Black Girl Digital(BGD) is the leading digital marketing and social media management agency for Fortune 500 brands seeking multicultural influencers. Currently the preferred vendor for BET Viacom and substantial partnerships with VHI, State Farm, MTV, Sephora, Tailored Beauty, and more.
They’ve now created Influencer LINKR (iLINKR), a product of BGD, which is the solution to equity wage disparities for Black and multicultural women in the influencer marketing industry and a resource for brands and agencies seeking to amplify the unbridled voice of this demographic.
We had the opportunity to speak with CEO Latoya Shambo about her amazing platform
LR: First, let’s talk about BGD. What inspired you to create BGD and how has it transformed the culture?
L: I originally created BGD to support Black Female Bloggers and help manage their Ad Operations. I worked at Complex for 7 years and wanted to create an Ad Network similar to it specifically for Black Women. Then the industry pivoted to Influencers and my bloggers became influencers so we made the pivot with the same mission – to help black women get paid for brand partnerships.
LR: iLINKR appears to be a game-changer across all industries. Give us a snapshot of how it works? What can consumers expect when using the app?
L: For Influencers there is an app that they install (Android/IOS) where we send them campaign opportunities and manage the campaign activations from there.
We also, have a dashboard for Talent Agents where they can manage all of their influencer campaigns in one place.
As for the agencies and brands have an exclusive dashboard that allows them to approve/deny influencers, content, and watch the campaign go live in real-time.
LR: Just from watching television and even when you’re on social media, there is definitely not a vast presence of Black and Brown women showcased in Marketing. Why do you think that is?
L: Honestly, I think that sometimes we are an afterthought. The people who are writing these movies or creating mainstream products don’t think to include us from the jump. I can’t speak directly to the movie industry since I am not in that space. However, as it relates to major brands, the issue I have is that when they go to create ads they are not thinking inclusively. It’s somewhat changing now due to all the social injustice happening and brands being called out on social channels, but we have a long way to go.
LR: You held a digital launch event in November. What discussions resonated the most with your purpose? How did COVID play a role in how the event turned out if any?
L: I thought it was great and extremely timely. While in-person experiences are a good time, I think the virtual approach allowed us to stay focused.
Black Girl Digital helps elevate your brand’s message through the lens of the black female. Whether it’s through partnering with black female influencers, social storytelling, or audience amplification- They are there for you!
With their new product iLINKR they aim to build a simple sustainable solution for brands and agencies to execute longer brand partnerships with more influencers of color.
Connect with them online Black Girl Digital
