I understand the female dilemma and foresee trends: Archana Dhankar, All That Clicks & Fashion For Royals

Depicting 'Cinderella Dreams' with Fashion For Royals and debunking the digital world with All That Clicks, Archana Dhankar presents her blogs passionately and professionally. Here she talks about how the voyage has been.

Ready for a regal tour of the House of Fashion For Royals?

Looking back, where did it all begin?

I discovered digital marketing for the first time in 2005 and was amazed by its enormous potential. Since then I have worked with Blue Chip brands, Startups and, trained people on social media and blogging.

I wrote my first blog on digital marketing in 2009 and subsequently created my fashion blog in 2012. I love fashion and social media, therefore a blog seemed like a great way to connect with likeminded people and share my knowledge with them.

What's in the name?

FashionForRoyals – depicts ‘Cinderella Dreams’ that every woman can feel ‘special’ by making the right style choices for herself. Fashion not only embodies who we are but also give us confidence.

What is your USP in this cluttered space? How does your content give you an edge?

I have grown in my own fashion choices, from being a student to a working professional, getting married and being a mom. Having gone through this transition myself over the years, I understand the female dilemma and foresee trends, in both fashion and digital world that easily relate to everyday woes which women face in terms of style choices, travel dreams and food selection. I then create insightful content to help my readers look good and feel good.

Please take us through your content creation process. How do you stay relevant and relatable?

Content is the backbone of every blog or social media, and it is more than just clicking some good pictures and writing some blogs, it involves understanding who the reader is and what their pain points are.

I regularly look at the comments which people make on blogs and ask readers & followers on social channels, what they want to know next from me. This helps me produce content that people want to read about and enables me to stay relevant and relatable.

How do you make moolah with your efforts?

Blogging started as a hobby and passion for myself, alongside my job. I didn’t start this with an aim to make money, but I won’t deny that being able to monetise the blog helps me create more quality content and invest more time in what I love to do.

Given my background in marketing and business strategy, I collaborate with brands & help them to achieve their marketing goals through various activities, including brand promotions on social media & blog. I also offer Strategy & Consulting services for Digital Marketing and Influencer Campaigns

How do you maintain editorial objectivity with the influx of brand briefs?

I follow a content calendar to make sure that I always deliver value to my readers. This calendar is reviewed every 3 months to make sure it is relevant to deliver the content that people would want to see & read.

One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile

I have worked on many brand campaigns and travel campaigns. Social media makes everyone more connected and that’s what I love about it, specially that instant feedback and love from the readers.

I am a social person so for me what trumps is being able to blend the digital & physical world to meet people and talk to readers at events.

I love hosting and participating in Masterclasses & Meetups, as it gives me the opportunity to be face to face with people who interact with my content daily, and it motivates me even further to create greater content as their enthusiasm just rubs on me!

Weirdest brand brief/request ever

I sift through too many emails each day. The ones where brands don’t understand what bloggers or influencers do and still approach them to work because other brands are doing it, is not right!

If not blogging, you would be?

I am a visualiser, everything that I do is first visualised in my head, so if not a blogger I would still be in a creative field.

Also Read: Interview: It really pains to see how undervalued are content writers’ efforts in Indian market: MumbaiGloss, Parimita Chakravorty

A day in your life….

A typical day in my blogging life starts by looking at my messages and emails., responding to questions. I dedicate on an average two days to shooting and one day to Researching concepts & meeting clients. Good chunk of my time also goes in writing, editing, social media management and coordinating with my team.

What people see is the front end of the content which is fun & exciting, but behind the scenes you will find me in a café or at home, working on my mobile or my laptop.

Message/tips for upcoming bloggers

It takes a lot of time & effort to work for yourself and if you don’t love it and are not motivated enough, you will probably not be able to succeed. Blogging is now very competitive, and to be successful, one needs to find their niche and work consistently without giving up.

Your Favorite Influencer

I follow lots of blogger for inspiration because I love their work.
One of my fav. Indian influencer is ShereenLoveBug, love her creativity and my favourite International Influencer is Mimiikonn, for her positive motivational lifestyle content.

The Future you foresee for your Personal Brand

I started my journey in 2012 with a digital website only, and today we are successfully creating content across multiple social media platforms, supporting brands in both UK & Indian through our channels. I naturally see this growing, and with the natural progression of advertising from print to digital, we will see the blog becoming more popular.

We have lots of exciting news to share with our readers in 2019 and beyond, so keep a lookout at what all is brewing at the House of FashionForRoyals.