 YouTuber Alisha Marie stops by Trending to discuss her social media success, podcast, and clothing brand. 

&nbsp;YouTuber Alisha Marie stops by Trending to discuss her social media success, podcast, and clothing brand.&nbsp;

 YouTuber Alisha Marie on Her Secret to Social Media Success

Alright, we're so excited to have Alicia joining us here in studio. Alicia, thank you for joining us. So we got to talk about how hot your content is because on instagram you're widely known as the creator communities Big Sister. You've got over four million followers on it. How did you sort of get this nickname of being the big Sister? I think the nickname of having, you know, Alicia Marie is the big Sister to a lot of people mostly started because I've been on the platforms for so long. I actually started my channel in 2008 on Youtube. Yeah, I'm old early, early fun fact. I actually was denied the Youtube partner program cause before you used to have to apply just to make money and you know, I was denied. So I'd wait six months to reapply. They deny you just because you are as famous as you really are. No. Oh my God, my content was so bad. Like honestly all of those early videos are private and they're so embarrassing. I'm doing makeup tutorials and I'm like, why, why is anyone watching this? Right? But I slowly but surely, you know, so what do you say about your content that you think resonates well with so many people that you've gone from being basically booted out of the Youtube creator program to now having, you know, flourishing in this. Honestly, I think people just feel connected to me. I have no problem being vulnerable on social media. I don't know if that's weird, but I'll cry on camera. It's very therapeutic for me and I really feel like getting an early, made me have a special bond in connection with my viewers where I think now, even if you blow up overnight, like really establishing trust with your viewers, like that's what really I truly think is why I've been able to do it for so long. And that's my advice to people starting now, is to really not care about the numbers and focus on that community that you're building. Well, that's a really good, that's really good piece of advice. But also with the evolution of social media over the years. I mean, like so many platforms have come and gone. Do you ever get worried given the fact that you were on it so early that you have to be early now on every other social media platform that comes after this, I mean we're maybe we're obsessed right now with Tiktok. But what comes after Tiktok, do you sort of have to like think about that all the time? I 1000% have to think about it. I think that's half of the stress that comes with this job is knowing what's gonna stick and what's not because there's been other platforms that didn't become what Tiktok is now. So when Tiktok first started, I remember thinking, oh, this is just gonna be like any other fad app that's gonna die after six months, here we are now and I'm like, oh I need to upload more Tiktok, you know. Um but I think just being willing to evolve is everything realizing that times are different. You know, I started with makeup tutorials and I'm clearly not doing that anymore. Um I still love makeup, but it's being willing to realize like what do the people want, what's trending now, um and be flexible. I mean you said you started as a makeup tutorial, but you've also been able to pivot into entrepreneurship as well. How are you able to sort of balance those two of being a content creator and doing a business at the same time and has doing social media, sort of been able to sort of help you with that? Well, I tried to do it all myself and then went into a full burnout mode and I turned 25 was like, what am I doing with my life? Because I can't do this all myself, It's exhausting and it's just not, it's not, no one can do that. So delegating has been the number one thing that I'm still figuring out, you know, from whether that's hiring an editor or if you do want to have a brand or my podcast with my best friend, you know, that's something we obviously knew if we want to tackle this whole other vertical of a beast, we have to get help, we have to have a producer, we have to have assistance, like we have to get people to help us build this vision so we can still focus on our individual brands. Um and I think that's another thing being here for so long watching creators, you know, that first wave of influencers who kind of blew up kind of neglected their channel where they started and I truly feel like the, that was something I feel very grateful I was able to watch happen and I was like, okay noted, don't forget about the people who like, you know, gave you this totally and and this is also turned into a great brand for you as well, parallel apparel where you really want people to sort of be happy in their own skin. What was sort of the impetus of creating this brand and also what sort of message did you want consumers and customers to get from buying from this brand? Yeah, I honestly, I wanted to have a real life tangible product of what my Youtube has done over the years, you know, like whenever we have meetups and people come up and say how much I've given them confidence and made them feel amazing, like that's what makes me just so happy to be doing this and to have, I mean I love fashion, I love clothes, so having something that people can also wear and feel that confidence and feel amazing, you know, no matter what size they are, no matter anything and I think that's something that I had my own struggles with that with body dysmorphia and everything over the past, which again I'm open about on my channel, but just being able to have something tangible and having something that people can really like wear and feel good and sexy because that's yours. You created. That was the most exciting part. Before we let you go, let's talk about the podcast really quickly. It's called pretty basic podcast. You've had some really great guests on their Ashley Tisdale chris Olsen. Some of the guests. Is there a dream guest though besides me that you really want on that show? Obviously, besides you. Um my dream guests have to one is 1000% Hilary duff because I love Hillary, so much so Hillary. If you want to okay, we'll send this out. You want to manage, oh my God, I have to have to put out. I honestly look up to her so much. I feel like she's been someone who also has been doing her job for so long. Um and still has like a level head on her shoulders and still doing what she loves and is passionate about. Like that's so inspiring to me. Um Also Sophia Bush, I was a Brooke Davis girly and once I do, I love them