The world is a runway for Olivia Watson, the UT alumna behind Austin fashion blog LivvyLand.
Since she launched the blog two years ago, Watson has worn many hats as the stylist, writer, editor, photographer and marketer of her lifestyle brand.
After juggling a job at a tech company and blogging in her spare time, Watson said she has made a name for herself in the Austin fashion community. With 15,000 unique visits per month on her website and 68,000 Instagram followers, LivvyLand showcases Watson’s casual, classy personal style and shares her day-to-day life with her followers.
Watson was introduced to the blogging world during her stint in the social media marketing department at Kendra Scott during college, where she managed the brand’s blog and realized that blogging encompassed all of her passions: writing, fashion, photography, social media and marketing.
“I had started looking at other jobs around Austin and realized the tech industry was a great place to be for career growth and financial stability,” Watson said. “But that would mean I was leaving fashion behind. Starting a blog was a way for me to have the best of both worlds and channel all of my passions into one place. It was something I could do on the side in addition to a full-time job.”
Beyond the financial and logistical problems that arise in any startup, Watson said the biggest difficulty of managing LivvyLand is the vulnerability that comes with putting her style, face and writing on the Internet. However, her photographer, UT alumna Veronica Serrato, said she believes it is Watson’s authenticity and personality that have attracted LivvyLand’s loyal following.
“The key to building an audience in the blogging and fashion realm is being relatable,” Serrato said. “If you can’t connect with your audience, then they won’t continue to follow.”
Watson said retaining personality in LivvyLand’s content is a crucial component in tailoring her brand, as it is important for her audience to be able to recognize her content and know what to expect.
“It’s nice to hear that when people see an image of mine pop up on Instagram, they immediately know it’s from LivvyLand because I have a distinct photo-editing look,” Watson said. “Putting
high-quality images out there is very important and helps to visually brand your blog.”
Watson also works with local clothing and accessories retailer Saint Bernard, whose marketing director Lilly Neubauer works with Watson to provide products to feature in LivvyLand.
“A lot of the unique content on LivvyLand is really [what] Olivia is willing to share about her life and let her personality come through in her writing,” Neubauer said. “In girl world, Olivia is the friend who always looks great and is fun to be around without making things too much about herself. She’s the girl you want shotgun on a road trip and the one you’ll call when you don’t know what to wear to meet the boyfriend’s parents.”
With the tremendous growth of LivvyLand, Watson said she has decided to quit her job and commit to her blog full-time as it transitions into more lifestyle content instead of only focusing on fashion.
“Social media never sleeps and to stay relevant, you have to be on top of it everyday,” Watson said. “I absolutely love being a fashion blogger and getting to put forth all my efforts into something that makes me so proud and happy, but there have been a lot of tears, sleepless nights and an insane amount of coffee along the way.”
