Canadian blogger Ania Boniecka started her personal blog Ania B. in 2010, but before becoming one of the most influential Canadian style bloggers, she used her blog as platform to share her projects and inspirations – from showcasing her work as a drawing student and part-time model to sharing her passion about fashion, street style photography and personal style choices. After three years of blogging, in 2013, Ania decided to focus solely on her photography, blogging and modeling. Today, her website is continuously growing in size and popularity, and Ania herself is frequently collaborating with global brands on projects and campaigns; she is a style ambassador for Joe Fresh, and, most recently, she was named the brand ambassador for Topshop.
What inspired you to start your own blog?
In 2010, I had just completed a drawing program at a college in my hometown, and wanted to showcase my work instead of letting it collect dust in a portfolio at the back of my bookshelf. That’s what initially sparked the idea of a blog, but I was also working on Modeling Creatives at the time, so I ended up using the blog to share photos from those sessions as well. Over time, and with ongoing encouragement from friends, the blog shifted direction and I started focusing more on personal style posts, hoping it would become a source of inspiration for readers.
How important is the name of the blog?
I wouldn’t say that it was critically important when I first launched the blog five years ago, but now it’s important because it’s the blog’s brand. However, I feel that if we changed the name tomorrow, the blog’s essence would still be the same, so it wouldn’t have a big impact on its success.
How difficult is to find a blog niche?
I’ve been immersed in the fashion industry since I started modeling at age 14, so it wasn’t very difficult for me to find my niche. Regardless, if you’re blogging about your passion then you’ll be able to easily find your own voice and you’ll carve out your niche.
What is the best way to promote and grow your blog?
The best strategy is to be consistent with posting – in terms of both quantity and quality. The more you post, the more engaging it is, and the more people will hopefully talk about your blog to their friends and spread awareness via word of mouth. If you don’t post frequently, then readers may stop visiting your blog altogether because they think you’ve either quit blogging or that it’s no longer your main focus. Consistency gives your audience a reason to keep coming back. I think this rings true for all of your associated channels – it’s important to stay active on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to show you’re engaged and to promote your blog as well.
What is your main audience and how did you reach out to them?
The blog’s demographic are fashionable, engaged women who seek personal style and beauty inspiration and are open to taking calculated fashion risks. However, I don’t necessarily target any particular audience. I think that if I stay true to who I am and continue posting about the things that make me excited then that demographic will come across my blog sooner or later. With that said, I think it’s important to be on the social media platforms where my main audience is most engaged in order to drive traffic to the blog.
How important is it for your business to attend fashion week?
It’s really important for me to attend fashion week because, providing coverage on the blog, drives a lot of traffic. I also think it’s really important for networking purposes and I’ve made some great friends by attending in past years. Plus the street style photography is out of control, so it’s a massive promotional opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Beyond that, it’s the best way to discover the new trends of the upcoming season, which helps us curate editorial content for the blog.
What are the best tips for building long-term relationships and partnerships with brands?
Accountability. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it. Nobody really cares if you’ve had a bad day or things haven’t gone smoothly – they just want to see that you’ve produced the work as requested and on time. I strongly believe that the reason brands want to work with us time and time again is because we ensure that we dedicate the time and effort that each project deserves and that the client gets high quality.
What is the biggest challenge about running a blog?
It’s finding the time to get everything done. From managing the blog posts, to tackling administrative tasks, collaborating with brands, and then coming up with the creative ideas and coordinating logistics – I end up wearing a lot of hats on any given day. It’s definitely a 24/7 job without any real time off. My goal is to continue to grow my team, so that it frees me up to do more work-related traveling, attend more events, meetings, etc.
What advice would give to anyone looking to start a blog today?
I’m lucky that I started my blog at a time when it was a relatively new and novel venture. Unfortunately, it’s a much more saturated market these days, so there are new challenges that face a blogger who’s just starting off. My best advice is that it’s never going to be the “right time” and you’re never going to feel 100% prepared to step into the business of blogging. You just have to take the risk, jump in with both feet and be willing to hustle. Be authentic and don’t try to mimic someone else – people will appreciate what makes you unique.
What are your ultimate plans for your blog/blogging career?
As I grow and my style evolves, I hope that my readers will continue to grow with me. I want to keep pushing the boundaries in terms of both fashion and photography and make beautiful photos. My main goal, however, is to turn the blog into a self-sustaining website – more of an online magazine. We’re definitely taking the steps right now to make that a reality.
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Images © Ania Boniecka
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