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#MillennialTalk Recap: “Behind The Scenes: What It’s Really Like To Be a Modern Day Influencer”
There is no denying that Influencers and Influencer Marketing has taken the social media world by storm. All day – every day – our news feeds are saturated with content by people who are partnering with brands and businesses in order to promote a product or service, but is this a good or bad thing? Well, it depends on who you ask. While many people look at this as an inauthentic way of doing business and that influencers are misleading their community, Millennials and Gen Zers, or the Insta-Generation as I like to call them, say otherwise.
On this week’s #MillennialTalk Twitter Chat, I invited fellow Influencer and Social Media Expert, Natalie Zfat, to join us for a chat where we revealed what it’s really like to be a modern-day influencer…the good, the bad and everything in between! Get ready to learn all about what influencers actually do, how we can use our influence to promote positive social change, whether or not being an influencer is considered a full-time job, and much more ⬇️
Scroll down for a recap of this weeks Q&A:
@ChelseaKrost: Influencers often get a bad rap because society has associated them with the following stereotypes:
– they just do it for the exposure & attention
– they just do it for free stuff
– you can’t be an influencer unless you’re pretty/good looking
This @google search alone says it all…
@NatalieZfat: A true influencer is paid for their time – not their opinion. Some people don’t understand that distinction, and misinterpret how influencers make money/give them a bad rap. But it’s really a lack of understanding. There’s also a perception that influencer work is “easy” work. Because most people use social media for fun – not their job – they don’t know what goes into it. (Everyone has experience, few have expertise.) But I can assure you: Influence is serious work!
@AmandaBernardo: I think it’s because they believe influencers will market anything as an ad for money but a true influencer will choose brands, products and services that align with their person to promote a genuine experience.
@ChelseaKrost: Trick question! To me, there is no such thing as an ‘average’ influencer. There are various types of influencers out there and their day-to-day activities can be drastically different from each other. We must not group all influencers under one umbrella ☂
Daily responsibilities of many #influencers include:
– creating content on behalf of a brand/client
– managing their signature traffic builder: blog/@youtube channel/live stream etc.
– hosting or going to networking events/product launches
@NatalieZfat: An influencer’s day looks a lot like the typical day of any business owner. Today I spent 3 hours preparing for an event with a new client, 2 hours on prospective client calls, 2 hours replying to emails in the backseat of a cab – and now, 1 hour on this fab Twitter chat:)
@Rhodes411: Every influencer is different, but for many it involves creating content on a daily basis. There really are no days off, because you’re also an entrepreneur.
@ChelseaKrost: True & false (Yup, both is an option!) Influencers do get free stuff BUT, depending on what kind of influencer you are has an impact on how much you receive…AND it isn’t always free products we receive, it can be experiences/trips/services too ✈️
@NatalieZfat: It’s true that I get a lot of free products, BUT: I don’t trade product for posts. In other words, if you want to guarantee I will write about your product, you need to show 
me the money.
@Polymathically: Depends on the company you’re dealing with, and how prominent an influencer you’re perceived to be. When I was a video game reviewer, I was just given the games, none of the swag or expo passes that mainstream sites got.
@ChelseaKrost: It can be either, that’s one of the perks of being an influencer. You make your own schedule, choose what projects you want to take on and have job flexibility! Thanks to social media and online marketing we are no longer stuck to just one source of income.
@NatalieZfat: It depends on the person. I’m a full-time content creator, but I also advise companies about how to create content. I love being able to teach people what I’ve learned being in front of the camera.
@JenOleniczak: This feels unanswerable! Like entrepreneurship, it can be full time OR a side hustle. You decide!
@ChelseaKrost: I am all about authenticity ???? Personally, if I don’t believe that a business’s product or service aligns with my brand messaging, then I won’t endorse them. How can you produce quality content if you don’t connect with the product at hand?
