In this episode of Direct with Corrina & Taylor, our hosts, Corrina Owens and Taylor Young, discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of micro-influencing.
Inspired by the listener’s question, Corrina and Taylor share what being a micro-influencer has brought them, providing valuable advice to those interested in pursuing this much-needed occupation in the B2B space.
Tune in to get inspired and learn from their insights!
Connect with Direct’s hosts Corrina & Taylor on LinkedIn
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Key Insights
Micro-Influencers Thrive on Engagement Over Follower Count
Micro-influencers in the B2B space thrive not by amassing a large follower count but by cultivating meaningful engagement with their audience. Companies should focus on whether the influencer’s audience fits their target customer profile (ICP) and engages actively with content. Successful micro-influencers respond to comments and foster a community that interacts with their posts. This engagement makes them valuable to brands, regardless of their total number of followers.
Leveraging Testimonials and Guest Speaking for Brand Building
Leveraging customer testimonials and guest speaking opportunities provides a soft entry point into the world of micro-influencing. These activities allow individuals to discover their unique voice and gain experience in public speaking and content creation. Engaging in such opportunities helps people test their comfort levels with activities like webinars, video content, and frequent social media posting. These initial steps are often unpaid but valuable for building confidence and establishing a personal brand. They also offer brands a way to test the effectiveness of using influencers to generate awareness and drive traffic.
Transparency and Clear Communication Prevent Workplace Friction
Transparency and clear communication are crucial for individuals balancing a full-time job and micro-influencing activities. Documenting all approvals and maintaining open lines of communication with employers can prevent potential conflicts. It’s essential to align personal branding efforts with company policies and ensure that all activities are visible to relevant stakeholders. This proactive approach helps mitigate any perceptions of divided loyalty or lack of commitment. By being upfront about external engagements and consistently communicating their day-to-day contributions, individuals can maintain trust and harmony within their workplace.
Episode Highlights
The Initial Steps into Micro-Influencing
Corrina explains how individuals can start their journey into micro-influencing by leveraging customer testimonials and guest speaking opportunities. These activities help individuals discover their unique voices and test their comfort with public engagements, such as webinars and social media posts. These initial steps provide valuable experience and exposure, benefiting the individual and the brand.
“There’s a lot of ways that people can think about getting started that may not be so apparently obvious, but a lot of brands and companies, of course, are leveraging their customers for testimonials, guest speaking experiences. That’s a great way to test the waters, as far as: What would it be like to work with a brand outside of my day-to-day nine-to-five, W2 job?”
The Dual Benefits of Case Studies and Speaking Engagements
Taylor and Corrina discuss the mutual benefits of participating in case studies and speaking engagements. These activities help individuals build their brands, gain confidence, and provide companies with authentic testimonials and endorsements from satisfied customers. This quid pro quo relationship benefits both parties, enhancing the individual’s visibility and credibility while providing the company with genuine, relatable marketing content.
“Both of us have started in that arena where there is a company that you work with in your day-to-day that you’re having some success with. They invite you to do a case study. This is a fantastic quid pro quo because it helps you if you want to build a personal brand in order to become some type of influencer, if you want to get more subject matter expert speaking engagements. But it also very much benefits the brand, and those brands are chomping at the bit to get people to speak highly of them or speak on their behalf.”
Navigating Workplace Dynamics as a Micro-Influencer
Navigating workplace dynamics can be challenging for micro-influencers. The hosts discuss the potential friction that can arise from colleagues who might feel resentful of their public visibility and external engagements. They emphasize the importance of transparency and clear communication with employers to mitigate such issues. Individuals can maintain trust and harmony in their workplace by documenting approvals and aligning personal branding efforts with company policies.
“Internally, sometimes at the job that you’re at right now, there can be a little bit of strife; who does she think she is that she’s going on these speaking engagements or talking about this or even, this level of, I don’t want to call it jealousy, but this frustration or friction in why does she get to do that. That is something that people are not talking about.”
The Entrepreneurial Mindset of Influencers
Influencers often develop an entrepreneurial mindset as they navigate their roles. The hosts highlight the opportunities and challenges in the B2B influencer space, noting the need for industry consistency in pricing and best practices. Despite these challenges, influencers’ personal connection and authenticity present significant opportunities for growth and impact.
“So many people like you and I have been told that we have a very entrepreneurial mindset and so do influencers. So I think that when you’re becoming an influencer, you’re starting to be your own representative. There’s a lot of skills you gain from doing this consistently on your own that set you well up to potentially go out on your own or partner with other consultancies on a much bigger scale than maybe just a short influencer campaign.”
