Uprising: Authenticity, Influence, and Imagination with Florence Fahmy
Before she was a social content creator at M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, Florence Fahmy was exercising her creativity at home. As an aspiring fashion designer, she created fake magazine articles and tried her hand at jewellery design – all in the name of capturing and documenting her life.
“I had a huge imagination as a kid,” Florence says. “Tumblr was my first digital presence where I shared anything and everything - travel experiences, street style photography, fashion content, design projects – my first portfolio of sorts.”
As a young creative person, Florence saw her future written all across her social media feeds, and Tumblr quickly gave way to Instagram and TikTok. Though initially focussing on fashion, beginning her journey as a social media manager, Florence promptly recognised a gap around more social approaches to advertising.
Most of Florence’s early opportunities to express herself creatively came through Tumblr, a social platform focussing on niche micro-groups and passions. Looking back, Florence sees this exposure as a crucial insight into understanding trends and online attention.
“It was a much simpler time, but it taught me the basics of social media - know your audience, keep things visual, and speak to passions,” Florence says.
Since then, and having worked with various fashion, hospitality, and financial brands, Florence has distilled her process into an art.
“Each brand has a unique identity and goals,” she says, “but all share a common objective: to connect authentically with their audience.”
And this isn’t just a mantra. For Florence, there are crucial steps to connecting authentically:
- Adapt quickly. Social media is fast-paced, especially fashion and hospitality. You have to react quickly and leverage opportunities to have a lasting impact
- Think audience-first. You want to make fun and engaging content that fosters meaningful connections
- Remain authentic. Don’t fall into the trap of trying too hard to mimic trends and ending up seeming insincere
- Strike a balance between relevance and authenticity
“Scrolling through Instagram and TikTok day in and day out might sound like a guilty pleasure, but it’s the key to success in this industry,” Florence stresses.
In other words, stay in the loop to get ahead of the curve.
Now, she has the opportunity to work in a team that embraces unconventional approaches to marketing, like PR and experiential strategies, broadening her ability and perspective.
Today, her biggest challenge is breaking through the clutter to deliver impactful, newsworthy content. But Florence has a trick or two up her sleeve.
“The best we can do is ensure we understand our audience’s passions, keep our clients honest about the role they play in the lives of our audience, and leverage specific insights,” she says. “Understanding your brand's unique tone of voice is key; then adapting trends or styles to fit within this rather than forcing a square peg into a round hole.”
One point of difference between Florence and her peers is her understanding of influencer marketing, having even written about the topic for LBB . While it’s hard to stamp the ‘expert’ label onto a 20-something, Florence has certainly worked to develop a particular knack for working with influencers.
She even offers advice that makes it sound easy.
“Influencers are people, too, often unfamiliar with the intricacies of marketing strategies or agency account management. Take this into consideration and come at it like the word collaboration implies. Actively listen to their insights and leverage their expertise.”
As the world of influencer marketing evolves, and the role of a social content creator with it. The bar for outstanding content rises every day, and as Florence puts it, “audiences want content that’s not only relatable but also challenges and inspires.”
Content types, lengths, and genres are changing in a digital-first world, and so must marketers. Florence’s advice to keep ahead of the trends? Diversify your content consumption.
“To stay ahead, I prioritise diversifying my content consumption and drawing inspiration from innovative campaigns,” she says. “Don’t be afraid of embracing experimentation.”
