Influencer or influenced, the best social experiences are those that are truly socially collaborative, driving all of us towards better practices and experiences.
Let’s start here: Becoming an influencer simply means you’ve gathered a substantial and captive audience who wants to know what you have to say, tell, or show about a particular subject.
I can’t tell you how many likes or followers it takes for that to happen … and honestly, I don’t care. Here’s what I do care about:
People trust you!
And now, people trust you because other people trust you! Which sounds crazy but that’s how this game works.
If you got to this point without taking inventory of your values —the ideas that guide your work and life— then I think it’s incredibly important for you to do that now as your audience hangs on every word, photo, and video you push out.
Knowing your values allows you to produce content that serves your purpose. In a nutshell, it gives you and your work integrity and focus. I am doing __________ to help people do ________ because I believe _____________.
Working with that clarity will allow you to produce more and better content that impacts the people you are trying to reach in a positive way. Just as importantly, it will steer you clear of negatively impacting the people you’re trying to reach.
But Carl, I’m not an influencer! Ah, well, you’re just as important to everything that’s happening on social. Here’s what I want you to think about. If you’re going to find value consuming social, here are a few things to practice to get more out of the experience:
- Stress test what you consume. Does it work? Is it helpful? How does it change or better what you do?
- Make it your own. Translate what you receive into something that is useful to you. How can you apply a post that speaks to you so that it gets you closer to your goal?
- Take everything with a grain of salt. We’re all on here to explore and to grow. The world of Instagram is written in loose ideas, not on stone tablets.
And if you find yourself with an idea that doesn’t work, that isn’t right, that creates a negative impact, challenge the influencer. Hold them to a better standard.
Influencer or influenced, the best social experiences are those that are truly socially collaborative, driving all of us towards better practices and experiences. Find your values. Own them. Share them. Doing so helps us all grow, and that’s the whole point.