A Conversation with Elise Miklich: Thoughts on Authenticity and Mental Health
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This is the tenth post in the “A Conversation With” series, where I interview talented folks about their areas of marketing expertise. You can read past entries in the series here.
This month, I interviewed my good friend Elise Miklich. If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you may remember that Elise and I co-presented together at Upstate Social last year! She and I often talk about authenticity on social media, and how to care for your mental health when you work in social media, so those are the topics we explored today. I hope you enjoy her insights!
Tell me about your career path. How do you use social media for both your day job and your business?
I graduated from Nazareth College with a degree in Communications and Rhetorical Studies. I went on to get my master’s at Naz in Integrated Marketing Communications. After that, I worked for a nonprofit, then went on to corporate, and then to higher ed. I’ve gotten a taste of everything! Social media has always been part of my job, whether I was a Marketing Coordinator or an Enrollment Specialist like I am now.I’ve maintained Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for work; using LinkedIn has also been an integral part in attaining those jobs.
For my business, Light Within Candle Co., I use Instagram to market my products and to create a positive space. I focus on helping other people connect with themselves and with their environments. The goal is to help people create more positivity in their daily life.
Authenticity is quite the buzzword lately. What does authenticity mean to you?
In essence, it’s making sure that what you say, your actions and your words are matching with your personal beliefs. When you go to bed at night, are the actions you did and the words you said aligning with who you are behind closed doors?
Does the concept of authenticity vary from platform to platform?
I think people have different expectations for each platform. Facebook is more of a dumping ground for personal information. Instagram used to be this place that was super curated, and it still is, but it feels like it’s trying to rid itself of that label. Authenticity has become more popular.
There’s a trend in the maker niche of Instagram where you’ll see longer captions sharing more personal information, almost like a blog. It’s great for some people because it allows them to create genuine connections with their audience, and usually you can tell when something shared feels inauthentic. But, the beauty and curse of the internet is you'll never really know. I enjoy making those connections in person at craft shows, and I miss being able to do that with all the cancellations due to COVID. Right now, using my business page like a personal diary doesn’t work for me, because it isn’t who I am. But, I am working on opening up and the accounts that do share vulnerabilities inspire me to feel confident about doing the same when it feels right.
How do you craft a cohesive look and feel for your brand on Instagram? How important are the aesthetics of your feed and following brand guidelines?
Aesthetics were not as important before I rebranded; they’re more important now. I use them as a tool to solidify the new brand and to acclimate people to it. Brand guidelines and colors are very important because of that. I really want to make sure the brand has movement and is accepted. It can be hard for people to accept the change when you rebrand!
Speaking of your recent rebrand, it seemed people were genuinely excited to see the new branding, which is rare when businesses rebrand! What do you think contributed to that?
I think some of that is because Rochester has a kickass small business and maker community. It also has a lot to do with who I chose to work with. The designer, Justyn Iannucci, does amazing work.
The colors we chose, the vibe we chose, the imagery--it’s having a moment right now, but it’s also classic so it will have longevity. It was a drastic change in a positive way. I think people were excited to see something they believed in becoming the best version of itself.
When encouraging user-generated content, how do you ensure it will be on-brand and authentic?
If I’m asking for content, the language I use can help encourage the kind of photo I’m looking for. Instead of saying “show me your candle burning,” I’ll say something like “show me how you elevate your environment” or “show me how you cozy up with your candle.” By asking for an “elevated environment” or “cozy,” you’ll get that kind of image in response. My audience base is kind of niche--they care about being their best selves, what makes them feel good, what their environment looks like. Getting on-brand user-generated content is intrinsic because of the audience we’ve grown.
Many businesses think they need to post about their product constantly, but that’s not necessarily true. How do you decide the breakdown between posts with product in them and other types of content?
I do post a lot of product, because photos with my candles in them perform better! When I’m posting, I think about what kind of feeling I want to give the person seeing it. I’ll post quotes sometimes if I believe in them. At the end of the day, we’re a candle company, but it’s about the feeling your environment gives you and you don’t need a candle to do that.
Tell me a little bit about how you curate content versus create original content.
I’m probably split about 60/40 between my own content and curated content. When I came out with new branding, I wanted to continue the momentum and post original content featuring the new brand prominently. What I curate most is people using the product in their home. I’ll share that in my Stories rather than my feed. I like to keep my feed curated and hold it to a higher brand standard than my stories. A first-time visitor expects the highest quality content or they will leave.
What types of photos perform best on your account? How do you ensure they’re true to your brand?
Photos with the outdoors in them perform well! Candles burning perform better than a candle that isn’t burning. Things that have bright colors. A pink background does better than gray. I’ve learned a lot, and some of it has been really surprising!
I recently invested in a tool for my social media photography--those background surfaces you can use as a backdrop for your pictures. I avoided them for a long time and felt they weren’t authentic. But photography is not my strong suit and it was starting to become a pain point for me. How much do you want to stress yourself out about getting the perfect picture? I don’t have a beautifully curated home because I have candle supplies everywhere! Since I purchased these background surfaces, they’ve been so helpful. It takes the pressure off me to have a perfectly manicured home that I need to show on my feed. Your environment doesn’t have to be Instagram-worthy to enjoy living in it. You can light a candle in it and feel better!
How do you determine if it’s authentic for your brand to be “political” on Instagram?
It has to make sense for the brand. On Light Within, I’ll post about things like marijuana reform. That’s a cause that aligns with what we believe in as a brand. In our mind, marijuana is a plant, it’s part of nature, and it can bring healing and calm. I believe that it’s wrong for the U.S. and other countries to be putting people in prison for possessing this plant. Even more so that BIPOC communities are disproportionately targeted, even in states that have legalized use. Aspects of this reform connect with what we believe and talk about every day on the account.
There are moments in time that show who you really are as not only a brand, but as a human being, especially in moments of great need. Taking a public stand and posting that Black Lives Matter isn’t about what makes sense for your brand, it’s about human rights and so much more than that. What’s important is that you truly think about your reason for posting, and that the actions you take after you choose to do so reflect support rooted in helping the cause. There’s a fine line between performative support and staying true to your brand beliefs.
I will say, if you’re making the choice to be political, you need to be prepared to engage in a two-way conversation. Don’t post and turn off the comments! You can’t just put something up for the sake of performative allyship.
What do you think people don’t know about how working in social media impacts your mental health?
As a human on social media, it’s compulsive to check it. Working in social media takes that compulsivity to another level. You don’t just have your personal feelings on the line--you’re checking to see how much engagement something is getting, if something is going wrong--because your job and your abilities are on the line. It’s hard to work in social media sometimes because the boundary between real life and your work is blurred in addition to the line between reality and the internet.
What have you found effective in taking care of your mental health as a social media professional?
I’m still struggling with this! Especially in the time of COVID when I have a device in my hand more often. Taking breaks on the weekends helps; I have backup so someone else can check for me. That has been absolutely necessary for my sanity. It also helps you put everything in perspective.
The more platforms I’m on, the harder it gets. I’ve been trying to get better at Twitter, but it adds another thing I want to check all the time!
Are there any tools or apps that help you take care of your mental health?
I use the Insight Timer meditation app, which has been amazing. I use it every morning or evening and it helps me reset. It’s similar to Headspace, with different guided meditations you can listen to. There are tons of free options on there!
I have the built-in iPhone timer for social media too, which I have set to a limit every day. Usually I’m pretty good about letting my limit hit and not opening the app again. I do like that it has the option to say “one more minute” or “15 more minutes” to keep you in check.
Where can people find you/your work?
Find my work on Instagram and Etsy, connect with me on LinkedIn!
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