Shrewd marketing departments of major global conglomerates have employed social media influencers to increase market share, grow their brand beyond their traditional consumer base, and to increase customer loyalty. Presenting options for remote workers pursuing work as social media influencers in the creator economy is the purpose of this article.
Related articles of interest:
Social media influencers WFH followers by platform
PR Newswire indicates that social media influencer have humongous followership bases by online platform. For instance:
- Boomers most often frequently follow influencers posting to Facebook,
- Gen Z are most likely to follow social media influencers posting to YouTube, TikTok and Instagram
4 marketable attributes of social media influencers working from home
There are four marketable attributes of social media influencers working from home. Corporate marketers consider four traits highly valuable. Social medial influencers work from home can take advantage as they maintain a professional video production facility in their homes and are independent contractors working from a remote home base. Research shows that businesses make sound business decisions to contract with home-based influencers for these reasons. Social media influencers were perceived by their ‘tribe’ to hold:
- similar language and colloquiums (street, slang, rural, inner-city, suburban), and
- comparable interests, hobbies, role models, jobs and profession,
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In addition to these attributes making social media influencers more relatable to the targeted market of the corporate marketers, influencers were considered valuable as they:
- make frequent posts to social media,
- make personal disclosures that resonate with their audience.
Use of influencers WFH differs from old marketing methods using celebrities
This method of customer engagement differs significantly from the old marketing strategy where a famous celebrity was hired through a professional agent to represent a service or product on behalf of a company. The celebrity holds status because he/she is not like their audience. The superstar often can’t relate to real world problems. The famous actor, singer or entertainer looks fabulous 24/7, has perfect veneers, hair and body shape. They are held high above all others because they are perceived to be perfect. Not regular. And certainly not imperfect.
Think about it for a second. Why do we collect celebrity autographs? Wikipedia defines autograph collecting of famous people as a hobby. The signature of a powerful person conveys value.
Rejection of celebrity elitism rejected versus ready adoption of influencers
The notation of elitism is rejected in this instance by the masses. The signatures of a powerful person hold value and status. Brandes Autograph researched the rituals of affixing signatures to important documents and determined thusly, hundreds of years ago during the time of city-state empires, in Europe, particularly there were just a handful of elites who wielded all of the power. The common person couldn’t read or write. They were illiterate and uneducated. “Signatures were reserved for the ruling classes, and as such, they were powerful symbols by their very nature. Kings, Queens, Lords and Ladies had the power to:
- Convey land ownership,
- Send armies to war,
- Condemn enemies,
- Silence dissidents,
- Pardon the unlawful, and
- Unilaterally decide guilt or innocence.
Man, have we come a very long way. Civilized governorship (as well as marketing world) has come full circle. In the past we had just the A Listers, now even reality tv stars on the C List and D List can be hired to influence others. Heck, nowadays you don’t even need to be on an agency’s list.
Nor do we need to be contracted with the three to 5 movie houses to earn a dollar. Now there are hundreds independent movie studios, tv stations and channels in the thousands, infinite numbers of radio stations. Entertainers and influencer can roll the dice and make their very own tribe. Independent of anyone else. Which brings us to our next point.
Boom of creator economy poses opportunities for remote work
Experts are promoting ‘build your professional brand’ as a way to increase your earnings power. Use online social media platforms to “show your worth.”
Have you been given this advice, “post on social media platforms (Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Telegram, Facebook, Twitter) to build your brand? In the September 30, 2023 issue of Financial Times, a columnist pointed out that the process of gaining online influence can happen in the matter of a few seconds where a post goes viral and “capitalized on by those who seize the moment” (Attention-Seekers, FT Weekend, page 9).
Perhaps you have been counseled to build your follower base using social media. Or you have been advised to grow your tribe. Be careful. We offer words of advice. There may be a stark difference between increasing your financial net worth through what is considered socially and professionally appropriate content versus quickly making bank with exploitative content.
When you’re adding to your financial coffers, you have to make your choice wisely. With increased freedoms and expanded opportunities there is also the potential for much danger.
Option 1: Remote entrepreneurs branding with professional content
MBO Partners projects that the creator economy makes available a lot of cash on the table. To the tune of almost $1 Trillion dollars ($480 billion to be exact). There is money to be made when building your own tribe or creating your very own professional and personal brand. But there is a blurring of the concepts.
Option 1
- Using social media to build your professional brand
- describe knowledge of the industry,
- demonstrate specific tasks and functions of a job where you hold expertise,
- explain highly technical concepts with ease, and
- host podcasts to interview experts making complex concepts easier to understand.
This is in contrast to:
Option 2: Social influencers use sensationalism with clickbait
Option 2
- Using social media to increase followership
- post sensational/erotic/polarizing content for clickbait,
- post memes, gimmicks and pranks on unaware victims,
- post violent, criminal and inhumane acts, and
- post untrue information baiting audience to dispute.
So for anyone on the remote job search for social media influencer remote work using the creator economy, we ask that you use extreme caution. Which track will you take? Option 1 or Option 2? Why? Business Insider estimates there are about two to 3 million content creators who post to subscription sites like OnlyFans for financial gain. Consider Option 2 at your peril. For instance, Canadian companies were surveyed. Eighty-six percent (86%) of the respondents reported they would “fire employees for inappropriate social media posts.”
