Opportunities and risks of an online business
A life like a fairy tale: Life as an influencer seems like the story of Cinderella, where you get your big break overnight.
Instead of a conventional 9-to-5 job, you pursue other activities as an influencer or "opinion maker."
You jet around the world, stay in pompous hotels, get designer clothes in abundance and all that for free. At least that's how it seems...
But what's the truth about the life as an influencer?
"Little tree, little tree, shake over me, That silver and gold may come down and cover me."
Becoming an influencer has long ceased to be a myth and is anything but unrealistic. Influencers are nothing more than advertisers who shape the opinions of their community in social media with their contributions via blogs, professional articles, videos, tweets or social media posts. Through collaborations with companies, they serve as today's mouthpiece and modern advertising face.
As a user, I follow the activities of the influencer and have the feeling that I know the "Cinderella" personally. The advertising figure enjoys a great deal of trust; after all, she was once "one of us". One who had to pick lenses from the ashes and do hard work day after day. Until gold and silver came down on her...
Even if the story of Cinderella may be somewhat exaggerated, there is a lot of money in Internet commerce, and large companies pay well for influencer marketing.
Online retail seems like the much desired glass slipper and perfect counterpart to the influencer. According to recent studies, more than half of the world's Internet users between the ages of 16 and 24 use social media to research brands. In 2019, 30 percent of U.S. internet users alone said they bought something on social media. And that's a rising trend.
Why I started:
Cost advantage. Besides glamour and fame, there are of course other advantages for an influencer. At the beginning, there are hardly any (investment) costs. You can build up your own business as a time-consuming hobby on the side. You work online from home, and you don't have to pay for space or rent. Many tools and marketing programs are free or inexpensive. A good smartphone or camera is enough for the first posts at the beginning.
Creativity. You can finally develop freely & show yourself to the world. Moni can finally show off her baking affinity and Tim always wanted to prove how exciting watercolors can be. For me, this fact was one of the main reasons why I started blogging. I wanted to show off my recipes and motivate people to live a healthier lifestyle.
Why I hesitate to continue:
Risk. The advertising profession is a new one, and no one knows what's next or how sustainable such a business is. Maybe Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram & Co will have another total breakdown like last time on October 4 - only this time it will be permanent. Or maybe one will be blocked and then. Well, and then there's a really big gap. My Instagram account was blocked overnight: "Violation of the terms of use," they said. They couldn't give me any more specific information. Communication with customer support was slow, via anonymous mail traffic. I had to identify myself by code and picture. A nightmare in the life of every influencer. You stop existing in the online world and your business is over for the time being.
My Instagram account was blocked overnight. A nightmare in the life of every influencer. You stop existing in the online world.
Time effort. That's after all the hours of hard work. The longed-for overnight success only works in very few cases and it takes a lot of time and patience to become an influencer. You have to keep your followers in line and constantly entertain them. Those who don't deliver will be punished. An "unfollow" follows in a world where attention is the new currency.
Money. Speaking of currency: If you're dreaming of quick money, you should set up a Plan B income plan, especially in the early stages. How much you earn per post as an influencer depends on the number of followers, the number of posts shared, the target group and reach. Under 2,000 followers online is still often like bartering. A free product is given in exchange for a free promotional post. (Attention dear Influencer: Do not forget to pay tax!) Only from 4,000 followers usually follow smaller to medium sums of money and then - from 10,000 followers - the jumps can already buckle up quite far. There is actually no upper limit for a sponsored advertising post.
My conclusion: The life as an influencer seems like the perfect Cinderella story. However, as a professional advertiser, you are nothing more than a self-employed person, just like anyone else. As an influencer, you need entrepreneurial and innovative thinking, negotiating skills and agility to keep up in the complex and fast-moving online world.
The best way to diversify the risk of being dependent on one type of social media platform is to generate different types of income.
To be quite honest I still don't want to give up my life as an influencer. I have understood that I can inspire and motivate people. The fact that people listen to me, follow my recipes and thereby adopt a healthier diet is almost unbelievable and one of the reasons why I like to wake up in the morning.