The Complete Guide to Becoming an Influencer

Do you think of yourself as an influencer? Unless you are a celebrity or have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, YouTube or TikTok you probably don’t. We usually save that moniker for a social media guru with the ability to impact others' purchasing decisions. Mediakix, one of the first influencer marketing agencies, points out that at their core, influencers are public figures who have built loyal followings by sharing content that entertains, informs, and connects them with their fans. Influencers can use this direct channel of communication to start social conversations, drive engagement, and, eventually, set trends among a receptive and socially aware audience.

I believe we don't need a vast or highly engaged community to be influencers. Actually, we probably already exert a significant amount of influence over those around us. But are we having the desired impact on people who look up to us in terms of character, development, or behavior? Many social media influencers, for example, are more than just marketing professionals. They use their platforms to encourage us to be better people, to live a more purposeful life, and to be happy. These "positive influencers" promote good values, increase public awareness about relevant topics, and make motivating their life's work. For the rest of us, becoming a positive driving force in the lives of those around us can start simply with being authentic, having a positive attitude, and caring about others. Then, influencing people will boil down to connecting and communicating. Let's start with the former.

In Influence, Robert Cialdini notes that we prefer to say yes to individuals similar to us as we want to be and look consistent with our words, beliefs, attitudes, and actions. An excellent place to start is by bringing people's attention to shared beliefs. Humans are born with qualities such as integrity, justice, freedom, humility, and fairness, among others, that reflect our sense of right and wrong. People will also say yes to someone they regard as a peer. Fostering a sense of belonging and acting in sync or coordination with others will result in a feeling of unity. Finally, people say yes to individuals who know more about the subject than they do. Being viewed as knowledgeable and trustworthy maximizes the persuasive power of being seen as an authority. It's amplified when the expert employs the idea of social proof, which asserts that people make decisions about what to believe and how to act based on what others do.

After establishing our similarities and strengthening our sense of belonging, showing our expertise, and demonstrating that people follow our lead, it's time to focus on the other individual. According to Dale Carnegie's best-selling book How to Win Friends and Influence People, the only way to persuade anyone to do anything is to first satisfy their need to feel important. For people to feel appreciated and convert to our way of thinking, Carnegie puts out 27 ideas, five of which seem key to me. Begin by showing genuine interest in others. Loyalty comes from honest curiosity in people. Second, ask questions instead of giving orders. People are more likely to collaborate if they are involved in the decision-making process. Third, let the other person feel that the idea is his or her. Humans place more faith in things they believe they discovered. Fourth, get the other person to say "yes" quickly. Continue to underline that you are both working toward the same goal and that your only difference is one of method, not purpose. Finally, invoke nobler motives. People respond positively if we make them feel that we consider them honest, upright, and fair.

In our quest to become positive influencers, connecting with others is only half of the battle. Once a bond has been established, it’s time to communicate. This entails concentrating first and foremost on the message we would like to convey. Do we wish to motivate and inspire people to overcome their limitations? Do we want to help people get out on the right foot in their pursuit of personal growth? Or do we want to make the world a better place by encouraging individuals to help one another, thereby causing a chain reaction? Perhaps we'd like to be a mentor or coach to others around us? Or to help people who are going through a rough patch in life, experiencing doubt, uncertainty, and fear? The list of positive messages to share is endless so, we should spend some time defining what it is that we feel passionate about.

It's just as crucial to find the correct communication channel as it is to define our message. Face-to-face communication is often regarded as the most effective method of conveying our ideas. This is because it allows for the exchange of nonverbal communication such as body language and facial expressions. This, in turn, decreases the risk of misinterpretation (i.e., Professor Albert Mehrabian at the University of California established that 55 percent of communication is body language, 38 percent is the tone of voice, and 7 percent is the actual words spoken). In-person contact also allows us to develop credibility by revealing many of our personality characteristics that could otherwise go unnoticed. The biggest disadvantage of personal interaction is that it can only accommodate a small number of people. If we want to reach a broad audience, digital communication methods are the way to go.

"People buy from people they know, like, and trust," they say. This is correct. If we don't establish confidence in ourselves, connecting and communicating a compelling message is pointless. The best way to do this, in my opinion, is by being congruent with what we preach, not just once, but all of the time. Walking the walk is especially crucial because, whether we realize it or not, we are always leading by example. To be an effective positive influence on others, there are five behaviors that we may want to incorporate into our everyday life, according to Positive Psychology: have a clear leadership philosophy, keep our word, care about and appreciate our followers, ask for feedback, and give people freedom and choice. Allow me to restate that last point. Leading by example is not about us telling people what to do. Instead, it entails empowering and motivating them to reach their maximum potential.

A final thought. While we attempt to become the kind of positive influencers we want to be, it's important to realize that if we're closed off, others will be as well. Exposing our vulnerabilities, on the other hand, might help us form bonds of empathy, respect, and openness with people. Being vulnerable, according to best-selling author Brené Brown, is a compelling way to build trust and rapport because it creates a space for others to go into our heads. Additionally, it allows people to be vulnerable. It may be tough and risky to own our story, but it is necessary in order to build meaningful connections and have a positive influence on others. In her words: "Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light".

Author: Esteban Polidura, CFA. March 26, 2022.?