10 Reasons I am not an influencer

So... over the past few years there have been some buzzwords that marketing executives seem to be obsessed with. It began with blog, moved on to millennial and for some time now everyone and their mother wants to be an influencer. Let's start with the basics, what is an "influencer" what does this even mean. Well, the word influence means (n) the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something or the effect itself; (v) have an influence on. An influencer is defined as a person or thing that influences another; (marketing) a person with the ability to influence potential buyers or a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media. So there you have it. Many celebrities have been known to utilize their popularity and influence to encourage others to make purchases or to broaden awareness of a product, brand or event. Thus influencer marketing was born. 

So, why am I writing a blog about this topic and why do I consider myself not to be an influencer? Well let me explain why:

1. Some might say I am a public figure. My past and current accolades have led me to where I am today... an entrepreneur, a writer, a television personality and producer, former news anchor, previous Miss Hawaii and etc... I am an expert in some fields, notably communication and marketing, especially social media as this is my profession, but I am not an expert at everything. What I share is simply my opinion and with that it should be taken as my perspective, my personal opinion and my experience. Not everything that I encounter will have the same impact on others. 
2. My friends and followers want authentic content. It seems less appealing when posts are meant to sell or advertise something. I have noticed that my friends appreciate when the content is sincere, from the heart and not sales-driven. I notice that those promotional posts don't do as well as real, unsponsored and truthful posts. Granted when someone sent me a product or gave me something to try I was truthful about it and etc. But it just seems so forced and insincere from an outsider looking in perspective. 
3. I receive inquiries from around the world daily asking if they can send me product or have me review something and post about it. These pitches are very one-sided, they want me to promote their product. But they don't promote me and my values or beliefs. Yes, i will receive a package in the mail with some stuff in it, but it really only benefits the product to be shared and seen by more people. 
4. I've done the paid promotion thing and it doesn't work. I had an agreement with a company to receive product, post about it and I would get paid for it... well guess what? I never received payment. And on top of all that you create all this content... photos, videos, posts and etc and 90% of the time you are the only one posting it. The other side -- the business, location or the product doesn't share it or repost it, so you don't get any promotion on their end. And later, I've even seen my images and my posts/content created for the product and it is magically posted on their pages with no credit given. 
5. It takes a lot of effort to create content as an influencer. First and foremost you need to brainstorm what you will shoot and produce, then put on makeup, do my hair, pick-out the outfit and drive down there.  Then record videos and bring along another photographer to take pictures and videos, then edit the videos and come up with the date to post, the time and what to say. It's exhausting right? On top of that you often have to have the posts pre-approved and caption approved and then execute the post and then report the analytics of said post. How did it do, how many people saw it, how many people did it reach. One little post on a page takes days of time and effort to create and execute. This is so time consuming. 
6. Now the dreaded question... what if you don't like the product? Well you are invested and committed and are now somewhat responsible for promoting it. If it is junk... then your credibility is compromised. Unfortunately your face and name are now associated with that product since you endorsed and advocated for it. If you are in the midst of trying it out and don't like it you could always say it isn't for you and then not post about it. But it truly does make for awkwardness, because of the implied responsibility discussed prior. 
7. What I do and what I experience is not meant to encourage or influence others to do it too. If anything I do want to engage with others and share with them my story with the hope that it will inspire and motivate them. But I do not want to live this life hoping that people do exactly what I do or buy exactly what i buy. That just doesn't make any sense. 
8. I am not in it for the money. I started showcasing local eateries on my IG where I would anonymously purchase food and eat it then talk about it how delicious it was on camera for Tasty Tuesday. I would purchase the food and show up on my own with a face mask on and receive no special treatment. I did this because I wanted to support local businesses and also to share interesting foodie tid bits and finds with others. I was spending money and going out of my way to showcase these places, so obviously I am not in it for the money.
9. I don't want to be locked in, obligated or forced to do anything. This is why I am my own boss and I make my own schedule. When it comes to having to allow for things to be approved or consent given beforehand I get a little sharp pain in my neck, because I am so used to doing my own thing and I don't care for people telling me what they think I should do, say or feel.
10. Lastly, I am not an influencer because I don't care about selling or influencing anything. I mainly care about being a good person, sharing positivity and also potentially inspiring others to take care of their mental and physical wellbeing. You don't need products, you don't need subscriptions and you don't need inauthentic social media to guide you in this life. I rather just hope that my posts, my story and my passions keep me happy and if along the way it makes others happy too - then that is just a bonus. 

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