Micro Influencers, How it Works, The Opportunities for Brands in 2020 with Ronan O'Connor @yogagolfdad

Last week, I did a short 10 minute episode on the current landscape of the influencer world and how it has recently evolved into a new marketing channel. In this episode, I interview micro influencer, Ronan O'Connor. He shares with us his passions, which are yoga, golf, and being a dad. And how his journey growing his following too close to 20,000 on Instagram by sharing all of these passions in a fun, entertaining way. He also talks about how he works with brands who ask him to share their products and services with his followers.

I sought out in this episode to help you get to know Ronan so you can hear for yourself that influencers are real people and not all of them participate with brands just for the money. In our conversation, he breaks down a collaboration that he was a huge part of with multiple brands centered around a yoga event to increase exposure and engagement with males in his Boston community. It was a huge hit.

The day we recorded these episodes, there was unexpectedly some extremely loud construction going on outside of my office where I normally record this podcast and I said, "I am not canceling, I'm not postponing." So I took to my closet. I had to move my Yeti mic and my computer and I guess a setting got altered so my voice doesn't sound like me as much. I don't know if you noticed, but I sure did. I didn't want you to think that I hired someone else in my place. It is me. This is episode 10, a two-part interview with @yogagolfdad, Ronan O'Connor.

Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode. Thank you so much for being here today. I am excited to introduce you to Ronan O'Connor. Ronan lives in the Boston area, which is part of how we know each other from Forrester, where we worked there together years ago. He is a father, a yoga instructor, and an amateur award winning golfer. He's a five time club champion at The International, which is the longest golf course in North America. Have you ever of it? I hadn't. It's so cool.

But it is a 36 hole world-class destination. So we'll hear more about that. But you'll notice immediately he's Irish. Not just from his surname, from his awesome accent. I love hearing it. Ronan has grown his Instagram following to a five figure following officially moving into the micro influencer status. Ronan, thank you so much for being here.

Thank you so much, Carrie. You delighted to be on. Appreciate you having me.

Good, good. So you are, but of course not limited to at all, a yoga instructor, a golfer, and a dad. I love it. How did all these cool interests begin for you? Kind of, what's your story?

Yeah, no. So I mean, for me, I've always played sports right since I could walk and a lot of that was just growing up in Ireland as you mentioned. In Ireland, sports are such a big part of our culture and what we do so I played a lot of sports growing up play like rugby, football or as you call it over here, soccer and played everything, and then with golf and that, I was just getting into at a young age, golf is obviously very big there. Got into that just, actually my dad got into it later in life and I was probably eight or nine when I really got into it. And then you have to be 12 to get in as a junior member. So I did that at my dad's golf club and was just hooked every day. That was my daycare for the summer and was there pretty much every day from sunrise to sunset and yeah.

And then yoga. Got into yoga, well just by chance, just a friend of mine back home in Dublin that asked me to do an eight week yoga program with him that was at the local high school when I was 15. Yeah, so did that and was really just amazed how I go in there so tired and just wrecked from rugby practice or school, from study and I come out with so much energy and just feeling amazing and being naturally on the stiffer side just from the rugby and all of that, it was just something that I really loved and then didn't continue it by any means and until much later in life. Did it sporadically at my local gyms and stuff like that, but never consistently.

And then it was just so happened, before my daughter was born, moved beside a CorePower Yoga here in Boston probably three years ago now. Just over three years ago. And just got it back into the routine and was just amazed with everything that it did for me and my body and the community and just a lot of positivity that came with it.

That's great. Yeah, yoga is pretty, big. And I've found, when I do it, I feel so better afterwards, but then for some reason until I really do it consistently, I don't look forward to it. But I guess that's how it is with a lot of different exercises until you start.

Yeah.

Because it is kind of a discipline. But then once you really get going you can improve and improve. And you're an instructor now. So can you tell us a little more about your yoga career so to speak-

Yeah.

And also kind of where you've taken the golf career?

Yeah, of course. So for me, as I mentioned, just before my daughter was born, we moved and moved beside CorePower and was going there regularly and I just did my free week at CorePower Yoga offers a free seven days unlimited yoga to every new yogi. And so did that and just got hooked and was like this amazing because it felt like it was the best of both worlds because it was still a workout because of the heat and the sweating and you do a three to five minute core workout in the middle.

So you're doing a lot of ab work. but it was still restorative, you're still stretching your body. You're still getting the mindfulness of relaxing at the end of class and just more restorative, which I think everyone needs. Especially these days with so much technology and constantly being on. So I just fell in love with it and then I wanted to learn more about it and that's how I got into the whole teacher training and did my 250 hours of teacher training, got certified and naturally just loved it. And I love being in front of people. I love helping others, I love coaching and also I like motivating people. So it was like a win-win just with teaching-

Wow.

