Billie we like to kick things off with you telling us a little about yourself. Give us a little background on “Exploring Good Vibes”.
B: I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and grew up being an avid soccer player. I went on to play college ball in Des Moines, Iowa at an international business school. After that, I came home and got my dream job as an event planner for the incredible, Michelle Leo Events. I grew up with three brothers, 1 older and 2 younger. I’ve been dating my High School Sweetheart since 2012! We have an Australian shepherd mix with a border collie, named Opie! I have always been eager to travel and love exploring this beautiful earth. I am really just out there trying to explore and spread the good vibes as much as I can!
Why did you start “Exploringgoodvibes” on Instagram? Is it a full-time gig or on a side project?
B: Starting, Exploring Good Vibes was just a creative outlet for me. I needed a space to let out my creative juices, so Instagram was perfect for that. I quickly found out that this was more than just a creative outlet. I really enjoy photography, editing, and connecting with people all over the world with the same interest. It’s really nice to find a community that is so rad and enjoys the same things as you! This started as a side project and is still a side project for me. I do post as much as I can when I can, but I won’t stress about it and make it a big deal if it doesn’t happen. I’m not going to lie, this would be AWESOME if it could grow to a full-time gig, I guess you could say that is definitely a goal of mine!
We’d love to hear about how your passion for beer and travel came about? How do they both reflect upon each other?
B: My dad is actually the reason I fell in love with craft beer. He is I guess what some people would call a “beer snob.” But really I ended up finding out that he really just has great taste buds.(: Growing up my family took a lot of road trips to either National Parks or just camping somewhere fun. I grew up near the mountains and we’d go hiking a lot. When I got older my dad started introducing me to beers, what I really appreciated is that he would really pinpoint each flavor of beer I tasted. So eventually I grew to understand all the flavors more. I feel like most people just think “all beer tastes the same” but really it doesn’t if you try things other than (what my dad would say) “piss beer” and had someone pinpointing the flavors, you’d understand that there’s so much more flavor than you realize. I eventually started bringing beers on my hikes and instantly fell in love with rewarding myself with a nice cold beer on the top of a mountain. Try it, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
What advice would you give craft beer breweries or beer companies looking to use the Instagram social media platform to grow their brand’s image? Would you give the same advice to craft brewers as you would to the established players in this market?
B: I believe Instagram can be a great tool to grow your brand/business. Creating an image for your brand is very important, you want people to be able to look at your photo and say “That is definitely an Exploring Good Vibes photo.” You’ll want to have a certain esthetic to your page and try to find something that can make you stand out above the rest. I think it’s important to be real and collaborate with people who have the same visions and goals as you.
What is your stance on influencers being paid to post about brands? Should influencers be transparent regarding payment for posts?
B: I think it’s a great way to market these days, it’s clearly working really well and making an impact on the way people advertise today. I don’t think so, I think it’s like most jobs – we don’t all need to know exactly how much you’re getting paid. I do think as an influencer it’s very important to stick to advertising brands you genuinely believe in, you want to be as authentic as possible, so you can establish the most genuine fan base.
How do you think the rise of influencer accounts on Instagram has impacted on the way that people discover restaurants/beers/bars/food?
B: I think it’s helped a lot with local recommendations! I have friends and family members tell me all the time when they look for places to go they go to my page to see where to go and I love that! I want to be someone you can come to for a recommendation. I definitely think it’s a way to get your name out there quickly if you get connected with certain influencers.
If you could visit any city at any period of time, where would you go and why?
B: This is such a hard question to give one answer to, but I would have to say one of my biggest goals is to attend Oktoberfest in Germany. I love events, I love beer, I love food and my last name is German!
General words of wisdom you live by….
B: I’m sure this is obvious but, GOOD VIBES ONLY of course(:
What do you wish brands knew before approaching you on Instagram?
B: That I live in Utah! It’s very unfortunate, but let’s just say Utah isn’t the most ideal state to live in if you’re a “beerstagrammer” haha.
On a personal note, what are some of the most important things in your life?
B: My boyfriend Ali, we’ve been together for over 8.5 years! Our dog, Opie who we’ve had for 4 years, and my beautiful family who I love so much. I grew up with badass parents and 3 kickass brothers!
If your best friend could tell us a funny story about you, what would it be?
B: Probably…. That I threw up at the head table of my 21st birthday at the bar with all my close friends and family surrounding me(: haha.. Let’s just say, I will NEVER live that down!
How have the lessons of 2020 changed the way you view the future and the upcoming year 2021?
B: Honestly, great question! It’s made me actually more eager to ramp up my page and do more with it than ever. I realize how awesome this community is and how I really want to be a big part of it. 2020 was very eye-opening as far as working remotely and that is my ultimate goal. It was also very eye-opening to not take things for granted and how supporting local is huge!
Thank you so much for having me! I hope everyone can get out there explore all the good vibes this awesome earth has to offer!
