August 07 2017 | Interviews , PLANOLEADERS
The art of great content rests in one's ability to design the perfect feed. From interiors to art, Domino Magazine is a leader in its category, and it's no surprise to us that they always dominate the content game. You could attribute much of that success to our featured PLANOLEADER Alyssa Clough, who currently serves as the Associate Social Media Editor. From content creation for Domino's website to scheduling daily social posts, there's always something inspiring on Alyssa's envy-inducing to-do list. We even got a taste of it for ourselves when visiting Alyssa at Domino's colorful and cozy Midtown office. Discover more and meet Alyssa who chatted with us about the synergies between the design world and social media in this exclusive interview.
Hi! Alyssa here, Domino's Associate Social Media Editor. I do everything from community managing (catch me in Domino's DMs!), scheduling daily posts, and strategy. I recently moved to Brooklyn and am in the midst of designing my dream one-bedroom apartment. I love being on-the-go and am always traveling, trying out new restaurants, sweating it out at Y7, and running the Williamsburg Bridge.
Growing up, I subscribed to every magazine that existed. After graduating from Northwestern University, I moved to New York to pursue a career in journalism in what I hoped would be fashion. My first job ended up being at a beauty start-up within Time Inc. called MIMI. I remember interviewing post-grad, and everyone was steering me towards digital roles, but I just still have such a soft spot for print (which is part of why I love being at Domino—we print quarterly). Social media was part of my role there, and when I joined the team at Domino, I was also writing and doing social. There came a time when I had to choose one or the other, and I chose social. Choosing to take that risk and become a full-time social editor is definitely the most notable moment in my career so far. I'm happy I took the plunge!
It's such a fun time to be in the design world because people are really starting to care—and share on social media. Since I started at Domino, it's definitely become more common for both influencers and everyday people to share a beautiful space on Instagram. It makes sense because these days everything is designed. Where you buy your clothing, where you eat brunch, your coffee shop, the office you work in, your home, everywhere you go has a curated look and feel. Our standard for interiors has definitely risen for public spaces. It's also exciting to see people sharing more of their personal space because it shows off their style and what they're all about.
My favorite aspect of the job is getting to interact with readers and designers on a daily basis and working to really foster that sense of community. It's the best when I find someone on Instagram, we photograph their space for a home tour, and then I get to share their home and story back onto our Instagram for all of our followers to then discover and get inspired by.
On a personal level, it's really taught me to own my style and taste and encourages others to do the same. It's all about confidence and being you. Even in the office, everyone has such distinct design aesthetics, and I so respect everyone's unique perspectives. That's another reason why I love Domino because we create content for all design styles.
First, I'm constantly gathering inspiration from Domino and using it in my everyday life, and I hope our readers and followers are doing the same! But really, seeing Instagrams and Instagram stories of people enjoying our summer pop-up and summer issue is really special. The team is so proud of the issue—and the pop-up, which was an extension of the issue—and it was so, so fun to meet both longtime fans and people that were just discovering the brand in real life in that space.
Lately, I've been feeling more inspired by photographers like @michellenorrisphoto, @lucylaucht, @natalie_santafe and @tessaneustadt. I don't think you necessarily have to pull inspiration for your home from photos of somebody else's home, but sometimes it's more fun to be inspired by destinations and colors, which they share a lot of. Content-wise, I love everything @createcultivate is doing, and same goes for @healthy_ish. I'm a sucker for a super designed and curated feed, and restaurant @thesosta (opening soon!) is my newest obsession. In terms of designers, @leannefordinteriors is the absolute best, I'm so into @adrienneraquel's aesthetic and design choices, and @hiltoncarter is my latest #plantgoals follow. I eat up literally everything @shopbando makes and posts and I'm a forever @framebridge fan.
Use our hashtag and tag us! Super basic, but sometimes I think people assume big brands don't pay attention, but I definitely do. I spend so much time on Instagram looking for new people and their spaces and cool brands. Instagram is still, in my opinion, a platform that fosters real discovery. I'll be in a rabbit hole of like stalking some blogger's space, click through to the photographer's page, see a new destination they just traveled to, then click through to see where they got their cute dress from—it's a time suck, but an enjoyable one. So one, don't be afraid to reach out. But also, back to the discovery aspect, just do your thing and be authentic to your brand (over email, on social, in person, always!) and if it resonates with people, they'll discover you and fall in love with whatever you're doing.
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