Become an influencer Read online

  •People don’t post often enough; they are too worried about quality and then not delivering enough quantity.

  •Make content for TikTok specifically and if you don’t know where to start, watch loads of TikTok videos. How did you learn what worked on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter? You spent a lot of time there.

  Hashtags

  Fun fact: The father of the hashtag didn’t work for Twitter.

  Many people achieve exactly the opposite of what they intend with hashtags: you can tell by just looking at how they use them. Yes, the inclusion of hashtags will result in more people who don’t already follow you seeing your posts. It could even deliver you some new followers. However, if you are just including irrelevant hashtags, thinking that this is a shortcut to gaining more followers, you will irritate the ones you already have and no new follower will gain value from what you’re putting out there. As with anything on social media, if you are unsure, stay out of it or educate yourself quickly.

  This was the first-ever use of the hashtag as we know it today. Chris Messina was a tech product designer in Silicon Valley in 2007. He was also part of the early wave of Twitter users who were trying to figure out how best to use the platform. Barcamp is a tech or web conference and Messina wanted to figure out how to organise the chatter about this event in a way that would be easy to access, both for him and the network of developers who were interested in it.

  The use of hashtags really took off during a large-scale fire in San Diego County later that year, when Twitter users organically started using #sandiegofire to track updates. However, Twitter itself didn’t want to adopt and promote the practice until two years later, in 2009. Hashtags have since been called “wormholes” or even the “veins” of the Internet. Eventually hashtags became commonplace on all social media platforms, to the extent that Instagram limits the number you may include in a caption to 30.

  I absolutely cannot stand hashtags that shamelessly ask for likes and followers, such as #followme, #like4like, #follow4follow and #tagsforlikes. This is a pointless waste of characters that gives your followers the worst impression: that you are cool with spam, with bots and sneaky shortcuts. Real success on social media is about finding ways to create engaging content that elicits honest responses and trust.

  As you can see in the Dove example, brands know better than to use a raft of hashtags at the start of a post and as a user you would do well to take your cue from them – after all, they have employed specialists to devise their strategy on this front.

  Hashtags are not meant to be read, so think of them rather as little flags or signals you plant so that those who are interested in a particular topic can find relevant content. Use them for what they are worth by seamlessly integrating them in a simple caption (this is risky if not done well) or safely concentrate them at the end, spaced well clear of your precious, carefully crafted message.

  I follow a few hashtags on Instagram; one example is #bonsai. This means that content from people I don’t follow, but who are posting bonsai content, such as instruction videos on how to care for your bonsai or merely stills showing off beautiful bonsai trees, automatically pops up in my feed. If I see an account sharing really useful #bonsai content, I might choose to follow them, but mostly I am just keeping my eye on the bonsai scene in a much broader sense. When I work on a tournament, like the Rugby World Cup, I tend to follow the event hashtag #RWC2019 for that period as well, to get a feel for the content that users are generating: to see the event through the eyes of social media users who are out at matches, who are supporting their teams both in the host country but also around the world. It is great, free market research and provides me with useful insights I can incorporate in my work and, of course, provides an opportunity for me to pick up on the most interesting content creators in my field.

  However, if I see a #bonsai or #RWC2019 post pop up in my feed that is clearly abusing the hashtag, because it doesn’t actually feature content related to the interest area but cynically piggybacks on it to try to gain prominence, I can tell Instagram to stop showing this post under the hashtag by selecting the “Don’t Show For This Hashtag” feedback option.

  This is one way in which users can actively teach the Instagram algorithm what they want to be shown and what not. The other, simpler one is that they will simply swipe away. Regardless of the platform, hashtags allow your input to pop up in traceable global conversations on the topic you are passionate about, taking you into the feeds of people who might not have found you otherwise. If you are tweeting insightful, interesting, newsworthy or funny contributions with a relevant hashtag or two, chances are your posts will gain engagement quickly and rise to the top of the trending, explore, or for you pages – depending on the platforms of choice.

  Some more digital strategy advice from Matthew Kobach that works, whether you look after brand accounts or just your own influencer feed(s).

  It is not about getting seen by many people, it is about getting seen by the right people. That’s how hashtags lead to higher engagement and more followers. One useful, authentic and proven way of leveraging the power of the hashtag is to include an accurate one in the most important place of all: your profile biography. If you are a ketogenic diet enthusiast, #keto will allow your posts to link seamlessly with the searches and conversations around the topic.

  Killing babies

  When I think of the year I spent studying towards an honours degree in journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand, I feel as though we spent most of our time doing the exact opposite of writing: we were editing. This is something that would serve you well as a content creator.

  It is effectively the practice of undoing, deleting, cutting, trimming, shaving or even destroying the writing you have already done. Editing is a euphemism for a very painful process our lecturer, Jo-Anne Richards, used to call “killing babies”. We often think of writing as this creative, fun process where you are cheerfully stringing together a series of useful sentences with words, punctuation and a few key spaces. Easy peasy!

