(Part deux of Debunking The Myth That Size Matters)
If you missed part one yesterday you’re forgiven, but you’re gonna want to read it so it’s right here.
The problem with social media “influencers” (I use that term loosely) is they expect to get things for free from small business owners in return for giving them “exposure” on social media. And there are tons of scammers out there masquerading as influencers.
When my book Stadium Status launched I was approached by influencers asking for a free copy in return for “exposure” aka a selfie with the book on their instascam err Instagram. My standard response to this was and continues to be
“Sorry I don’t think my bank accepts influencer selfies as a form of mortgage payment.”
Why? Because exposure doesn’t directly translate to revenue. Especially not with influencers and they don’t get it.
But you know who does?
Joe Nicchi gets it.
Joe owns an ice cream truck in Los Angeles and he’s fighting back against influencers.
He recently went viral after posting an Influencers Pay Double sign on his truck with the caption:
“We truly don’t care if you’re an influencer, or how many followers you have. We will never give you a free ice cream in exchange for a post on your social media page. It’s literally a $4 item…well now it’s $8 for you.”
Turns out that while being an influencer might not be profitable, telling them to go away can be highly profitable.
In an interview with TheGuardian.com Joe Nicchi called himself the “anti-influencer influencer”. And said:
“It’s weird … but I think it’s really fun. I hope it inspires small businesses to hold their own and tell people to fuck off.”
He offered to let the publication try his ice cream under one condition; that the reporter actually pay for the cone.
I don’t know Joe personally but I love the guy’s chutzpah and creativity.
Since posting the sign he’s gotten news coverage and interview requests from all over the world. And the best part, is the type of “exposure” his sign created literally doubled his number of customers overnight.
Why am I on this soap box? I’m glad you asked…
Because we’ve reached a point in society where we allow online comments, reviews and “likes” to carry WAY too much weight. (Especially when a lot of them prove to be fake.) And far too many people “chase likes, shares and five-star reviews” as opposed to real genuine engagement.
Whatever happened to just supporting a business because the product or service is outstanding. Go ahead, call me old school but other experts agree with me.
To quote my colleague Joshua Earl:
“Rather than chasing massive audience growth and hundreds of thousands of subscribers, here’s a better option:
- Focus on relationships, not numbers.
- Look for ways to go deeper with your email list and customers, rather than obsessing over “scale.”
- Structure your offers to cater to the small group of hyper-responsive customers you’ll attract.
- True influence comes through trust, and the foundation of trust is relationships.”
If you’ve been on my email list any length of time, you’ve seen me walk my talk. I’ve gone deeper with you over the past six months by writing to you daily instead of weekly, offering you my books and other resources to help you lead better and grow your business. As well as opportunities to learn from expert colleagues of mine.
If you’re reading this, you’re my small group of hyper-responsive customers that Josh speaks of. And I thank you.
Speaking of kick ass expert colleagues of mine, I encourage you to check out Josh Earl’s work. He’s a world-class author, copywriter and email marketer. (Plus he’s from Pittsburgh which makes him at least a good 15% cooler than most.)