The @girlwithnojob guide to building a brand

Digiday caught up with her on her first official day of #adulting as she strives to make a full-time career out of Girl With No Job. Here are the secrets to her success:

Be as original as possible.

I do these things called Fakeup Tutorials and they’re kind of amazing. They’re now live on my YouTube page (link in bio + subscribe!) and my snapchat (username: girlwithnojob).

A photo posted by Claudia Oshry (@girlwithnojob) on Apr 12, 2016 at 6:06pm PDT

While Oshry curates content and adds her own little flavor to it, she aims to have at least 40 percent of original content. On Snapchat, for instance, she mixes snippets of her life with some themed segments, like a “Bathtime Q&A.”

“I am a curator, but first, I’m a creator,” she said. “Putting your stamp on your content is an important step in branding and gives you a leg up over your competition.” 

Stick to what you do best.
When you are catering to an audience, it is incumbent upon you to create relevant content — whether you are a brand or an influencer. To this end, it is important to narrow down on a focus and then play to your strengths.

Wow, this is such a shock and honor! Wasn’t expecting this at all. I’d like to thank the employees at @Wendys for making this possible.

A photo posted by Claudia Oshry (@girlwithnojob) on May 18, 2016 at 10:37am PDT

For Oshry, that area is humor and PG-13 pop-cultural content. For brands like Charmin, it is potty humor. Whatever your shtick is, stick to it. “The key is to pick what you want to run with and then the platform best suited for it,” Oshry said.

Develop a voice.
Having a consistent voice on social media is key to higher engagement and loyalty from your audience, as it establishes a certain consistency with your messaging, said Marco Hansell, founder and CEO of Speakr. Oshry’s tone is witty and tongue-in-cheek.

“I’m very sassy and snarky, and you can tell from my captions and my content that my voice comes through,” said Oshry. “It is important for brands to do the same. I think brands like Cosmo and NastyGal have really nailed that.”

DiGiorno Pizza is another brand with a distinctive voice, according to Oshry — despite its gaffes. The brand has no qualms about what its voice is: a wise-cracking couch potato who likes to make snarky comments while watching sports and even “The Sound of Music.”

“I may not know who a tweet is by, but I can get a sense of which brand it is just by hearing it,” Oshry said. “It has to be that identifiable.”

Understand how influencer marketing works.
Love it or hate it, influencer marketing is still buzzing. Oshry believes that brands need to make a more conscientious effort to understand the landscape better. A popular influencer with a million followers does not necessarily guarantee engagement for every brand. And influencers are content creators in their own right — not just an easy way to tap into audiences and make them drink your Kool-Aid.

“Brands have to realize that these are our jobs, and it’s OK to give us some creative freedom and control,” she said. “Don’t come with an agenda — it’s a collaboration, and you don’t want to feel like you’re running against a wall.”