Marilyn, could you introduce yourself and briefly describe your Instagram account — what’s your focus and the reason you started it? Do you see this as a business, a hobby, or something in between?
MO: My name is Marilyn but I am known as LITTLE MARIII (thanks to my handle, literally people sometimes just call me by my Insta name) and just plain Mari (that is pronounced Mah-ree NOT MARY). My Instagram account is a compilation of how to ‘live like a local’ in any parts of the world that I have traveled to. I love supporting local businesses, I feel like that is the magic that makes every city unique and different from one another. I started this for fun, I always liked creating itineraries for myself and others, so I figured starting this account was just a no brainer. What started as a fun hobby then turned into a business and now my full-time job. I am living a dream and must pinch myself very often to make sure that it is NOT a dream. I always answer to people when they ask me “how is everything?” with “ITS JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE!” because it truly is.
What is your definition of an “influencer”?
MO: In my opinion, EVERYONE is an influencer. Even people without social media are influencers. Think about it, in the real world, there are always people who inspire you to do things and that is what I call “influencers”. I believe in always being the best version of myself because you never know who is watching and needs to be influenced in the right direction.
From your perspective what draws the followers to your photos?
MO: I try to keep it real and fun with everything that I post. Even when it comes to sponsored posts, I would never agree to work with a brand if I did not believe in what they were bringing to the market. I always try to spread love and vibrant colors with everything I post on my social media.
How has your Instagram feed evolved over time? Any specific turning points?
MO: My Instagram used to be ONLY food. Now I have evolved into showing my face and lifestyle posts so that people can get to know the face and personality behind the feed. The main turning point was learning how to photograph me and not be awkward having to come out in photos. I have never been great at being in the spotlight, I love to work hard but lay low behind the scenes. Sometimes, people want a person to relate to, so I embraced the connections I was making through social media and said let’s DO THIS! Now I am happy coming out in photos, especially because I love to meet new people in person, so this just makes it easier for people to spot me out in real life too. If anything, my Instagram has taught me how to connect with people even more than before.
What is your stance on influencers being paid to post about brands? Should influencers be transparent regarding payment for posts?
MO: I congratulate influencers that get paid to post about brands THAT THEY LOVE. I do also think that they should be transparent about it. In my case, every partnership I have with a brand I let it be known. Mostly, because I am humbled and so excited to be working with a brand that I love, and I cannot believe they picked ME! I only work with brands that I use, love and believe in in order to stay authentic. Anyone who knows me in real life would call me out if they saw me working with a brand that wasn’t ‘me’. It is important for me to not get lost and forget who I am in the process of growing my own brand and collaborating with others. But to each his own, right?
Let’s talk about photos for posting on Instagram. What goes into the composition, setup and finally actually taking the perfect shot. Do you use your phone, or an external light source, or a professional camera? Give us the details.
MO: There is a lot that goes into photos for me. I use my SONY alpha 6000 and I have many different light sources that I use either on the go and at home. I taught my husband the kind of photos I like to have of myself, so he is the professional behind all the photos that I come out in. I must give him a major shout out for being the best Instagram and real-life husband. In ten shots or less he always gets me photographed the way I want. As for food and beverage photography, that is all me. In order to get the perfect beer porn photo with beer flowing out perfectly and making you crave a pint; I use wooden chopsticks. YES, CHOPSTICKS! LOL! I move the chopsticks inside of the beer which creates the perfect head retention and if it overflows, I start to shoot until it stops. I could easily end up with 20-30 shots to just end up with THE ONE that makes the cut. After picking the perfect photo, I edit it to my liking, remove any imperfections, and have it match my feeds color scheme. I like to keep it natural but bright. I think brightness and vibrancy are what catches people’s eyes.
How has your life changed since becoming a food influencer?
MO: When I started my influencer page, I didn’t even know the word ‘influencer’ was a thing. Food has always been a soft spot for me. Growing up, my parents did not have much and eating out seemed like a luxury to me. I always noticed when I saw people dining somewhere from the other side of the window, that they were always happy. I wanted that kind of happiness. As I got older, I began to work and most of the money I spent was on experiences, especially going out to eat with those I loved. Now that I have an influencer page, I have been able to curate events to bring not only influencers together but people within my community so that they too can experience that kind of happiness that I always strived for when I was just a little girl. Now I travel and dine out in different places of the world and I seriously am so grateful. I cannot believe that I am living out the dream I always wanted. And I get to share that with others too.
How do you think the rise of influencer accounts on Instagram has impacted on the way that people discover restaurants/chefs/bars/food?
MO: The rise of influencer accounts has impacted the way people discover just about anything on a positive level. Now we don’t just get local word of mouth, but also from people across the globe. I think it is cool that you can just look up hashtags to where you want to travel, eat or drink and discover neat places that you never even knew existed. Again, this can be a post from anyone not just people with 10K+ followers. If people have their pages public then anyone can see their posts and when they are sharing an experience, they are giving everyone the opportunity to experience that too. Also, having worked alongside many mom and pop businesses, I think this digital era has helped a lot of businesses boom. Most small businesses cannot afford a public relations or marketing company so influencers help get the word out in more organic and affordable ways.
What’s most important to you when pursuing brand partnerships?
MO: The most important thing for me is to like the brand. One thing about me is that I lie very bad and if I did not like a brand it would be VERY HARD to pump out content for them and even harder to post about it on my feed. Authenticity is the one thing that I value the most. I value people’s stories and my Instagram is a story I am telling with every post. I would hate to post anything that doesn’t line up for me because it will not only hurt me but that brand as well.
What’s the biggest opportunity for you as an influencer?
MO: The biggest opportunities that I have had as an influencer was working with Outback Steakhouse and Sedano’s Supermarket, a local grocery store in South Florida. Both partnerships have been a “MOMMA I MADE IT” kind of moment for me. I grew up with these two brands and for them to have reached out to me and want me to represent them has been a huge honor.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
MO: First, thank you all at Taste The Dram for taking an interest in getting to know me and share my story. Please, for anyone who took the time to read this, if you’re not already following me, please do. My Instagram handle is @littlemariii. Let’s talk, lets network, lets spread good vibes together and possibly share a table one day in real life with good food and beer. I am always traveling, so I always have room for new friends around the globe. Also, shout out to my husband who supports me in everything that I do. Also, feel free to follow him, he is all about beer and my biggest supporter: @thirsty_samurai_piggy. I love you, babe!