Yoga in general.

So yeah, it's not like you set out to be an instructor. It's just kind of evolved and it's become a huge part of your life.

Yeah, yeah. No, I definitely didn't set out to be an instructor. For me, a big part of it was just learning more. I was like, "How does this work? Why do I just feel like in my zen, feel so amazing? How do I feel on top of the world during and after class?" And I wanted to learn more. And then it became more about giving back and and also there's not a lot of men in yoga. And one thing that CorePower really does a great job of is they're open to everyone, all walks of life. And then for me being a naturally stiff, bigger guy, I always felt empowered that they always give the options because at the end of the day, my body is very different than your body as an example.

You may be a lot more flexible than me and whereas I might not be as flexible as you, but there's options for my body and there's options for your body and just being able to break them down. So I always tell empowered, whereas when I'd gone to other yoga studios, I never felt that way. To me, I'd have fun and I'd be laughing, but I never felt I really fit in just I couldn't do most of the poses that the teachers were asking me to do. You know what I mean? So that's the one thing that I definitely try and do in all my classes is I give everyone options to feel empowered in their bodies because I have been that body, you know what I mean? That is naturally on the more stiff side. And I know what it feels like to not be able to do certain moves.

Yeah, that's not a good feeling. It's a gift to give that to people when they're there and to share the same type of lifestyle if you go regularly and choosing to make that part of your day. I remember one yoga instructor said to me once that stuck with me so much in such a good way, and I'll tell you why in a second. But she said, "Do not look to your left or your right and compare yourself to them. If you look left, right, great. But don't compare yourself to what they're doing because we're in such a comparative world." We're constantly-

Yeah.

Comparing ourselves. And it makes us feel bad.

Yeah.

And so I took that and I decided I'm going to just, painting. I've never been taught how to paint and I'm just not going to judge myself. And so I find it helps translating that. And I never would have had that if it weren't for yoga.

Yeah.

Not saying I'm a very good painter.

Yeah. Yeah, No, I mean, but it's so true. And I talk about it myself in my classes as well, because as I mentioned, we all have very different bodies and structures and there's just, in anything, not just in yoga but in life. We all have things that we're great at and things that we're not so great at or we're not interested in and there's no right or wrong at the end of the day. And it's just feeling great in your body that you have and that you brought to your mat. And then as I experience my own practice, I notice just from showing up and taking classes on a regular basis that I was getting more flexible and then all of a sudden I could do a crow pose or pose that I couldn't do before. And it was amazing to me how it just all fits together, you know what I mean?

And there's still a lot of poses, like a handstand. I can't do a handstand on my own without being assisted from another teacher or using a wall. That's just one example is because I have been very stiff upper back, thoracic spine area. So you know what I mean? It's just like anything, if you want to get it and you practice and at CorePower, as an example, there's a lot of teachers out there, just some days we're feeling tired and we don't want to do certain things. But that's another area in my classes and just in CorePower in general that they instill in us as just, it's okay if you just want to lie down or if you just want to take child's pose, you know what I mean? I it's okay that you feel tired this day. You don't have to overexert yourself and feel discomfort and just that negative feeling of not wanting to do something. And it's okay to let go. This is your 60 minutes to do you want. So I always try and make sure that I let people know and encourage people to do it. And

So that's awesome. So I think a lot of people don't know, and I had never really honestly thought too much-

Yeah.

About it until I started following you. It's that with their golf career, how much yoga helps it and you compete in golf, right? I see you earn these huge trophies and stuff.

Oh, yeah.

That's so exciting. So maybe can you tell us a little bit about your golf competitions-

Yeah.

And kind of how yoga lends to some of your success to earn those huge trophies?

Yeah. Yoga obviously is great for golf, just with the mobility and the core work. And so for me, it was a lot of my golf nowadays is local here in the Massachusetts New England area. So it's been extremely helpful and it was a natural fit just when I got into yoga is another reason why I loved it so much. Because I was never really that interested in CrossFit, as an example. I know that the competitive side of it from pushing yourself, but to me, I always tell sore and stiff and my body just felt injured. You know what I mean? Whereas the yoga, I like to free up my body and free up my mind, you know what I mean? So that's how it really helped my golf.

Oh, no way.

Time of 2018 I grew up playing golf with Roy Mcilroy who's a pretty famous golfer. Yeah, I don't know-

Very.

