Influencers can be many things: Inspirational, motivational, aspirational, educational, spiritual, relatable, not relatable, and, Lord knows… annoying. You know what I’m talking about.
Look, if you’re reading this blog on your phone (and there’s a good chance you are as more than 1/2 of Google’s 100 billion monthly searches come from mobile devices), then I’m guessing you’re on Social Media. Specifically, Instagram.
And if you’re on IG, then you’ve experienced your fair share of cringe-inducing accounts.
So, in sharing 5 ways Influencers can be annoying, let’s hope we’ll experience less of some of this behavior.
1) Influencers who don’t admit what they don’t know.
More “experts” should acknowledge they don’t have all the answers. It’s okay to not know. In fact, it’s empowering to know that you don’t know because when you know that you don’t know, you have to do more research. That, right there, is an opportunity for learning, growth, and experimentation. And, not to mention, to better yourself.
Admitting that you don’t know something is tough to do at times, especially if you’re an entrepreneur — trying to build a business or a following. That said, when you do come clean, it builds integrity.
We often think that we’ll lose credibility for not knowing the answer to a question, but we’re actually way more likely to lose credibility if we give an incorrect answer, a false answer, an incomplete answer, or if we just ignore the person altogether.
In this day and age of the digital world, humans respect honesty more than ever!
2) Influencers who don’t say, “I had help.”
Many leaders online like to think of themselves as people who solely got to where they are because of their own hard work, grit, and tenacity. And sure, a lot was achieved because of those traits, but, let’s be honest, everyone has had some help along the way. There isn’t one social media star out in the world who didn’t catch a break or two, had a mentor pour into them, and/or have teachers who guided them in their journey, etc. To not admit, as such, is just plain old disappointing, disingenuous, and, yeah… annoying.
3) Influencers who don’t acknowledge their imperfections.
Can someone with millions of followers please just utter, “I’m not as perfect as I seem”?
The thing is, more and more, people want authenticity on social. We want vulnerability and to see the real you. And so to even strive to be perfect — or portray perfection — is wasted energy. Hence, there’s no point in wasting any time wishing you were as pretty, as smart, as talented, as gifted as anyone you see while scrolling. No one’s as awesome as they appear on social media.
Stop the comparison game because comparison is the thief of joy. When you focus on other people’s grass looking greener, you forget to water your own.
4) Influencers who don’t shout out their struggles.
How nice would it be to hear your fave Instagrammer or YouTuber say they struggle with:
- What content to post
- Wondering what their followers will like
- Imposter syndrome
- Consistency
- Self-doubt
We all struggle. And sharing those struggles is a great way to create empathy and trust. Not to mention, build likability.
To have your followers not just follow you, but become customers and lifers, it’s imperative to admit that/when you struggle.
For the 5th (PLUS a bonus!) annoying thing, you’re going to want to check out this Build Your Tribe podcast:
And if you’re looking for weekly social media hacks to take you to the next level, then make sure you’re subbed to BYT!
