How To Think Your Way To Becoming An Influencer
By Shana Lynn Yao
“You don’t have to change who you are, you actually have to become more of who you are.”
I’m an influencer.
Have you said it yet? In public? Online? On Facebook and Instagram?
"I’m an influencer” is an empowering statement that, to many small business owners whose business is based on you - it feels like a grandiose and bragging statement. It's somewhat uncomfortable and becomes a hidden block that prevents a lot of amazing people from gaining the visibility they need in order to make their business or blog successful.
Even when backed by a life of experience, training, certifications, and accomplishments, this self-promoted term feels a bit pompous and unjustified, as our human brains naturally work to silently sabotage our confidence. It's those moments when you find yourself focusing attention on others who seem to be more successful, have herds of followers and raving fans - that;s when you silently steal your own once confident belief in yourself. It happens to the best of us, even to the most accomplished professional.
And while difficult and seemingly unnatural, it's essential for every entrepreneur to understand how to overcome these negative thoughts and turn them into value building, positive actions that lead you to your success.
HOW TO BECOME AN INFLUENCER
While declaring your influencer status is a decision, justifying it to yourself and others, is a practice. An influencer is, well, an influencer by doing the thing he or she does. They are leaders in their industry. And they speak confidently about their work.
So can you actually become an influencer instantly? Can you become an instant influencer and do it with integrity?
Here are 8 tips to help you instantly gain your influencer status in your business, so you can speak as the confident leader you are, attract the clients that need you and want to pay you, and quiet your self-judging mind.
1. DECIDE.
Becoming an influencer at what you do begins with a decision - a decision to act as a business owner who is excellent at what you do. To actually start acting like an influencer, possibly before you actually feel like one.
“The reality is, if you are waiting for a day that you will win the influencer crown or that you will one day wake up and feel like an influencer, you’re going to be waiting for a non-existent time. ”
Stepping into the influencer role, even if it is uncomfortable, will force you to be the best at what you do. It’s a bit of a mind game, but we seek to be congruent with who we think we are, according to renowned humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers. So if you claim to be an influencer, you will almost subconsciously consistently look for ways to improve your skills so you actually become more congruent with your influencer status.
Thanks to our human reticular activating system, our brains are literally like fine-tuned radars – seeking out what we are focused on. So if you focus on being an influencer, your reticular activating system will lead you to the information and people that will support that influencer status. Practicing your Success Identity™ everyday will help remind you of the influencer that you are and the higher value you aspire to be.
2. EMBODY COMPASSION.
Compassion is not feeling sorry for someone. Compassion is feeling your client’s pain. Understanding their struggles. Putting you in their shoes. Literally understanding their pain so deeply that you understand all of the impact that their pain is causing in their life and how you are able to help them.
If your business or blog is positioned correctly - based on your own personal story - you understand the deep-rooted emotions and pain that only someone who has felt it, understands. Decisions are made in the emotional brain - so your ability to understand your audience's personal struggle could determine whether or not you are able to attract your raving fans.
3. SPEAK THE LANGUAGE.
That means understanding who your audience is - who "gets" you at the core - you speak their language. Because of that it's written all of your website, in your communication and any marketing that you do, you use the words they would use and think the thoughts they would think. It's not work to BE YOURSELF.
People’s beliefs are born from 3 schools of thought.
1. Thoughts they know they are having and can admit out loud. Like if they are overweight – they feel fat. They know and can say their weight is causing them to be depressed. Keeping them from enjoying life.
2. Thoughts they know they are having but don't want to admit – like they think they are overweight and they know it makes them really jealous of their skinny best friend but would never say it out loud. They know their weight is keeping them from applying at the job they really want but they just tell everyone else it’s because they don’t want that job.
3. And thoughts they don’t know they are having, that the problem is causing. They feel fat but and they don’t know it’s actually making them avoid getting a dog because deep inside they feel so out of control and irresponsible that the thought of having a deeper connection of something love them doesn't’ seem possible.
Your copy/marketing should address all 3 schools of thoughts. They should address the thoughts that only feeling compassion can understand and know. These are things that your "genius" - the combination of your own expertise and life experience solve for your business besties.
4. BE YOURSELF!
Crazy we need an article to tell us that but BE YOURSELF BABE! Be known for who you are. Many new entrepreneurs think they have to create a persona that isn’t them, just to “fit in”. They try to embody what they think the market might like. But doing this is exactly the opposite of what an influencer is. And influencer is known for who they are. They are known for standing in their unique point of view and leading people to change through their own resolute belief.
This is important to communicate with your personal brand. What do you represent? What do you want to be known for?
5. ESTABLISH YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD.
You need to position yourself as THE influencer in doing what you do or selling the product you sell. Positioning, as defined by Jack Trout and Al Ries – influencers in marketing and branding and authors of the book “Positioning” - define it as “the act of designing your company’s offer and image to occupy a distinctive place in the industry. It’s how you ‘place’ the product in the mind of the consumer.”
Positioning for you the small business owner or blogger, however, is greater than just your rank amongst your competition. Positioning for an entrepreneur actually starts in your head.
Yes, if you are human, how you rank in your own mind - your confidence in yourself, your ability to see past external influences, and your overall vision of your success determines your positioning on the outside. If you are unable to develop a rock solid Personal Influence™, you may struggle with doubt, and not do the things necessary to establish your influencer positioning on the outside.
A rock solid confidence in your expertise and life experience, and developing your business based on your best qualities and own personality, is how you position yourself externally as the influencer you are.
6. HAVE A VISION.
Influencers have such a strong belief in what they do they represent hope for their audience of raving fans. They embody what they believe to the core, and because of this, they are able to create change. Influencers see what their besties cannot.
7. TELL YOUR STORY.
To be known as an influencer, you need to tell your story. When you really know what you do, you have come to that conclusion by understanding how your life played into your story. An influencer has a strong and impactful story about their journey and knows how to tell it so it helps their audience relate it to their OWN personal story.
8. BE CONSISTENT.
Influencers exhibit a high sense of consistency in their message, their brand, and their marketing. Influencers must operate at a higher level than the clients they serve, and consistency is a demonstration not only of their brand but also of their ability to manage as an influencer.
As you can see, the term “influencer” has more to do than just your skill level. It’s a standard, a state of mind, and an embodiment of who you are as a person and who you need to be in your business.
Claiming influencer status works on two levels. It changes your positioning in the eyes of your potential clients, and it changes your positioning in your OWN mind, so that you are able to market your business like only an influencer would.
YOU ARE AN INFLUENCER
What are you waiting for? You indeed are an influencer. (Maybe even an MICRO INFLUENCER!)
People who are influencers in their business KNOW who they are and what makes them amazing. They know what their lives have led them to do, and because of it, SPEAK with confidence, KNOW their personal value, and DON'T SETTLE for less.
Because having a business that uses your strengths, talents, and life experience, is how you are an influencer at it and how marketing and running your business becomes a breeze. It’s just a part of you.
Your influencer status - your "genius" - lives inside of you. It's just waiting to be discovered.
SHANA YAO IS A BEST LIFE STRATEGIST AT TOTAL GENIUS . SHE BELIEVES WE ALL HAVE STORY THAT LIVES INSIDE OF US. YOUR LIFE STORY WHEN UNCOVERED AND DEVELOPED, BECOMES A BRAND STORY THAT CREATES YOUR LIFE PURPOSE, CHANGES LIVES, AND IS THE MONEY CODE THAT BECOMES YOUR LIFE OF PROFITS, PURPOSE AND MEANING.
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