Editor's Thoughts: In Order to be a Good Influence, You Must Be of Good Influence
Listen, whether you a person of influence or a brand, you have to remember one strong thing - you have to LOVE what you do or at least enjoy it - you can even learn to love it by putting your twist on it. Whether it’s one thing or multiple things - you still have to ask yourself questions like, “What do I give to my audience?” or “How does this help my followers?”
These types of questions can help narrow down clarity for you and your brand. Success does not happen overnight, but having a plan and strategy can make it happen faster than you think. And, keep in mind having a large following does not necessarily translate into sales.
We went in and decided to share some points that might help you stand out, grow or even become a more intuitive “influencer” that makes a difference in such a polluted arena.
Know your passion
Do you know what sets your soul on fire? What makes you truly happy? Ask yourself this before any attempt to try and convince others. Just like the saying you can’t truly love someone else until you love yourself, the exact same goes for your business and brand. Unless you can create a bot that does everything for you - you actually have to put in the work, find what you love (even like), be who you are, and share that.
When I started Entire Magazine, there was one thing very clear (after many attempts of failing) I absolutely loved traveling and sharing and building a community. I was a girl in a very strict Portuguese family, and even though I am grateful every day for my culture and family, I was a woman who wanted to be free - a hard concept to swallow in a male-dominated family structure. Even the idea of me living in foreign lands by myself set my parents in an uproar, but I knew the only way to break any ceilings and do what truly made me happy - I had to find my passion. So a lot of fights later and now, my family backs me in every way and even boasts on how much I have traveled and lived. Sharing the stories of my adventures and experiences, have brought a smile to their faces. After many of battles, bouts of depression and a lot praying - I finally found myself and what I love (when it comes to business). I keep on growing and actually live the lifestyle we share on here in Entire Magazine, and so does anyone who is apart of it. You can do this too. Not only has it been fun, but it has opened so many doors in my life and career.
“...in order to be a good “influencer”, you must be of good influence.”
Identify your brand and build around it
A wrong move of being a brand, business or influencer and a pro social media is trying to do it all and getting burnt out or discouraged. Stop it. Every single day we’re inundated with images, graphics, videos, etc. all promoting business, people and products. It’s a lot! Automatically we think we have to try to emulate it. Don’t. Identify your brand and build around that. Being inspired by other influencers and brands is always a good idea, however to thine own self be true is what you have to instill in your thoughts.
Every writer knows, in order to be a good writer you must be a good reader and in order to be a good “influencer”, you must be of good influence. Let me clear that up. Influence as a noun means you have the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. As a verb - have an influence on. These definitions alone should make you stop and think. “Am I being of good influence?” Posting a beautiful image doesn’t make you a person of influence but the authenticity and story behind it will.
Think ahead and focus on consistency
Similar to scheduling your next vacation; you look at your funds, search for flights, book everything ahead of time, prep all necessary documents, and pack. The exact same tactic comes in to play when knowing and building a brand to become of influence. Know your reels and posts ahead of time. See what it looks like in your feed. Set a schedule for posting. Be consistent. Invest in your influence before hand. There are plenty a beautiful scheduling apps and online sites that can help with all of this. I am always on the go here, and the one thing I am certain of is - I cannot stand looking at my phone all day. I want my eyes and thoughts to be unrestricted by the social chaos and not be controlled by it. I choose when I want to engage and then it feels exciting and fun! Two companies that we use to schedule posts after seeing what they look like in our feed, Later and Sprout Social.
Work with trusted company
It’s been said the five main people in your circle show you who you are. To be honest, I am not so sure about that but I do know being supported and surrounded by like-minded energies - influences your success. No one, when I first started Entire Magazine understood why in the world I wanted to start a publication in a competitive market. Would we make money, would we survive? I immediately cut that noise out of my head!
Influence can come at a price and you have to know what yours is. I don’t mean charging people, I mean choose to work with trusted company. People that can lift you and values your worth, and you do the exact same for them. I made sure that I surrounded myself with real entrepreneurs, innovators, visionaries, the hungry and the not so hungry, motivators and god-fearing folks - who understood what I was going through and how to push through to succeed. I have been fortunate enough to struggle so bad it really taught me to never give up, and most of all God instilled an unwavering faith to believe. How can I let that go? I can’t. You shouldn't either. From point one, find your passion - know your passion and go from there.
Hope this can help anyone or brand to flourish, remember let your pages reflect who you are naturally and organically. If you don’t know your brand just yet, don’t get discouraged. Focus and find. Entire Magazine went through many layers before it became a travel and lifestyle publication and now a brand development and social media agency.
Never give up and manifest your true minds calling - yes, I said mind. See what you want in your thoughts and you are one step ahead of the game.
If you have questions or want to work together, contact us.
Written by our founder, Lori C. Brown