By Jacob Owca, Madison Media Partners contributor
Influencer marketing is now a legitimate career path for many young people, so much so that last year, marketing researchers saw overwhelming majorities of brands who plan to expand their influencer budgets. I recently met Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek, director of marketing and social media at Madison Media Partners, and an influencer with the company, to chat more about the topic and how Madison Media Partners is testing the waters.
Chelsey is a longtime Madisonian and coffee enthusiast, who in her free time explores state parks and indulges herself in Wisconsin’s outdoors. She and I met at one of her Madison business partners: Grace Coffee. On her Instagram page, @chelseywisco, she colors her timeline with latte art, stylish outfits, sprouting ceiling plants, and artfully-abstract coffeehouse decor amongst a myriad of other homey comforts. Chelsey wasted no time getting to know me and treated me with the kind-hearted attitude and genuine interest that I’ve become accustomed to from many Madisonians.
I asked her how it felt to act as one of the faces and personalities who sells Grace Coffee to the Madison community through social media content. Just as she wasted none of my time and vested her interest in me, she made it clear that she began influencer marketing to vest interest in Madisonians and use their time wisely, too.
“If it’s a product or a business I don’t like, don’t believe in or don’t vibe with, I just say no,” saying that she’ll only partner with businesses who treat herself and her fellow Madisonians as well as she does.
Grace Coffee owner Carlos Falcon further proved Chelsey’s point by showing me how he devotes himself to Madison. “My family and I are Peruvian,” he said. “We came from jobs that didn’t pay well and treated you poorly. We want to offer safe spaces for people and pay good wages.”
Carlos got his motivation to start a business when he began making coffee at just 17 years old. “The fact that I’m making something so simple and making people so happy is pretty fulfilling.”
Carlos said his influencer partnership with Chelsey came naturally. “She would hang out and start asking about me,” Carlos said. “She just made everything really simple and easy.” Similarly, when Chelsey received an Instagram DM asking if it would be something she’d be interested in, she said, “It’s simple – I love their coffee and I love their space.”
Chelsey distances herself from more typical influencers with her localized approach to marketing. Just as she built rapport with me, she did the same with her colleagues at Madison Media Partners and with Carlos. “I want to connect Grace with the Madisonians who follow me and look to me for authentic recommendations,” she said. “If people relate to me and connect with my posts, then they’re likely to share my connection to Grace.”
Chelsey also understands that a partnership may start with her Instagram, but it allows clients to get introduced to news partners she’s connected with through Madison Media Partners, such as the Cap Times and Wisconsin State Journal, and the advertising opportunities they offer.
In addition to Grace Coffee, Chelsey has also done influencer agreements for Rusty Dog Coffee, St. Vinny’s Madison and Fermentation Fest. “We offer social media advertising opportunities on the Cap Times accounts, but influencer marketing has become so effective that brands want to work with like-minded people who provide authentic content,” she said. “Working with my account provides a new revenue stream for our newspaper. I’m also looking to build our influencer partnerships with other locals to promote our own events, such as Cap Times Idea Fest.”
Even though big names and big businesses often run the show in the realm of influencer marketing, Chelsey may very well represent how the news industry can get involved in the field moving forward. Brands interested in how influencer marketing can work for them are encouraged to contact Madison Media Partners to explore opportunities tailored to fit any budget.
Follow Madison Media Partners on Instagram for more updates about our team, events and marketing strategies. For more information about influencer marketing through Madison Media Partners, email Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek at cdequaine@madison.com.