L O V E this quote…@VeloceInt
@NatalieZfat: Absolutely. I only endorse products I believe in – THOUGH I don’t always endorse products I use. For example, I’ve never needed to use VR for pain management (thankfully) – but it’s awesome that I get to share how that’s now an option.
@TheOriginalBPC: Yes because it means more to their audience. They are supporting something they believe in vs trying to earn as much money as possible. In tech devs often do this by endorsing products and software they themselves use then demo to their audience
@ChelseaKrost: #Influencer pricing & packages depend on many factors:
-What kind of following and engagement/metrics does the influencer generate? ????
-What kind of content does the client want you to produce? ????
-Will there be travel involved? ✈️
-What are the client/campaign goals? ????
@NatalieZfat: Influencer is a multi-billion dollar industry, and pricing depends on a range of factors, including follower count, deliverables provided, exclusivity to a brand and much more. I work with an agent who understands the influencer landscape and can negotiate on my behalf.
@nataleighb: It varies- more often then not, brands are interested in paying for great content that performs vs. your # of followers. They need to know your content will be truly engaging + who your actual audience is to justify the $. The partnership really needs to prove it reached the demo
@ChelseaKrost: Influencers can use social media as a way to spark conversations about topics that matter to them! A great example of this is a recent #millennialtalk chat we did w/ guest @JaneMosbacher about how we can use our spending power to change the ????. https://chelseakrost.com/millennialtalk-recap-jane/
@NatalieZfat: If I have one goal on my social media channels, it’s to help my followers find ways to make their work – work for them. I write about this a lot in my @ForbesWomen column: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliezfat/#6388b4143f5c
@Monique_Rose8: As a breast cancer survivor, I’ve used my social channels to share my story and inspire others. I’ve also used it to engage with others and brands/companies to spread awareness and education.
@ChelseaKrost: The negative connotation that these hashtags carry should be a thing of the past. Consumers should embrace an influencer’s honesty and transparency. So what if we’re being paid to partner with a brand? It is nothing to be ashamed of. I consider myself lucky that I am able to make a living off of promoting products and services that I believe in and that are valuable to my audience! The issue does not lie behind the meaning of the hashtags, it is all about who YOU choose to follow and who you relate to authentically.
@NatalieZfat: It’s hard for some people to wrap their heads around the fact that you can love something – and also make money endorsing it. One of my favorite brands (and clients) @WeWork puts it well: You can make a living – and a life.
@GenePetrovLMC: People may think the person has “sold-out.” I think putting those hashtags is infinitely better than not. That would create way more distrust and even legal consequences.
@ChelseaKrost: Detailed demographics are extremely important when it comes to brands and influencers making sure that their target audience, message and goals align. I always like to use the built in metrics of each social channel to gather statistics of my followers. @googleanalytics is ???? too! Diggin @TheSocialReport lately. @hashtracking and @Metricool are my favorite tools for gathering analytics and demographics for my #millennialtalk chats…clients love to see detailed reports!
@NatalieZfat: Data helps me figure out if I’m a good fit for a brand – and vice versa. If a liquor brand wants to work with me, and my followers aren’t of age, the brand deserves to know that. And if a product is not available in a location where my followers are, I need to know that
@ChelseaKrost: Live events are a great opportunity for influencers to network with other like minded individuals/influencers that they can collaborate with in the future. Live events also serve as the perfect opportunity to do a live stream on your social channels. Live Events = GREAT CONTENT CAPTURE OPP. #MillennialTalk
@NatalieZfat: Live events are everything. I work in social media, but always say that there’s nothing like being with someone IRL. I also love real-time online events like this LOVELY Twitter chat. Thanks to everyone for their great answers – and to Chelsea for having me!
@C_LONAS: Very important. Live events are powerful because they enable the influencer to have real time chats with their following. Social media platforms are realizing this and taking advantage of it – many influencer on #LinkedIn are now using a beta version! It helps expand reach!
Ready for more? Check out our #Millennialtalk RECAP
