The Power of an Influencer

I am always amused when people seem annoyed the celebrities are making money on Instagram and other social media platforms.  You hear people scoff when they are told about the large sums of money that they make for taking a picture holding a product.   “That’s ridiculous,” they say.  They just can’t believe that influencer marketing is worth that much on social.  But it is. People work hard to create and maintain an audience on social media.  And when they get it, they have the ability to really impact sales on a product, a cause, or an organization.  And I am not just talking about the Kardashians!   I had a cool experience recently with a person who I believe is a great influencer in the marketing space, Jeff Haden.  Jeff is a ghostwriter, a speaker, the author of the Motivation Myth (which I really liked) and a LinkedIn Influencer.  He has also been gracious enough to be a guest on Delivering Marketing Joy (watch here).   But what does he have to do with this?   Well recently I posted about my book Fan of Happy on LinkedIn.  I pointed out that it might be a good graduation gift.  It was a shameless plug.  But Jeff, who was kind enough to look at the book before I published it, was the very first person to comment on the post.  He left a kind and thoughtful comment about the book and recommended it.  It was a huge compliment to me. Then, because of Jeff’s influence, the post took off.  An average post on LinkedIn might have 1000 views.  Sure I have some with more and some with less.  But that’s an average.  What did this one get?   Now I think it’s important to note that Jeff did not share it.  He simply made a thoughtful comment and moved on with this day.  But by just doing that, he exposed me to a huge new audience…and for that I am grateful. So the next time you doubt the power of an influencer, think again.  Oh…and thanks Jeff! Make sure you never miss an update, sign up for our VIP newsletter here.  And if you want to shop for some great Promo, click here!

Written by: Kirby Hasseman

Kirby Hasseman is the CEO of Hasseman Marketing & Communications. Kirby hosts a weekly Web show called Delivering Marketing Joy where he interviews business leaders from around the country. Kirby has published four books. His most recent is “Fan of Happy.” His book, called "Delivering Marketing Joy" is about doing “promo right” and is perfect for people in the industry and customers. He also wrote “Think Big For Small Business” and “Give Your Way to Success. All are available on Amazon.