Under the Influence

Social media influencers are generally popular or trusted online profiles of people who’s taste you share or trust.

Their job is to essentially be a living, breathing advertisement. Since traditional methods of advertising (cable TV, radio, print media) are competing with the online world, companies vying for your business are paying for the oldest method of advertising in the book: word of mouth.

Now, I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in a town of 600 people in rural Ontario but to this day, I always trust the ‘word of mouth’ method. It works both ways… if my buddy tells me they got bad service somewhere; I’ll spend my money elsewhere. If my buddy tells me they got great service somewhere; I’m gonna check it out & likely, even before checking it out, I’m gonna pass that ‘good service’ rumour on.

The thing that bothers me about online influencing is that, in my opinion, these profiles turn real people like you and me into actors expected to play a role. They are PAID to paint a product, service or brand in a positive light. For example, if Company X gives me $1,000.00 to “share my opinion” on their thing, it better be a favourable opinion. Right? That’s the rub.

There are some questionable methods about how influencers are recruited, too. Have a lot of followers? You’ll need to to get the job. However, a popular method of gaining loads of followers is to pay for them or enlist the use of bots (not real people or cloned profiles) to make it seem like you have legions of fans watching, sharing and consuming your content. This is why hired ‘Word of Mouth’ social influencers, by law, must express that they were paid for their opinion.

Lots of people in my line of work are hired as influencers and it’s not an inherently bad thing. It’s a smart way to market a product and it’s the future of advertising. How does it make you, the consumer, feel about that person? What if you try the product and had a bad experience? Who loses: you, the profile of the hired influencer but not the company who’s product YOU bought or service YOU tried because someone you' trusted told you to.

That’s the issue I am struggling with in terms of being an influencer. I don’t have to worry about it too much though as I don’t have a zillion followers. No one’s knocking at my door to shill their ‘things’. To be honest, I have more than enough people paying attention to my social profiles and this very blog (hi!)! I’m always surprised that that many of you are interested in what I have to say. Flattered, for sure, but surprised all the same. Everyone who follows me is a real person or represents an account or brand (mostly local); someone who is genuinely interested in what I have to say. I have never paid for followers. I have never participated in a ‘follow for follow’ situation. I don’t want fake followers and I don’t ever want to post something persuasive that I don’t genuinely believe in or stand behind.

The internet is not real life. I’ve been lucky enough to be granted opportunities to work with and learn from online marketing agencies and to have been shown the ins and outs of what it takes to be a Social Media Influencer (and the money to be made is pretty wild). I have only ever personally promoted things that I have typically paid for, feel strongly about sharing or positive experiences I’ve had with companies X, Y and Z that align with my interests.

I’m curious to hear about your experiences with Social Media Influencers. Here’s some feedback I’ve received through Instagram when I asked “What has your experience been with Online Influencers? Good, bad or neutral"?”

“Irritating. Fake. Buying followers and using filters.” - Kim, describing a potential consumer’s perspective.

“Good for a small burst of sales… but it doesn’t necessarily create repeat sales or long time customers… a lot of online “influencers” are ridiculous and it can be hard to choose who to work with. But if you can choose someone who authentically lines up with your brand and has the type of followers you want, then it’s worth a try for some sales.” - Caree, with a potential marketing perspective.

Leave a comment below if you have something to say on the topic of being ‘Under the Influence’.

Going Private on Social Media

A week or so ago I decided I’d hit the Social Media Wall. Y’know - where the quality of interactions is on the wane and you spend more time figuring out how to make your accounts so that A: people can’t find you, or B: only a select few can actually message or interact with your profile?

Yeah.

That’s where I was at.

The news is heavy - the year has been grading (at best) - and I was just finding it hard to see the forest through the trees. Especially in terms of online content consumption and investment.

In my line of work, you have to be Open and Willing to Connect with everyone, all the time. That hasn’t changed. Everyone can connect with me, or attempt to, via this Website and on Twitter.

Facebook was the first to go. Yes, I still have a Page which I use from time to time. Generally to spread awareness about something I’m passionate about. I try to keep my Page fairly empty because, in my experience, Facebook is a magnet for negative interactions which I’m no longer interested in tolerating.

Instagram is private for the time being. Maybe I’ll open it up again but maybe not. I think there’s a real crunch to Have the Most Likes and Be the Most Followed and it starts to spiral into obligations and/or heightened expectations from strangers to spread positivity or ‘influence’ others into thinking some type of way. I like to tell the truth and a lot of the time, Social Media expectations don’t really reflect that.

The observations I’ve made in ‘going private’ have been this:

• more meaningful conversations or interactions with real people and friends

• less spam, bots and targeted ads

• seeing more things on my timeline that make me happy or feel engaged

That’s what I want at this time. Take control of your social media profiles and use it in a way that works for you.

Opinion: Modern Media Trust

Teach kids about online personas/'influencers', paid promotions, corporate endorsements & trusted sources as soon as they can comprehend those terms.

Integrity in media shouldn't be for sale but at times: it is. Public personalities have a responsibility to be truthful and ethically responsible in their messaging but at times, even they are sold (their accounts or air time) for branded content/sponsored messages.

It is up to you, the follower, 'liker', listener, viewer to educate the younger generations about CORE values, messages and the humans behind them. Spot the difference between a truth and an opinion that's been paid for.

There is integrity in media. A lot of people put their lives on the line because they are passionate about their work and getting the truth out there. Please resist the urge to paint journalists, broadcasters, public figures with the same brush.

Modern media is changing and it's NOT black and white. Use your judgement.