INFLUENCER-ISH

I’ve encountered many failures along this influencer journey. I’ve doubted myself time and time again which is where I created the term “Influencer-ish”. I didn’t always feel I had the best picture and caption, but I have accepted that every big blogger and/or Influencer 1) had to start somewhere 2) never gave up on their goal(s).

To help ease your anxiety about where you are as an influencer, I’ve decided to share some pearls of wisdom. There are three things that can stop the rhythm of most aspiring influencers: inconsistency, comparison, and lack of connection(s).

Inconsistency will destroy any career.

You can’t be a doctor, lawyer, chef, teacher, or influencer if you inconsistently perfect the craft. I know this to be true as I pursued a medical career. I couldn’t study on a Monday and not study again until the following Monday. This is also true for studying God’s word; figured I would throw that out for good measure. Rewind back to last year, I was able to grow my audience from 2K to 11K in the blink of an eye. I found my niche (audience): those who love God, family-oriented mothers/wives, and medical students/professionals. I stayed true to myself and posted genuine content in a consistent manner. Seven days a week was too hectic for me, so I posted about 2-3 times a week.

As a result, my page began to flourish, and I began feeling the need to produce more content. I started receiving emails for so many campaigns I couldn’t keep up. I lost my schedule and didn’t know how to add a more demanding Influencer career to my already full plate. Trev was flying in and out of the country with work. I was working 11-hour shifts, taking care of the kiddos, and busy with ministry. It all became too much so I decided I was done with ‘the whole blogging thing”. This wasn’t my first time walking away. In actualilty, I ‘quit’ two or three times before but this time I was really done!

What happened from then to now? I walked away for nealry 3 months. In that, I lost out on some high paying campaigns, but I found my focus in the sacrifice. It began with a phone call from my friend Brit Fusilier. She reached out after seeing I had gone AWOL. She encouraged me to get a posting schedule and stick to it. She also reminded me that my content was very good, and I needed to plan better to aid with campaign deadlines. Instagram with 2K followers vs 11K is quite different on the business aspect of things. Anybody else wouldn’t have moved me the way she did. She is a busy mom of two and a Pharmacist so I felt she really knew what I was facing. I took more time to brainstorm. I decided to stop overthinking it and do what came naturally – be myself, stop comparing, plan, and execute.

I planned a family shoot with Sarah, and it went viral. People were calling saying they were seeing the pictures on several popular pages. Going viral wasn’t what I was most excited about, but I learned with consistency and hard work, I could do this influencer thing. One factor in my initial ‘downfall’ was that I didn’t stay focused and consistent with myself and that showed in my posting schedule and (to me) my content.

 

…they measure themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

2 Corinthians 10:12

Oh, comparison please go away! It is the deadliest poison to any influencer looking to find her way. At the peak of my first year, I began feeling the quality of my content wasn’t as good as many others including the one and only Shay Mone”. Now Shay wasn’t thinking about me but here I was wondering “Why is my page so awful in comparison to hers?” I mean “How does her page flow so well?” She almost convinced me to become a fashion blogger the way she effortlessly advertises for brands. But that’s not my lane! I would

look at her aesthetic and feel “I just need to start over.” Hey, I’m being honest. I supported her any way I could but never felt my page would be as good as hers. What did I learn? Shay’s page flows smoothly because she stays true to herself and we can all tell. Whether she gets 200 likes on a post or 1K, she never lets it change the enthusiasm and effort she puts into her craft.

I reached out to her to get some tips and she directed me to the Influencer book. Thank God for influencers who remain humble and respond to every comment and dm no matter how big their audience gets. She is one that will do all the above. Instead of continuing to second guess myself, I took tips from her that she didn’t know she was teaching: stay true to myself and don’t get caught up in the numbers game. Secondly, support your sister influencers but don’t tear yourself down for not doing it like them. Thank you, Shay, for blazing the trail for us all.

It’s a very fine line between appreciating another person’s creativity vs. comparing your creativity to theirs. You must be confident and self focused to not conform to the talents of others. Be inspired, but don’t copy. Just remember that if you perfect your craft, it will make room for you, I believe this to be true both spiritually and naturally.

 

Don’t be afraid to connect with like- minded bloggers/influencers.

I’ve met the most selfless, encouraging women in the influencer industry. Connecting helps you learn from women who already have knowledge and strategies to guide you to a successful career. I have to mention, if you join too many blogger pods, it can be overwhelming. Don’t believe me? Ask Bri we would talk weekly about how overstimulating it was to do #FollowFridays in four different groups. It was overwhelming for my audience and for me. One day I left nearly all of them. Do I oppose pods? Certainly not, and what doesn’t work for one may work for others.

I’m sure you’ve seen my posts, but I have to mention her again: Britt Fusilier We connected last year after a Blogger’s Brunch held by Morgan Hilliard and we’ve been stuck together since. I hi-jacked her photographer,  Sarah who is now one of my good friends.

Brittany came at the right time. She encouraged and believed in me as an Influencer when I couldn’t see my own potential. It would behoove you to follow and take notes from her. Her daughter Liv is all the cuteness overload you need and sweet Maddy is the beautiful ball of energy any social page would love to repost. Feel free to ask Britt any questions. If you have question, she’s a dm away.

These women are taking their career to the next level and you can do the same.