A day in the life of a social media agency founder: ‘For brands, it’s uncharted territory’

Elena Hansen, a former Stuart Weitzman brand specialist-turned-corporate marketer at MetWest Terra, decided in late 2014 that she was ready to rebrand as a social media expert. “Given how new it all is, a few years of experience in this space is significant,” said Hansen. “And for a lot of brands, it’s uncharted territory. They’re not coming to us with visuals or strategy. They’re looking for someone who they can simply hire as an expert.”

In January 2015, Hansen launched her own social media agency, L.A.-based Swim Social, with one other employee and 14 accounts. The agency now has 10 employees and counts stars like Selena Gomez and Ashley Tisdale, and brands like Alfred Coffee and Splits59 as clients.

buttonglossy-01

More in Marketing

Inside Unilever’s 300,000 creator network: the logistics behind the headline number

Unilever says it works with 300,000 creators, but not all of them play the same role. Agency executives explain what that number means.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT reaches the coupon stage of building an ad business

The company is preparing to offer promotional ad credits to advertisers to encourage more marketers to test its ChatGPT ads offering.

D+ Research: Brands expand creator marketing strategies

Many are partnering with creators to help drive seasonal campaigns, support product launches and, in some cases, even help develop products