WHAT IS AN INFLUENCER?

Recently the term influencer has become popular in the business world. Most everyone has their own interpretation of what the term means. Who is an influencer and why do they exist? In today’s digital world, the word influencer is most commonly ascribed to someone who has clout through digital channels.

While there is no certification for an influencer and a lot of people call themselves influencers, a simple definition is someone who has a lot of followers, and when they speak the audience listens and acts.

One author, Brittany Hennessy, said that influencers can be broken down into two categories.

• “Content creators are those that create blogs, are experts in their field, etc.
• Lifecasters and people who are just living their best life and you’re following them because their feed exudes sheer awesomeness.”

Some of the reasons people like to become influencers are:

• It adds value to a career. If you are an expert or have special talent and have a high follower count, it all amplifies the work you are doing in your business.
• It can promote your business. As an owner and founder of a business you can manage and monetize your personal profile.
• Increase your bottom line. As more people get to know you and follow you your business will increase as will your bottom line.

Forbes recommends the following tips for becoming an influencer:

• Find your niche: it does not have to be a normal category; follow your passion.
• Do Something Unique: be different than your competition.
• Pick your marketing outlets: you can’t be successful in every marketing media. Pick one channel and put all your energy into growing that channel. (i.e. twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)
• As always great content is the key to building your brand. Sometimes it pays to reach out to others to help you with your content. (growing a business requires an investment of both time and money)
• Be consistent. A one shot marketing effort does not work.
• Promotion is the key. If you create good content and don’t tell others about it, you will not succeed. Remember, it’s 20% content creation and 80% promotion.

Forbes shared some tips which I highly recommend you follow. Although the term influencer is relatively new, it is catching on and it is a great label to add to your abilities.

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Tips & Advice by Nick Petra, CFP – Founder of Strategic Duck and BizQuack