If your audience has heard of them. But I'm just putting his name out there. He's on the PGA tour, he's well known and while I was with him, he was up here for the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston and I was just asking him, I was like, "I heard that you love going to the gym and getting a pump on before you play golf." And I was like, "Is that true?" And he was like, "Absolutely. Yeah." I mean, he said for himself, he feels very loose and likes to get stiffer and that's how he feels like he swings the best. And I was like, "Wow, I'm the complete opposite." You know what I mean? But the main thing is just feeling good. Just like why some people work out before they go to work, it's just to put your mind in a good place, releasing endorphins and you just feel in a good mood-

Wow.

After a good workout. And it's the exact same thing. You know what I mean? And some of my best rounds have been after I've done yoga in the morning, I can't always do, because sometimes I've early tee times and stuff. But when I have been able to get in a slower yoga class before my workout or before my golf riders, it just feels so good. You feel loose and your mind just feels, you just feel so positive. So it's something that I try and do whenever I can. And then as you mentioned in your intro, I'm at the International Golf Club in Bolton, Massachusetts. I've been there for about 10 years and I've won the club championship there. There's a lot of good people up in that club. Yeah, they even do yoga classes there now and they're doing goat yoga and that was, yeah. When I really first got into it, it was-

And no one will misspell that @yogagolfdad

Part of my life and it was as simple as that. It was, yeah, this is really my passion and these are my passions and just, yeah. I figured it just made sense.

So you share your relationship with your adorable daughter-

Sure.

And your life with her as dad. It's so touching. And I know I've told you that you can drop Natalia off at my house for the weekend anytime. I'm not kidding. You come to Atlanta, you bring her and I'll take care of her. But it rolls you out as a person and it makes us feel happy and entertained quite honestly. She's just adorable. And some people purposely don't disclose their children on social media because I do believe it's a personal decision. There's no right or wrong. I'm curious how you see it and why are you open to sharing your father-daughter relationship with the world?

Yeah. For me, well I love them getting her just capturing the moments and I try to be as real, as genuine and just showing people my life, you know what I mean? With my Instagram account. And yeah, I mean, you know yourself having two kids, it's something that they're just going to be kids and sometimes she'll be doing her own thing and saying-

Yes.

These things. And you know what I mean? I find it hilarious. You know what I mean? A lot of the stuff that I'm putting up there, I don't really overthink. I just think it's funny and we're having fun. You know what I mean? And obviously there's times when she's cranky and upset and all that. And I do respect that, you know what I mean?

And as parents, sometimes we do laugh because there are times. But If I find it appropriate, I'll put it up. But for the most part, I don't overthink and I certainly know everyone has their own, it's very topical area. Some people choose not to put their kids up on social media. But for me it's not something that I'm against, and something that I think personally, I love seeing other people's kids and I find it hilarious. And just to watch them grow, even looking back at my own Instagram or with my friends Instagrams or Facebooks, seeing the kids and just being like, "Oh my God, they're growing up so fast." And for me, a lot of it, especially being in a foreign country, my life is here now in Boston and my daughter and all that, obviously.

But a lot of my family and friends and all that are back home in Ireland. So just to be able to show them, this is what I'm up to and you know what I mean? This is what we're doing. So her grandparents, my parents and her auntie and uncle can see what she's up to and to see her growth, you know what I mean? And that's, I think just a part of my generation. I remember when Facebook first came out back whenever it was in 2005, 2006 and I had just started college down in South Carolina at the time. I was putting up photos of the same way. I was putting photos up of my life on Facebook because I was like-

Absolutely.

Oh, well this is what I'm doing as I'm in college. You know what I mean? All my friends and family are back home.

That's awesome.

So it's a way for me to connect with people that are not with you. You know what I mean? So it's just something that I'd been used to and it's something that I've done with my daughter. If one day she says, "Daddy no more videos." You know what I mean? If she tells me that-

Oh, yeah.

Then obviously I won't. But she loves it. Sometimes she'll ask me, "Daddy, take a picture. Daddy, take a picture." And I try to limit her. Obviously, I'm only putting up a tiny percentage of what we're doing and what I'm doing, you know what I mean? But there are times where she will have my phone and she'll be FaceTiming with her mom or her grandparents or whoever, you know what I mean? And then she'll be playing with the camera and she'll be fascinated by it and I don't necessarily overthink it, necessarily. Yeah. And it's all on my Instagram in particular.

I love that.

It's been just so much love and support. And-

I always say social isn't the only way. It's one aspect of the buyer's journey, but we all know the bigger your presence is, the more people you can help and influence. But can you kind of speak to your intention behind growing your tribe?

Yeah, great question. And so for me, I don't put too much thought into it. I just try and show my life and just what I'm up to and what I'm doing. I don't do it for the money, necessarily. I do have brands obviously that ask me, that reach out to me and ask me to be an influencer or send me free stuff. And I know there's some folks out there that do make good money from Instagram, but for me it's not about the money. For me, it's more just putting my life out there to the world as I mentioned earlier. And then also I use it a lot just for people here locally, whether it's my yoga students or my friends or the community. And then also just for folks in different parts of the US that I've connected with. But I used to be a little bit more regimented, but it just, for me personally, it's not how I operate.

