Influencers are often mistaken as content creators, YouTubers, vloggers, or bloggers. Yes, influencers could be any of these but are not necessarily any of it. Meaning, influencers could be plain influencers. Content creators can also be called as influencers. However, not all influencers can be called content creators. Sometimes, influencers can also be vloggers or bloggers creating content, which also makes them content creators.
Feeling a little dizzy now? So, what is an influencer, really?
Influencers, from the term itself, are individuals who have the power to influence the decisions of either a single person or a group of persons. This “power” usually comes from his authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his viewers. With this power, influencers can affect any of their audience’s decisions concerning purchasing habits, opinions, or behavior. In short, influencers are also marketers.
Clearly, influencers put in so much effort and creativity into their work and experience a lot of struggles than the average joe. But despite all that, influencers have a few secrets they don’t tell you. Frequently, they filter out which ones to post and which ones not to. Instead of publicly showing behind-the-scenes, they’d rather let you see the finished product, which is a combination of beauty, creativity, and talent. So, here are 7 things successful influencers won’t tell you.
- Everything and Everyone Starts Small
Everyone starts unpopular. Influencers may not mention it, but they started with nothing as well. They, too, started with zero followers; hence, zero influence. More often than not, you may only see the tip of the iceberg. Influencers choose not to blatantly show the entire world about their life struggles before they reached the peak of the mountain. But because of hard work, passion, and determination, they’re now where they ought to be.
Let’s take Valerie Jennings as an example. Valerie Jennings is a mother and an entrepreneur specializing in social media marketing. Just like anybody else, she started small and with a zero follower count. Today, Valerie Jennings runs a business, takes care of her daughter, and pursues blogging influencing hundreds and thousands of people.
- People Can and Will Attack You
Most people are mean online that even mean is an understatement. Yes, you may have had a couple of online fights with friends and family members about different political, spiritual, or social views. But being an influencer means they’re putting themselves in a situation where people can [anonymously] come at them through their comments section or inbox.
Most of the time, when influencers get big enough, more personal attacks start to come. It somehow feels the same as how you get bullied at school, just that it’s a lot worse because sometimes, it can be entirely public.
- There’s Less Time for Family and Friends
When hundreds, thousands, or millions of people want an influencer’s attention, their close relationships (meaning your friends and family) may suffer, and we’re not only pertaining to their followers, viewers, audience, or readers. Companies and brands may also want their time and dedication almost every day, endorsing products and services. After all, what for will their influencer title serve if not for these brands.
Not saying that it’s entirely a bad thing. However, an influencer’s relationship with his family and friends may suffer because of constant work. As an influencer tries to build his career and follower count, their time with family and friends starts to decrease.
- People Can and Will Use You
Given the fact that influencers are beginning to go big, more recognized, and authoritative, then people will start using this to their advantage. That’s just how life is, and that’s the reality. May that be through exposure, product samples, freebies, the list can go on!
As influencers keep doing favors for other people and try pleasing everyone, they start having less time for themselves, which means abandoning what they have initially built from the very beginning. Most successful influencers would choose to pick their affiliations wisely and carefully. As they generously give time for interviews and meetings, they also consider not to offer too much time away to “snakes in the grass” who generally don’t give a crap about them.
- There Will Be Intellectual Attacks
More than personal attacks, people on the Internet love coming at influencers who lay down their views and opinions about recent issues may that be political or social. Intellectual strikes are more of an attack of their views and ideas, and not their character.
No matter which opinion or political view influencers side on, people will always have something to say. Normally, constructive criticism is dressed as an attack and can be considered diamonds in the rough. Most influencers are wise enough to respond with grace when they know they’re wrong, thanking the person for correcting them. Although influencers don’t say it out loud or broadcast it publicly, they get hurt too. But effective influencers learn from their mistakes and better themselves in the long run.
- Individual Interactions Matter
More than anything, answering personally to each individual question is considered valuable. This is because most people (or followers) appreciate it more when influencers respond to them individually as compared to broadcasting it to large groups of people all at once.
Sometimes, when they have the time, influencers try and respond to their audience through personal message since followers feel more valued this way. As a result, these followers spread positive things about the influencer through word of mouth, and more viewers are hooked to a specific influencer’s content or social media profiles and postings.
- The Amount of Support is What Keeps Them Going
Influencers may not say it that much but, it’s actually the amount of support they get that keep them going on the industry. Being an influencer can be tough, but it’s nothing compared to all the support and positive feedback they get from dedicated and loyal followers.
As said by a known influencer, Tom Kuegler, it’s funny how one great thing can outweigh the many, many bad ones.
Wrapping Up
As an influencer, it’s important to remember and know the balance between work and life. Oftentimes, influencers tend to overlook the fine line that separates their work with their personal life; that’s why most relationships in their life either suffer or fail. But despite all that, there are still a few good things as to why influencers keep doing what they do. In fact, they don’t even bother publicizing their struggles. What’s important to these influencers is that they get to relay the message for their readers or viewers as a way to inspire and educate.
Author’s Bio:
Edwin Deponte is a motivational writer who is also passionate about Social Marketing. He believes in others’ abilities and tends to bring out people’s hidden potentials through his words of inspirations and motivational articles.