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Bárbara Khouri Miguel is a Brazilian Creator living in Miami. Barbara is a postgraduate in Digital Marketing, Creative Director for TANN Swim and Content Creator working with brands to create elevated visuals and personal stories to inspire and engage. You can find Barbara on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, to name a few.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including your background and what led you to become an influencer?
I’m 31 now, but in my younger years we already had blown up social media and internet, so I was sharing my life anyway since I was 18, 19. There was other platforms there were at the time, but I was there and suddenly we didn’t talk much about the influencer market 10 years ago, was much smaller, but suddenly I started getting some offers and some like, you should come here, let’s do this. And it was really small, really nothing major, but I like it. And I’m someone who really liked the visual aspect of social media like photography and videos and editing and everything. So I just used my free time. I was younger, I had more free time. I used my free time to do this and I actually never took it as a job or seriously at the time. So I was later in college, I studied something totally different. I was working, but I never left it until I decided, okay, I need to take this seriously.
You’re affiliated with not one, but two swimsuit companies: Tann and Ripple, BB. Can you tell us about them and what the differences are in terms of who they cater to?
So I study economics. I work in banks and everything. So nothing to do what I’m doing, nothing like at all as what I’m doing now. But at one point I said, you know what, this is not what I want to do my whole life. And I always knew I wanted to have a business or something of my own. All my family, they are entrepreneurs and they all had their business and experiences and I had this confidence that I could try and maybe see how it went. So five years ago, I started my first brand, which is Tann Swim and it was very fashion focused brand. So it’s not like your common swimwear brand that is very commercial. And you see everywhere. I wanted to do something different. So I started designing it and researching different things and everything and it went great.
I got the association for Brazilian designers in Brazil where I got a lot of recognition, but at one point I realized I needed to do something that is more easy to sell also. So that’s when the second brand came in. So we did something that is very social media focused, something that the girls want, that it’s very colorful, smaller bikinis, very Brazilian, very out there. So we did that. So I have a partner now in the second brand. We have more fashion focused. Five years ago and now for three years there is very commercial when the sell lot. We’re already top like 20 brands in Brazil. So it’s really nice.
What have been some of your favorite brand collaborations to-date as an influencer?
Yes, I had some through Intellifluence. I’m new here, but I’m really liking it. I recently moved to the US so it’s like it’s a new market for brands to work with, but I had the chance to work with home stuff. I had the chance to work with beauty stuff. I had the chance to work with health stuff and this is what I really like about Intellifluence because you really will find things that fits your lifestyle and that you already like knew. So that’s how it’s been very helpful.
What does an average day look like for you in terms of managing your business, social media content creation, and then the traveling that you do?
I’m not a very early [riser]. I don’t wake up very early, but I try to wake up around seven or eight. I take this first hours of the day to myself to just realize what I have to do. Sometimes go to the gym, sometimes I’ll just do it at night, however I’m feeling. And then I start to like dealing with business because being in the US and having my production in Brazil and a lot of part of a company in Brazil, they are two hours ahead of me. So I always have to start with business and then around lunch that’s when I have time to check the content to do more.
Of course, we’re always sharing content during the day, but if I have a project or if I want to check the offers from the brand, my email, do some management work, edit a video, go on YouTube, that’s when I’ll do after lunch. And I’m also studying. So some days I have classes and I just have to sort of, like the time for everything in my day. But the thing is when you like what to do, you just find the time. I don’t feel like I’m working at all. So I’m all like, I’m very active. I like to take a lot of responsibilities and I don’t feel anxious about it. I actually enjoy it. So it’s easy. Of course my company now they are in moment that I have a lot of help, so it’s easier.
What are some goals you have for this year as it pertains to growing your brands and as it pertains to influencer marketing?
For my brands, we’ve been creating like new markets. We’ve been expanding to Europe, Latin America, US. So this is really the focus of this year and working with new people and new influencers too, so that’s on the pipeline. But for me, I really want to try new content. I think the platforms we’re really tired of seeing always the same. I’m trying to push myself in the new stuff and try new formats and try some platforms that I’m not very well like at creating contents on like TikTok. So for me, it’s about experiencing and see what works for you and your audience. And I want to take the whole year to try all these projects in my mind, see what I really like.
Note: Influencer Spotlight interviews are edited for time and clarity.
Andrew is the Head of Client Services for Intellifluence and has a background in communications. He is committed to helping brands get the most out of their campaigns and is the co-host of the Influencer Spotlight series.
