It only takes a minute sitting with Hilary Elrod to catch the infectious effervescence of her personality. She came into Workshop in downtown Charleston like a ray of sunshine with a huge smile on her face – **full disclosure she wore a flowy yellow striped spaghetti strap midi-dress, which may have contributed to the sun simile**. As light and airy as her personality seemed, one thing became evident early on in our conversation: Hilary Elrod is a multi-hyphenated businesswoman who knows her industry.
If you haven’t heard of Hilary Elrod, you probably know her social media moniker Hilary Rose. She is a well-known fashion, beauty, food and lifestyle blogger, with a Southern gal’s twist. One of her most highly circulated posts was an etiquette post entitled, “10 Things A Southern Woman Does” – a lost art in Hilary’s eyes. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Hilary is an alumna of the University of Texas-Austin, but originally a Georgia girl.
Recently, Hilary spoke at the first annual Social Media All Day Conference on the Trends Panel, which highlighted how social media is changing the landscape of fashion & trends. During the discussion, she noted that trends come and go but the most important element to success in this business is being authentic, “You could say authenticity is the trend!” she says with a smile. Team Ideability couldn’t get enough of her marketing tidbits during the panel so we hunted her down for more details!
What’s a typical day for Hilary Elrod?
I hate routine. I thrive off of making every day different otherwise I fall into a hole of despair (not to be dramatic!) I don’t have a shoot every day, only a few times a week, but I’ll mix up my days. My photographer is such an angel for putting up with me!
How did you decide to move to Charleston?
I worked for three years at an art museum in Austin, which I absolutely loved. Once my blog started gaining traction, I knew it was time for me to transition into that full time. What felt like simultaneously, I broke up with my boyfriend at the time, my roommate decided she would move in with her boyfriend, and I had an insatiable feeling of wanderlust. After a road trip to Charleston, I knew all of those things happened for a reason and this was the place for me to be.
What are some of your job challenges?
Women around my age are pretty good with seeing past the facade of the perfect Instagram life, it’s the effect this industry has on the younger girls that worries me. They aren’t able to differentiate between social media and reality, and as a result, they set unrealistic expectations for themselves. So sometimes I find myself feeling a little guilty for the part I play in that, whether warranted or not.
How do you balance what content is posted on what platform?
I try to use each in the way they service me. Facebook services me best as a funnel to get people to my website, Instagram is my main source of income, Twitter is for my random silly musings. I read that good marketing should inspire inspire inspire, then sell. So on my Twitter, I’ll say something funny then put a link to my blog post. And Pinterest is also a great driver to my website.
What’s the balance of being authentic in your industry while keeping up with trends?
I take being authentic over trendy every single time. We’re living in a world where it pays to be you which is really awesome. Overall, I tend to stay away from “trends” unless it’s something I really like.
What social media trend are you seeing on the rise?
I’m seeing a huge rise in idealistic bloggers. You know, the girls laying in a bathtub, dotted with rose petals or overlooking a sunset drinking Dom Perignon with a Gucci bag. If you look at the “American style” Instagram there’s a lot of that. But the authentic straight-to-camera, honesty is what I’m more inclined towards. My whole thing from the beginning has been approachability and girl-next-door; relatability. That’s how I grew my follower base because people are feeling like they can relate to me.
What’s your most proud moment?
My Southern Living editorial. They actually reached out to me on an Instagram DM! It was so casual on their end, but I’ve loved them since I was a child so I could hardly contain my excitement! We did a shoot and last November I had a two-page spread in Southern Living.
What’s your go-to outfit?
A spaghetti strap sundress (to deal with the heat) or workout clothes.
What can we expect from Hilary Rose?
I’m writing a dystopian fiction novel — stay tuned for more details!
For more from our interview with Hilary, visit our Charleston Grit writeup.
