Why Everybody Should Be an Influencer? | by Ilya Galushin | Sep, 2023

Social Media is The New Currency. Sharing My Insights on How to Harness it for Your Benefit (Even if You’re Already Working in Digital Marketing).

I have been working in marketing for over 10 years. During this time, I managed to create from scratch a digital agency and successfully sell it, speak at dozens of conferences, train hundreds of interns, and connect with an incredible number of people in the marketing and entertainment industries worldwide. Currently, I work in a family fund that invests in the creative economy, including influencer marketing.

To be honest, I never thought much about influencers and didn’t follow them as closely as I do now (I’m not Gen Z, a bit older). It took me a while to understand why everyone is so enthusiastic about Mr. Beast and why the world’s largest brands are launching challenges on TikTok. I used to think that much of it was a waste of time and money because real business and marketing happen behind closed doors in corporate offices. I’ve been there myself — approving six-figure budgets, sponsoring conferences, spending time at prestigious hotel after-parties. And over the years, I never really posted anything on Instagram or any other social media platforms.

I was deeply mistaken. Over the last 2 years, I fully grasped the importance not only of my offline networking and business but also of who am I and what is known about me online. Here are my five insights that helped me break free from this trap, and even consider myself as an influencer now.

My awareness regarding social networks and being an influencer began two years after moving abroad. Throughout my conscious life, I built my career and networked in one place. My address book was filled with local contacts. A significant portion of these connections I acquired during my studies and early years of working. Most of my clients came to me through word of mouth. But how should I accumulate social capital now? Here was my plan:

• Choose the top 3 most popular social networks in country/market
• Post regularly
• Be authentic

I joined Zalo — one of Vietnam’s most popular social networks. I started communicating with neighbors, joining groups, and telling about myself. I returned to Facebook after many years and made my first post: “I’m now in Hanoi!” Gradually, I began to learn about the local culture. I was so fascinated that I simply wanted to share it. I started making posts about startups and businesses in Vietnam, using hashtags, and people began adding me as friends. I started learning Vietnamese, and my wife documented it on Instagram. Step by step, I built my media presence, understood my uniqueness, and why people found it interesting to follow me. And it wasn’t in vain:

76% of investors say they are more likely to invest in an entrepreneur with a strong social media presence.

Only 20% of CEOs and top managers are active on social media, making it a valuable opportunity for entrepreneurs to stand out in their industries.

80% of job seekers are more likely to apply to a company where the CEO is active on social media and shares the company’s mission and values.

Over time, we formed a company of expat friends who had recently moved here, and soon the first business contacts emerged. Now I know people from local startup accelerators, digital agencies, and even clothing manufacturers. Much of this became possible thanks to the slow but right steps I took two years ago to develop my social networks.

Among brands, it’s common to complain about how challenging it is to find good influencers. Creators often disappear, fail to respond to emails, miss deadlines, and do not adhere to technical requirements. There’s a genuine shortage of fresh faces! Everyone works with the same large influencers and is eager to find cool individuals willing to genuinely invest in content. Until now, I had only worked with brands, so I knew only one side of the coin.

But it turns out creators also struggle in this communication, just like thousands of marketers worldwide. The vast majority of creators (98%!) earn less than $1,000 per year. Good brand deals are almost out of reach for them. Moreover, creators often hesitate to directly engage with brands because they feel they aren’t big/cool/famous enough. But how does it really work?

• Micro-influencers have three times higher Engagement Rates (ER) than large bloggers, making them favorites among many brands.
• Micro-influencers typically charge significantly less for sponsored posts than macro influencers or celebrities, leading to a higher ROI for the brand.
• Micro-influencers often have highly specific niches, allowing brands to target a very relevant and engaged audience.

Now as I have 1,500 followers on my LinkedIn I regularly receive collaboration requests from small businesses and startups. I don’t plan on becoming a full-time creator and solely supporting myself through content creation, but occasional collaborations with brands I love and trust can certainly be a pleasant additional source of income. And believe me, this is a significant contribution to digital marketing. If you manage a truly fantastic professional blog, brands will eagerly grab the opportunity to work with you.

