TribalWestLagos – Tips For Collaborating With Brands

Tribalwestlagos is a made in Nigeria brand that focuses on and creates African infused outfits.

As a blogger, collaborating and working with brands is part of the ‘job description’. Pitching to brands, however, is a different ball game altogether. It is an interesting journey which can seem quite daunting too.

I say interesting journey because, even though the idea is to work with brands, I have also come to learn and grow as a blogger to know that not all brands fit my style as a blogger. Bearing this in mind, some collaboration opportunities are turned down. *sad face*

For this #MadeInNigeria campaign, some brands reached out to me, while I had to pitch to some directly. In this post, I will be sharing a few tips on the steps I apply when pitching/collaborating with brands using Tribalwestlagos as an example.

Tribalwestlagos – Tips on Collaborating with brands…

The first thing you want to do is:

• Verify the authenticity of the brand – Sometimes, I get emails from brands asking me to collaborate with them. What’s the first thing I do? I research these brands. If I’m going to get my readers to patronize them, then they have to be the real deal. This is very vital cos your readers trust you & will often times than not, take your word for it.

• Know the brand/product – Doing a little research about the brand/product shows you’re actively interested in the company and what they have to offer. It also gives you the ability to show how the product matches your personal brand, and how it will resonate with your community. If it’s a brand that deals with products you haven’t used before, It would be nice to state why you would like to try out their products.

Tribalwest makes edgy but chic easy to wear fashion pieces which suit my personal style perfectly.

• Do not be shy, Do not be scared to reach out to a brand – What’s the worst that could happen? The brand says no right? Yes, it is quite daunting and disheartening but when you understand your brand voice, and your audience, what they relate to (in terms of your content), then you’ll have a clearer picture as to the kind of brands to pitch to.

• Know your audience – This is just another way of saying be personal. What’s different about your personal style, your point of view, your content, or your audience? Why should the brand work with you? Generally speaking, your mode of delivery & how effective it is. This is very important, trust me.

Your personal brand is your selling point, so make sure you know exactly what that is and figure out how to communicate it in the simplest way possible. Have a brand voice.

• Be flexible – The truth is so many brands even the big ones don’t always have a huge budget for marketing.

Tips on collaboration…

Be ready to alter your pitch to suit such brands. Instead of money, these brands may offer you products or clothes depending on what they have to offer. This works but not all the time.

Related Post – MabeliNigeria

That was the case with Tribalwest. After a couple of back and forths, we agreed on some pieces from their clothing line and I must say I received more than I expected when I got the package.

I decided to style my couisn for this post and the next one (remember I said they sent a whole lot of stuff) to show you how their clothes take to different body types & personal styles.

I particularly like the subtle edginess their clothes have. Their pieces can be dressed up or kept casual depending on one’s mood and the occasion, and yes they are affordable.

Their latest collection is centered around Ankara fringe which I think is a brilliant way of infusing the print.

You can find them at 2b Kafi by ICM Alausa Ikeja and on Instagram.

Just tell them Grace sent you and who knows you night just get a discount.

Kisses Loves

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