Grow Your Geekdom as a Blogging Influencer

I am always mystified by people who believe that Influencers are an “overnight success,” as if that was a real thing. Certainly, there are exceptions to every rule, but building influence through any medium, whether it is via blogging, livestreaming, or other creative endeavors, takes time, patience, and stick-to-it-iveness.

Content creation is the foundation of building influence – but where to start?

This depends on the type of influencer you wish to be or the products and services you want to be associated with. For example, a shock jock DJ would not be a good fit for promoting baby products, just like a popular preacher would not be a good fit for lauding adult toys.

Know who your target audience is, then build the portfolio of content to lure them.

Content on a Tight Budget

Quality digital content takes time to create. No one comes out of the gate with excellent writing, photography, livestreams, and art. Those skills take time to develop, especially for a one-man operation. As a small business or solopreneur, there may be times when we need more content than we’re capable of producing, especially on a tight deadline.

Pia Silva, a contributor at Forbes, wrote a great article on the 3 Ways To Create Quality Digital Content (Even On A Tight Budget). Geared more toward entrepreneurs, Silva recommends hiring affordable talent through recruiting platforms like Fiverr and People Per Hour. Freelancers must often compete against each other for pricing based on the quality and feedback of their work.

Remember, to be an influencer, having a portfolio of content helps increase your search algorithms to rank higher as an authority figure in the field you wish to be known in.

Lauren Mayhew

In an Intellifluence interview, Lauren Mayhew shares her journey into acting and singing. An entertainer since the age of ten, she has nurtured her career, and in doing so, has increased her value as an influencer. She explains that during several awards shows and sponsored parties, vendors would include items in a swag bag with the hope that the stars would snap a photo and post the product on their social media.

Then she thought, “What if I promise them (brands) that I would do A through Z. Then would they pay me?” Many brands will pay in cash or product for that kind of influencer promo. And unlike the swag bags, an agreement between vendor and influencer guarantees new eyes on the product. For some companies, that is marketing gold.

In a nutshell, if you are building up your social media presence, why not reach out to different brands that are in line with your interests? Sites like Intellifluence makes that process very easy.

Influence for Social Good

Social media has become a powerful tool when it comes to social awareness, marketing, and influence to a mainstream audience. Social media influencers can play a vital role in raising awareness. In fact, this can be done almost by default.

Consider that no one wants an ugly Instagram or Pinterest board. When they are snapping selfies or photographing products or rainbows, they want to make sure the images are beautiful. But not all things are beautiful, are they?

In The Positive Power of Social Media Influencers, contributor Rebecca Stropoli uses her platform to talk about the power of social media for the greater good. This includes shedding light on topics of poverty, disease, and pollution.

By regaling influencers from all walks of life, their united voice raises awareness, and oftentimes becomes the catalyst for change. In Stropoli’s article, which broaches the topic of farmers who turned to influencers to raise awareness about pesticides, the “social media campaigns generated a 30% increase in product adoption compared with a control group, which translates to a potential 6% productivity increase and a 20% efficiency-driven drop in overall pesticide use.”

Influencers are not just beauty products and make-up tutorials. The power of social media influencers can perpetuate societal, environmental, and social change. 

Influence and Advocacy

Advocacy and marketing have been my focus for the last 5+ years because people connect with people, not things. When I was first brought on board with Geek Insider, my role was to write articles and reviews in the geek realm. Because of my history and knowledge in small business and marketing, I was asked to take a look at the social media sites and my stomach dropped. There was no significant activity for years.

The journey began to find the target audience. What is the demographic that we’re trying to reach? Where do they hang out and socialize? What social media channels do we need to grow so that we can broaden our reach?

This prompted me to look at my own social media profiles. I’ve been steadily building an organic network of engaged people; these are folks who have common interests, similar backgrounds, or parallel fields of work. Something clicked in my brain that if I was going to be an influencer, I needed to be a good example and use proven techniques for organic growth. It’s why I decided to become an Intellifluencer as well.

By growing the social channels for Geek Insider and my own platforms, we become a megaphone for our partners, friends, and sponsors. Are you growing your geekdom?

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