  However, one of the key skills you learn in a journalism degree is that writing, in the traditional sense, is only the fun bit right at the start. Most of the real sweat and the true value of any piece is only revealed in the editing, where you refine the raw text into the most coherent, concise and, ultimately, the most useful version of itself. The news doesn’t require frills and fuss; it needs to be understandable to everyone. Even if someone reads only the first sentence, they should already know the where, what, why, when and how before you use a full stop for the first time. This seems very simple, but you wouldn’t believe how difficult it is in practice, especially if you get pretty attached to those words you so carefully selected and strung together. Just like a journalist, an influencer needs not only to edit their words ruthlessly, they also need to edit their content ruthlessly. Create it, save it, walk away from it, come back, review, critique and reconsider it.

  Liesl Laurie explains her way of working:

  I draft a lot of my things in my notes app, complete with the correct tags and stuff, so I’m sure it’s all there and then I send it out. I think you learn to be very mindful of what you say and how you say it when you’re Miss SA, so I wouldn’t even draft something in the app before I send it. I’ll compose my thoughts somewhere I won’t be able to press send or post by accident, ensure that it’s right and ready and then copy it across. Sometimes I second-guess myself. If I’m uncertain about what I’m trying to say, I’ll send it to my best friends or my cousins who know me well. They’ll be straight up and honest with me. They’ll tell me if it’s coming across as pretentious. I am open about the fact that it’s a work post; it needs to convey a certain message, but I want it to sound like me.

  Some influencers and brands run private feeds called “test accounts”, where they post all their content before they post it on their main feed. They check that it sits well with the rest of wha
t is already on their feed. They make sure that the tags and details all show up correctly. They draft their captions, their tweets and their carousels with as much care and forethought as they would if they were the editor of Vogue or the Washington Post.

  Someone who always generously shares her devotion to creating content and telling stories that are intentional and consistent is Rachel Kolisi.

  When I realised I had a following, I knew I had a responsibility. Everyone’s an influencer in some way, because we all have a circle of influence and are accountable for the message we send out to those watching. Yes, the capacity of my following may be larger than others – but I encourage everyone to be deliberate and intentional about their contribution to the world. So many eyes on me in a desperate world ... that is a responsibility I do not take lightly. I want to be relatable and have a positive influence on the lives of others. I never want someone to wish they had my life or that they were like me. My life changed for the better when I found content in my situation and in who I am. I wish that for every single person out there. As an influencer I have the same struggles, the same number of hours in a day, the same temptations and some bad days. I want my followers to know life is truly great with all its ups and downs and happy is a choice.

  Every single element of your digital business, every aspect of every social network profile under your brand needs to carry that level of clear intent. All of it needs to communicate your message seamlessly and without contradiction or confusion. Your profile photo, the information in the biography at the top of your profile, your banner image, your pinned posts, your captions, your use of hashtags – these are all tools you have in your digital toolbox. Use them to colour in that space inside the chalk outline that encapsulates your influencer business.

  Don’t forget to audit the accounts you follow, as well. These are all the influences you take on board every time you open a platform. These are the sources you’ll retweet, share and repost, and their impact on your voice cannot be overstated.

  One of the sure ways to drive Instagram and TikTok engagement in ways that set the hearts of brands, agencies and marketers aflutter is to create posts that users will save or download. This is the platform’s equivalent of pinning on Pinterest or likes on Twitter. Content that has timeless value, that is specific in its instruction or simply provides tips, will inspire your followers to mark and keep it for later use. Sharing content of this nature should always be pinned to your Instagram Story highlights as well – a great showcase area where you can briefly highlight what sets your account apart, for a prospective follower who has clicked through to your account biography in curiosity, by accident or because they saw or heard you on some other platform.

  How often do you need to create content?

  Nadia Jaftha, Katinka die Kat and Wian Magic are all convinced that they need to produce content every day in order to maintain engagement, but this is not a universally held opinion.

  I monitor the numbers every single day, [shares Nadia], because they keep changing. I have to post every single day. That keeps my engagement up; that keeps my numbers consistent. I need to do that so I can show brands that my metrics are consistent. My followers know that when they come to my page there will be something new and something fresh. Whether it’s funny, more lifestyle, there’s always going to be something new. That’s really important, to keep that relationship with your followers and make them feel like they can rely on you for new content.

  It is about more than just engagements though; Nadia says the return on this investment is also brand loyalty and sentiment.

  It also makes them feel like they can support you with whatever you’re doing. For example, I’m in my first movie now and it’s very different for me: going from social media to cinema. When I shared that with my followers or my supporters, they responded really well to that and I was really surprised by how much love I got. I think that’s really important: when your followers feel like they can grow with you; that when you succeed – they succeed. Essentially, that’s what it is, at the end of the day.

