What is it? Why is it?
First let's answer this question. How would I know about influencers and what companies might want (or expect) from them? Well to begin with, Web For Actors offers tools for actors, but we are also a company and we need to be able to reach new audiences. We do so through events, collaborators and word of mouth, but we also ask others to spread the word and we reward them for that. Influencers are great, but do you have what it takes to be one?
Actors, unlike any other group, can use other forms of marketing strategies to help companies advertise their product. The standard ways are writing an article and posting either a comment or a picture on social media. Less common are podcasts, but with an available list of podcasts over at https://www.actorpodcast.org it is even easier to reach out to podcasters and ask them for an interview. The one benefit that actors have over other influencers is that you can (hopefully) act. That opens you up to social media videos and web series... perhaps even a short film.
Most influencers have 3 distinct qualities:
- ability to mobilize opinions and create reactions about a specific topic of interest
- have access to a community focused on a specific topic
- known for sharing their opinion on a subject
But to influence people you will first have to have a following, right? It may sound simple but it's not. Buying followers on Twitter will not do you any good. Fake accounts cannot be influenced to do anything, that's why you need to pick your focus and do the legwork and that means:
Interact with others.
Join conversations on Twitter, Instagram or wherever the right conversation might be taking place. If I want to tell actors about all the amazing tools they're missing out on I would definitely go on Reddit, Stage 32, and Backstage forums.
Don't be flaky.
This happens more (way more) than it should. If you offer to help someone out, do it. If someone reaches out to you and you say "I'll respond tomorrow", and tomorrow turns into "this weekend" and then "next month", no one will take you seriously.
The BIG N!
Network, network, network. You can do so online, but also go out into the world. Meet people, shake hands. Find out what they need and ask yourself if you are the person who can help them accomplish their goals. But be honest with yourself. Don't try to offer something that is not within your reach.
Keep a running schedule.
What does it mean? Perhaps on Mondays you Meet with collaborators, Tuesday you post on Twitter and Wednesdays you Work on your blog. Whatever your schedule is, keep to it. Have you noticed how I write a new blog post every Friday? That's my schedule... well, at least a part of it.
Don't waste people's time with sub-par content.
If you don't get views, or reposts, or reads, or claps, or whatever it is you're supposed to be getting, evaluate your content. Put yourself in your reader/watcher shoes. Would you find this information useful? Are you still reading this article? If so, I'd give myself a check mark on this one.
Be honest and open up.
If you repeat what everyone else is saying, you'll be one in a crowd. If you voice your opinions on topics that may not be covered very often or even just give your true opinion on something, be it good or bad, people will connect with your point of view.
Share!
Do you see a share button on this page? Click it. That too comes with the territory. If you find something useful and you read some article to the end, that means you might have taken something out of it. If you did, others would do. If it's on topic with what you do, click that "share" button. Others might be more grateful to you for sharing it than to the person who typed it all out at 11PM on a Wednesday.
