The Art Of Online PR and Influence

Welcome to the Influence economy, where digital marketing and savvy social media skills come …

If you ask the average person what an influencer is, they might describe a woman on Instagram posting photos in a bikini, holding a weight loss product and encouraging her followers to purchase it.  Several surveys conducted of young people around the world have stated that “Influencer” is one of the most desired career options that children and teens around the world aspire to pursue.  Although making videos for social media and posting them in hopes of getting sponsorships might seem appealing to many because of the ability to generate fast money and a lot of attention, many entrepreneurs are proving that there is more than one way to be an influencer.

Some of the biggest influencers in the world do not necessarily have to have millions of followers on social media to make a tremendous impact on their industries.  From encouraging people to pursue the life of their dreams, to influencing industries to operate more efficiently or more ethically, or even helping and encouraging people to tell their stories, many forward thinking entrepreneurs are proving there is no single answer to what it means to be an influencer.  Although some of them accumulate large followings along the way, here are some of the rising stars in business who do not measure their influence with likes, comments and shares, but rather by how much impact they can make on the most people around the globe.

Grant Cardone – Cardone Capital

“I’m not an influencer, I’m a businessman!” says Grant Cardone, a New York Times bestselling author and one of the top sales trainers in the world.  Grant found success promoting his ideas on social media about how to be successful. He is now internationally renowned as an expert on leadership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, social media, and finance. Forbes named Grant Cardone #1 of the “25 Marketing Influencers to Watch in 2017” and he has since garnered millions of fans and followers around the globe.

Grant’s ability to share his views on the economy, the middle class, and business have made him popular among many people who want more from their lives and do not have a blueprint on how to get there. Grant urges his followers and clients to make success their duty, responsibility, and obligation. Grant has turned his social media influence into real world influence by creating a way for investors to partner with him to generate residual income through real estate.

Mark Jeffries–FamousInfluencer.com

“Influence in B2B is all about quality, not quantity like in B2C. It does not require you to have 20 million followers, it just requires you to have the right 20 followers.  A strong record of success in your specific field will keep you top of mind when your subject matter comes up with a thought leader in the industry network you are trying to ascend into. They refer you because they trust your company will help their client’s specific needs, which will elevate them.

“At FamousInfluencer.com, we are using Influencers to get in touch with new customers for the first time. We have found this a successful way to help companies to be authentic, gain popularity, and increase sales

“Influence to me is being able to control what someone sees about you – which then leads to you being able to control what they think about you. So PR is organized truth. We use it in our marketing to close the gap between a prospect not knowing us, to knowing, liking and trusting us based on what we want them to see about us” says Mark Jeffries, Head of Partnerships at  PR firm FamousInfluencer.com that manages publicity for Influencers & a few clients worth over $100m.

FamousInfluencer.com helps influencers amplify what they are currently doing to maximize their current traction channels through PR.  In a digital world, those who truly have something to share have an incredible opportunity to leverage the value they can offer to become influencers in their industry.  With endless channels, platforms, and audiences, it is easier than ever to become an influencer, especially to a niche audience.

Gary Vaynerchuk – VaynerMedia

Rising to niche prominence as a wine YouTuber, Vaynerchuk was part of the first group of innovators who made the realization that the internet would expand to include far more than blogs and news sites. More than ten years ago, he and his brother launched VaynerMedia, a digital agency for some prominent brands.

They targeted businesses who were well funded with big budgets, but who were still yet to wrap their heads around how to transition their marketing away from traditional platforms like television, radio and magazines and move over to where audiences had moved to.  Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat had, and continue to take over, which has created an ongoing need for brands to stay on the cutting edge of new strategies to influence their customers.

“At this point, we all know that I’m no stranger to the concept of influencer marketing. I’m hot on it. I do it, my clients do it, and I even represent people who do it. Gary, how do I become an influencer? The really funny first answer is that you have to have talent.

The next funny answer is that you have to put in a ton of work.” – Gary Vee.