Jasmine Sham is a young marketer and influencer who is making her mark in the world of fashion, food, and lifestyle. Micro-influencers are not judged anymore on the number of followers they have but on their ability to generate authentic engagement with their followers. If you check out Jasmine’s Instagram profile Jasdashopaholic, you’ll know she has an engagement rate of over 15% which is stellar, considered by Instagram algorithm standards.
Jasmine, please tell us a little about yourself.
JS: Hello! My name is Jasmine Sham and I am 23 years old currently living in the beautiful, sunny Los Angeles, California. I recently graduated with a degree in Business Administration and currently work in Human Resources. I’m definitely a shopaholic hence my IG handle “Jasdashopaholic” which was my aim name account back in the days. Besides being a shopaholic I am a huge foodie, I love eating and trying all sorts of new things however one thing that many people don’t know is that I am allergic to many foods which sometimes makes my horrible eating habits somewhat challenging.
I think we can all relate to the old AIM days. Why did you decide to start and share your travels and lifestyle on Instagram? What made you want to become a lifestyle and travel blogger?
JS: I’ve actually started sharing my travels and lifestyle on Instagram probably last Summer just for fun until I realized I got a small following from it and people actually enjoy the content I post. When I got good feedback from it, I decided it was actually something I could do and I’ve made so many friends from around the world who enjoyed doing the same thing as me. I got to travel the world and by sharing it on my Instagram with my followers I felt like they were able to enjoy it with me, and I could be their online tour guide if they ever visited the same place!
Ambitious, we love that about influencers. So how did you develop an interest in fashion, beauty, and travel respectively?
JS: Ever since I was a little girl I was always into fashion and beauty. I loved playing with my mom’s makeup and was that kid who tried to walk around the house in her mom’s five-inch heels pretending I was strutting down a fashion show. I didn’t grow a love for traveling until I was a bit older. I really fell in love with traveling when I first went to Hawaii. I fell in love with the people there, the atmosphere, and their culture. Growing up in Los Angeles you think you know everything, but you don’t realize how uncultured you are and how much you don’t know until you see other parts of the world. From there, it was flying across the world to Hong Kong, to Japan, to Taiwan and each place holds a special place in my heart.
Tell us your craziest travel story?
JS: I am notorious for getting lost, so of course my craziest travel story will include getting lost in a place I am unfamiliar with! The craziest travel story was when I was recently in Hawaii and right after we hopped off the plane we drove to get our rental car, from there we already were having problems with the car because we didn’t know how to turn on the air conditioner so we just decided to choose another car. Thinking everything was smooth sailing we drove to our hotel after we parked everyone got their luggage and went inside to the hotel to check in when we realized we went to the wrong hotel. After fumbling around we made it to the right hotel, and it was hot so we all decided to take a dip in the ocean when we realized we got our rental car keys wet !! You basically know what happens after that… yikes!
That’s crazy, but I think we all have that kind of experience in our lifetime. Tell us where does your style savvy come from, and where do you get your inspiration?
JS: I get a lot of inspiration from watching some of my favorite celebrities and influencers style their outfits. I’ve been loving the simple look lately where I buy nice staple pieces with neutral color and after that, it is really just trying to mix and match those pieces to see what works and doesn’t. Also, nice shoes definitely dress up a plain outfit real quick!
General words of wisdom you live by?
JS: This is something that I recently just learned. “Spend your money on experiences rather than on materialistic things.” It is so easy to get caught up on the latest fashion and want something that you see your favorite influencer have, but no one is going to remember you as the girl who had the most expensive pair of shoes or the newest designer purses. Experiences are things that will help you grow and will leave you with endless memories which are far more important than owning a pair of Valentinos. Don’t let shiny things distract you in life.
Do you see yourself as a marketer? If so, what should brands know about you before approaching you to work with them?
JS: I can totally see myself as a marketer, I love sharing with the world what I truly enjoy and I believe I am someone who can market things or myself. Brands should know that I am someone who will only work with them when I truly believe in the product or it is something that I will use myself before sharing it with my followers. But when I do I will make sure I market their product to the best of my abilities!
Ever have a disagreement with a marketer and how did you resolve it?
JS: I don’t believe I have gotten to a point where I’ve had a disagreement with a marketer but if I did I would work it out with them. I don’t like unfinished business so I would make sure that everything is handled before parting ways or continuing to work with their company. It is important to have a good relationship when working with other companies, I would never want anyone to be upset with me or to upset anyone.
Why do you think authenticity is crucial for influencer marketing campaigns?
JS: It is 110% crucial. I can’t stress how important it is to be authentic when doing marketing campaigns, I always want to make sure it is a product I enjoy using before I share it to the world. Especially when people are looking up to you and really get influenced by you it is important to be real with your followers. People love to know they could connect with you, so be real show them your true self.
When you’re not doing social media, what does your time off look like?
JS: When I am not doing social media, crazy to say I am still on social media. It is something that I really enjoy and love sharing my experiences whether it is going to a cool concert or trying out a new brunch spot, there will be an IG boomerang on it I am certain! I know it is important to disconnect with the online world at times, and things I really enjoy doing are spending quality time with friends and family, hiking, reading, and listening to podcasts believe it or not. Recently I really got into singing karaoke so when I have the time that is something I enjoy doing even though my singing voice will probably break everyone’s eardrums.
Anything else you want to share with us?
JS: Thank you Taste That Dram for letting me share my life and for letting everyone to get to know me a little more. I know it is hard to really connect with people on the internet when they don’t know who you are. Also, don’t forget to follow taste the dram and myself on Instagram 🙂