And if I'm totally honest, I noticed that I was getting way too addicted almost, to Instagram-

Good for you.

And a lot of these things can be very addictive-

Yep.

And yeah, don't get me wrong, I love Instagram and I've met so many amazing people, but I try to not get so bogged down into it because they want it to be addictive in a way. You know what I mean? Because I used to be like, "Oh I have to get my posts up." And I'd almost like stress about it.

The episode that I released last week before this one-

Yeah.

I kind of laid the groundwork for how there used to be these huge influencers, still is, that have millions of followers. And then the micro like yourself that are above 10,000 and then now there's nano influencers that are 1,000 to 8,000, 9,000. Somewhere around there. So I'd be curious to let us know and let the audience know kind of when, in your journey, when you started getting free stuff sent to you.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for me it was a few years ago when my Instagram really started taking off. I had brands reaching out to me. And over the years, but one that sticks out for me was actually almost a year ago now, it was this time last year, they had reached out, Mindbody, not sure if you've heard of Mindbody. Yeah, so they are a CRM for the fitness industry and amazing company. And it was a girl by the name of Michelle who was the Boston manager here for Mindbody. And she had reached out to me just to help get more men using their app so you can sign up for like free fitness, free and paid classes through their app. Similar to ClassPass, if you've heard of them. And so yeah, they're looking to just get more men using in their app. And obviously I have a lot of men that follow me just from golf and with the yoga and all of that.

Yeah.

So that was one that with the buildup St. Patrick's day, we decided let's do a yoga event and it was a collaboration. And so we did a yoga event and then I had Proper No. Twelve whiskey. I'm not sure if you've heard of them. They are Conor McGregor's whiskey brand that he started a couple of years ago. And just being from Dublin, I was absolutely because yeah, I got them involved and because obviously men do like their whiskey.

Wow.

And so we made the event, it was a St. Patrick's day pregame, we called it and it was yoga, sweat, whisky. And yeah, it was a lot of fun and a lot of guys showed up. I mean, I think we had about 88 people that came-

Oh, here too.

To the event and there was a good 50/50 split, which is rare, especially in a yoga class, you know what I mean? It's predominantly, I would say 70%, 80% female, at least here in Boston. You know what I mean? So it was great to have more men coming out and try, there was all walks of life. There was new people to yoga and they were regulars and yeah. It was something that I was really excited about, because it's like, yeah, this is just what I'm passionate about. When a lot of the brands that have reached out to me, it's, as I mentioned, it looked like that because it was a small room so it was packed, literally, we had to move tables an all the furniture out of the room at the Revolution Hotel, it out of control.

I was stressing out about it then, but we made it work and fit everyone in and yeah, it was all organically created. I just was using my Instagram to put it out there and send to everyone. Everyone's signed up, true to Mindbody app. And yeah, and I don't even know, we tried because to me it wasn't about the money, again. It was just about getting people in, getting guys, men and just people in general into yoga. I mean, I didn't want to make it all about men and so then had Lululemon involved as well. The local Lululemon here in Boston, which obviously Lululemon make clothes for men too. I wanted to attract all walks of life, not just men necessarily. You know what I mean? But yeah, to answer your question, It was all organically created and we went crazy.

And then for that particular event, one of the things that I'm passionate about is connection and community. I'm being Irish, that's something that I'm naturally good at. With it be in St. Patrick's Day, it was a perfect time to be able to do. What I also did was I brought in a lot of the local teachers to the event. I brought in, I think there's five or some total.

I'd say.

So they were all part of getting it out to their followers too and their community and their students. You know what I mean? And so I cast a pretty big web to drive attendance and publicity for the event.

Your personality. Why you chose your handle, how you've grown, you know you're really a person. You're just sharing your life and things that you're passionate about and so everybody, I just want you to know that these influencers, micro influencers, nano influencers, they're real people. And I hope people feel that. So we've run out of time, but Ronan, if you would be willing, I have so many more questions to ask that I think would really help people kind of take this to the next level. Would you be willing, I don't want to put you on the spot, but if you'd be willing I'd be able to ask the rest of the questions in another episode whenever you have time. So thank you.

You're so welcome. Have a great day and we'll talk soon.

Thanks for listening to the All Social Y'all podcast. For free resources and materials, head over to AllSocialY'all.com that's allsocial Y-A-L-L.com. Also, we'd love to hear from you, what subject areas would you like to hear about in future episodes? You can share that with us by dropping me a comment on our website or in Instagram @AllSocialYall.