  In Katinka’s case, she maintains a balance between video and photo content:

  I need to post a video at least every second or third day, while I need to post photos every day. People talk about what is trending, you know. You need to constantly pop up in their stories and you definitely get out what you put in.

  Wian explains that instead of looking at what he’s putting in, he measures his effort in terms of the results only.

  The motivational guru Gary Vaynerchuk changed my way of looking at this with his emphasis on the fact that we all have time, we just tend to use it wrong. You can only measure how you spend your time by looking at the actual results, not at your effort. Results are all that matters. Sometimes I plan videos, like a movie, for over two weeks and then they get the same engagement as something I came up with on the spot. I now try to keep my planning minimal, because every day that I spend planning and not posting costs me a day’s growth. Most people treat their Instagram feed like a photo album, curated around a theme, and so perfect that not a single aspect of it is out of place. But how much growth do they miss out on, how much money and following do they lose because of this obsession with perfection? Quality is important, but not more than being productive.

  Liesl is one example of an influencer who works on big campaigns regularly but doesn’t prioritise social media every day.

  I often don’t post over a weekend or for a day or two. I was recently on an influencer trip, hanging out with a few other influencers, and they explained to me how they work, but I’ve never bought into it. I do wonder if it takes away from being pure. I really only look at which day is best for me to post.

  I also know my personality and the A-type person I am can’t afford to get too stuck into the metrics and insights. I think the big note here is that being Miss SA influenced a lot of how I think, to this day. It was a good thing for me. I realise how unrefined I was before the pageant and it wasn’t the pageant itself that refined me. I made conscious decisions about who I wanted to be in the world and it was the point in my life that got me to commit to that person I wanted to be.

  Maps Maponyane talks about how he combats algorithm anxiety:

  I focus on my why and the things that make me happy. My journey, the work I’ve put in. I take stock a bit. A lot of the time I’d also just move away from social media. If I feel like it, I’ll get back on. If I feel like it’s changing me, I take a break.

  Bouwer Bosch echoes this sentiment when he explains:

  I should probably post more consistently because then I’m sure it’ll become more profitable, but I don’t have the capacity to produce content daily, like Katinka die Kat does. Or even weekly. I’m just not in the mood to be funny every single day. I know from working with Nadia Jaftha on Tropika Island of Treasure that she’s amazing and super disciplined at this. To me it often feels as if I’m bipolar because I often have to give myself a pep talk, that it’s okay not to have something to post now. Because you tend to look at the profiles of others, their projects, the audiences they pull in and that’s your downfall. When you start believing that your work doesn’t have an impact. Then I usually go and look at what I’m actually busy with: Liefde Wen has more followers than Mr Price and Superbalist. Francois [van Coke] beats me on the follower front, but he primarily makes music. I get up in the morning and run Freckle, Liefde Wen and other projects. If you focus only on music, you’ll probably eventually be able to also sell out the Sun Arena. But in my case, I make TV ads and I make movies too. It’s important for me to sometimes tell myself “Hey dude, it’s ok!” I love acting, I love TV and film and all those things. I recently did a live improv theatre show called Intermissie, which earned award nominations ...

  I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. You need to look at what your audience expects and what delivers real results, like Wian says, among that audience. I hav
e experimented with a variety of approaches: long breaks between content, various posts per day, more video than stills, more trend-based stuff, and then the opposite of that in timeless “how-tos” as well. I have struck a balance that doesn’t overlap with anyone else’s approach here, which is why I think that, in the end, you just need to be consistent in whatever approach you choose.

  Decide which expectations you can keep meeting while being generous, honest and productive at the same time. As Wian pointed out:

  The guy who has the second highest number of followers on TikTok right now, only posts every second day [he makes video editing tutorials]. His videos are amazing and generate loads of likes, so for him it works to post less frequently.

  5

  SHOW ME THE MONEY

  What is my voice worth?

  On YouTube it is relatively simple to start earning an income when you attract a solid following. They call it “monetisation”, which is when the actual platform pays you cash for the adverts they run on your content – you only need to activate the monetisation setting on your channel and submit the information required.

  The views you attract lead to eyeballs that also watch adverts and, eventually, YouTube shares a slice of the revenue you created with you. TikTok has a similar model, which allows viewers of live broadcasts to send creators monetary gifts.

  As Wian explains:

  It works just like on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram Live, but viewers can send you emojis that are called gifts and they all have different cash values. Users can buy these emojis with actual money, so they’re worth R100 or R200 or R400, and then when they send it to me while I’m live, I get half of the cash paid into my account and TikTok keeps the other half.

  I am interested in what the viewer or follower gets out of sponsoring these emojis. Are we showing off how much cash we can splash or is it true organic appreciation from your fans?