set your own! A lot of the time conversing with other creators or like-minded individuals can be a mutually inspiring experience.
- Have a positive influence on your followers & fans — Try to upload content that will inspire your followers or provoke positive emotions. Try to engage with followers in a joyful and buoyant manner — happiness really is infectious!
What do you do to create a greater sense of connection and community among your fans?
I try to communicate with fans as much as possible and give them the opportunity to give me their opinion on a wide range of topics, whether this is vía opinion polls, AMAs (ask me anything) or live-streaming. It’s always good to hear what they have to say and learn more about them.
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.
With so many amazing social and political movements happening in the world right now, it’s very hard to think of any movement I support more than women’s abortion rights. I find it crazy how many women still don’t have the right to choose in 2022!
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. 🙂
I’d love to meet Elon Musk! He seems like such an interesting character with so many forward-thinking ideas. I can’t say I agree with everything he has to say, but it would definitely be an interesting breakfast!
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
You can find more of my work on my social media accounts which are @alexiawoods11 !
Thank you for these thought-provoking insights. Here’s to your continued success!
About The Interviewer: Karen Mangia is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world, sharing her thought leadership with over 10,000 organizations during the course of her career. As Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce, she helps individuals and organizations define, design and deliver the future. Discover her proven strategies to access your own success in her fourth book Success from Anywhere and by connecting with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Alexia Woods On How To Cultivate Connection & Community In A Click to Connect World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.