The importance of becoming an “Influencer”

Pablo Bermudez
Aug 31, 2018 · 6 min read

Very simple, because it works. Influencer Marketing already consumes 25% of the digital marketing investment of companies.

While “Influencer Marketing” as a marketing strategy has been around the world for about two years now, the reason is very simple: People believe the people they trust, rather than the brands (which often do not comply with their brand promise, provide terrible consumer experiences or blatantly, lie to us) therefore, the first thing we must build to be “Influential” is to build trust.

But how? Do not tell me in your bio on Linkedin or on your blog just how good you are, where you have worked and what studies you have ... show it to me and the world with valuable content by sharing your original knowledge and great information from third parties, and share it with your stakeholders.If you do not add value, you give two messages to the world: I'm not interested in making the world a better place to live and a) in fact, I'm not good at what I do (or do not have anything to contribute). Remember, the worst sin of the hyperconnected culture of the 21st century is irrelevance.

The first thing we have to do is learn to unlearn. There is a book whose title is emblematic: “What brought you here won’t take your there” by Marshal Goldsmith and there is no better description than that title for what is happening in the hyperculture of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

You must internalize these concepts:1. We have changed of millennia2. We have changed our era: From the third to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. You must learn to unlearn. And then you must learn to learn. It is as if in the twentieth century you had intention to continue functioning as you did in the 18th century. So… empty your glass, in a full glass there is no more room for more fresh wine.

3. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is the largest and most important revolution in the history of mankind — World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2016.

4. The pace of change has accelerated, not long before, you could have projects of one year, today it is just unacceptable. We don’t know how the world will be in a year from now! This is just now unacceptable, we have to develop prototypes in thee months or less using agile methodologies, like Design Thinking, or as the Digital Transformation slang calls them (Minimum Viable Products), using agile methodologies and test them in no more than three months.

5. The hardest part, we must reset our mental chip… but now. The main inhibitor of innovation is usually the general manager, the CEO and the board of directors (high priests owners of the truth) and particularly our comfort zone.

6. Today the CEO or GG are the supreme servers of all employees of the company, empowering them to take control of the company and innovate, inspiring them to be the best versions of themselves that they can be, taking an integral interest in them, as human beings with problems and non-work needs to cover (emotional salary), you must be there to attend them, you will see how they respond … There is another saying that I love: Nobody earns more as the one who gives more. Each of them is a potential influencer, each of them has a large number of contacts in social networks. If you activate them all in your company to be influencers, your reach will expand exponentially.

6. You must reset your mental chip, but I mean now… right now! The main inhibitor of innovation in the companies worldwide, are (ironically) usually the general manager, the CEO and the board of directors (high priests who own the truth). Today the CEO or General Manager are the supreme servers of all employees of the company, empowering them to take control of the company and innovate, inspiring them to be the best versions of themselves that they can be, having an honest interest, power to decide and innovate, as human beings with problems and non-work needs to cover (emotional salary).

7. As a CEO you must be there to attend them, you will see how they respond: That is the reason behind why you reset their mindsets! There is another quote that I love: “Nobody earns more as the one who gives more”. Each of our employees is a potential influencer, each of them has a large number of contacts in their own personal social networks. If you foster them all to activate their personal social networks in your company and teach them and empower them to become influencers, your varied visions and points of view will only enrich the conversation, reach will expand exponentially, and this sharing will be authentic, not imposed, making it so much powerful and credible.

8. Your biggest opportunity and the worst threat to your company are the same, and is called: Digital Darwinism (Brian Solis): “A state of business failure where technology and society advance faster than your ability (or that of the company) to adapt.” By not participating in the worldwide social media conversations, and not adding value, you will end up becoming irrelevant, the worst sin of the 21st century.

9. That is why if you reset your mental chip, the Fourth Industrial Revolution may be the greatest opportunity that life has given you: because you understand it, you are coherent with the times you live in and you respect the rules that govern the Fourth Industrial Revolution and act proactively in response to their challenges and opportunities.

10. If you are like me a Genexer or a Baby Boomer, you are a digital immigrant. Right behind you, are millennials, and centennials are interacting faster and smarter than you in the digital realm and will not have problems in replacing you if you become digitally obsolete. Attention, centennials, born (in the 21st century) are already attending classes at the university and will soon aspire and have no problem to replace millennials and Genexers in their work position as they will have better digital skills.

11. Connect with other influencers, people with whom you can learn, exchange information, or to whom you can teach. The more value you share the greater your purpose and the greater your sense of life, the greater your contributions to the world, and therefore, you will leave a valuable legacy in the form of knowledge.

12. Reward the interaction: When someone talks to you, congratulates, asks you, makes comments on some of your articles, please do not ignore them. It’s a very bad taste. Answer them, honestly, with interest, and maybe your article will go viral on the web, but most important, help one person at the time.

13. Be authentic, you can comment on any topic, so much better if it’s an experience, people love a good story, it keeps people much more attached than just pure theory.

14. Be empathetic, connect with the audience emotionally.

15. If you make a physical presentation to an audience, consider that there are two trends with respect to how PowerPoints are made: the first one is minimalist, it has its advantages if you know your subject well, but the problem is that when you hand out the PowerPoint, you give very little long term value and content for the public to take back home and share. The other case are the so-called “WordPoints”, the latter are very dear to the audience in the form of handouts they can also go back and use, reuse, and share. Generating awareness and even making yo famous and increasing your social contact worldwide. 16. While you are doing your presentation, do not repeat what people are already reading at the screen, people will be reading the PowerPoint instead of listening to you, the PowerPoint should be a complement to what you say (an infographic for example, a table with figures, pictures, etc.). Please do not repeat what you are already projecting.

Pablo Bermúdez | Global Digital Transformation Office en Atypical Digital

Twitter: @pablober

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pablobermudezmogni

Blog: https://www.pablobermudez.com/

Pablo Bermudez

Written by

Knowmad, Mystagogue, Entrepreneur, Chief Disruption Officer & CEO at http://www.hashtag.pe Social Media, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Social, Innovation

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