As a content marketing lover and advocate for building long-term relationships with the audience, I never understood the pursuit of amassing millions of followers. However, years of work in the agency business made me doubt my convictions. It’s hard not to when a single post can earn you the average monthly salary of a C-level manager!

Fortunately, recent trends have brought us back to the true purpose of social media: gathering like-minded individuals around us, rather than faceless subscriber numbers. In an era of information overload and algorithmic feeds, it’s not the size of your following that matters most; it’s the quality of interactions within your community. Meaningful conversations, shared experiences, and mutual support create content that resonates and cuts through the digital noise.

Communities help you find jobs, launch new projects, get investments, and even just find company for the weekend. And brands understand this too:

88% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand if they have a positive experience with the brand community.

A 5% increase in customer retention can increase a company’s profitability by 75%, and communities play a role in building customer loyalty.

Communities provide valuable data and insights, with 77% of brands using data from communities to inform business decisions.

Brands may not be able to speak for themselves, but they can communicate with their audience through real people — including creators and ambassadors. A community can be as few as 50 people with whom you play the same video game or discuss a new episode of a series. Or it could be your 10 college buddies with whom you go hiking once a season and run a shared Twitter account. Surprisingly often, we underestimate this resource, thinking that the value lies in followers, but that’s not the case. And it’s true for brands as well.

I know hundreds of unique professionals and specialists in my field who struggle with imposter syndrome. It’s a real plague of our generation. For years, I, too, believed that I didn’t possess any extraordinarily unique experiences worth sharing with the world. I didn’t sell a company to Google. I didn’t create the fastest-growing startup in the industry.

You might wonder why this stopped me from being active on social media? Well, I asked myself the same question, and then I delved into the top-viewed videos on YouTube and saw thousands of similar videos like “What’s in My Bag” and “A Day in the Life of an SMM Manager.” Oh, dear!

Yes, I didn’t sell a company to Google, but I completed a successful M&A deal after six years of running my business. Yes, I didn’t create the fastest-growing startup in the industry, but I established the largest player in my market within my region. But I made daily strategic decisions to develop myself as a professional, my team, and my business. And this was only possible because of my, in its own way, unique perspective that is worth sharing. I reinforced my budding confidence with statistics and was delighted to find:

92% of consumers trust peer recommendations more than any other type of advertising, highlighting the importance of authenticity in influencer marketing.

87% of employees and executives believe that a strong online professional presence enhances their career opportunities and overall professional authenticity.

45% of professionals say that social media has helped them build relationships with key stakeholders in their industry.

I know many need specific data to take the first step, so I hope it will help. It seems like a great resume will easily get you a job, and maintaining a blog won’t bring you closer to achieving your ambitions, and you’re not particularly unique anyway. Then just open Instagram and see how dozens of look-alike models are advertising the same bags. Close it and go write your first post, forgetting about fear.

I’m used to evaluating my actions and decisions in terms of the values I bring to this world. It can be said it’s a part of my authenticity. It’s my guiding light, both in business and in my personal life. Will this decision bring something beyond money? Will it make at least one person around me better? Is there something more I can do to reach a larger audience and help them solve their problems?

I used to think that real change was only possible through billion-dollar investments and the strategic support of NGOs, and that only large media outlets could truly raise awareness about social issues. That was until I stumbled upon TikTok, where thousands of young people were sounding the alarm about fires in Australia, domestic violence, and Black Lives Matter. It was a real force. They organized fundraisers, provided each other with psychological support, and supported NGO initiatives. None of them had millions of followers, but they all had a tremendous impact on their small communities. And they became a driver of positive change.

For me, this is a long journey that lies ahead. With the mindset of an entrepreneur and investor, I took the first step — I am now developing the Squad.App platform, which helps make influencer marketing transparent and accessible to creators, brands, and NGOs worldwide. Today, I urge everyone to see social media as a tool that can truly change not only your reality but the world around you. I’ve witnessed it myself, and now I want to help others in this endeavor.