The seven best strategies of truly successful influencers in 2020

In October 2020 the Influencer Summit 2020 took place as an online event. The great Brendon Burchard (High-Performance Coach and great influencer himself) was the organizer and host of this event.
Numerous, super successful influencers, e.g. Jay Shetty, Jenna Kutcher, Dave Hollis or also Lewis Howes, to name only a few, passed on their knowledge to all interested parties.
They all come from very different backgrounds. While some of them rather increased their Youtube or Instagram presence, others are more likely to be big on Facebook or have a successful podcast (but after a while they are all on all social media channels of course).

At the time of publishing this article, some of the interviews can even be heard on Brendon Burchard’s latest podcast (Marketing & Influence Podcast) and that’s absolutely worth listening to!
But if you find this too tiring since it’s about material over 20 hours long, you’re welcome to read through my most important facts that I took with me from the summit and, if possible, apply them.

The following tips are applicable to all platforms!

For my article, I watched all four ‘Summit days’ and took notes during that time. Every spectator or listener makes his own notes of course because different things are relevant for each one, depending on which level (beginner, advanced or professional) he/ she is at.
However, I also believe that everyone can actually benefit from the things I write about here.

So is my first point. What is an influencer anyway?

Definition

Since the 2000s, influencers have been defined as persons who, due to their strong presence and their high reputation in social networks, are considered to be carriers of advertising and marketing (Source: Translated from Wikipedia – Germany).

As far as Wikipedia is concerned and according to this definition, many of us probably do not fall into this category.
Brendon Burchard takes the term much broader and, in my opinion, he is right with his kind of definition, namely:

Anyone who influences the decisions of others is an influencer. This means that we are all influencers and therefore all the statements I make here carry much more weight and relevance for all readers.

I thought about what the similarities were through all the interviews Brendon conducted with his guests. To be named by me now, the points I listed had to be mentioned in at least two interviews.
To make it even more understandable or pleasant for the reader, I have always formulated a suitable question in this article before the statements.

One last thing first. I am reproducing the points according to my understanding. My expression does not correspond to 100 percent of the original tone of the interviewed influencers. This is simply because I always combine several statements into one. If you want to understand a point more precisely, I recommend listening to the live interviews in the podcast again.

But now it is starting! Have fun!

1. How often should I produce?

Consistency is the magic word here!

This means, as you probably already thought, to create content regularly and with structure (i.e. with a plan behind it).
Once you have produced your content, use it in different ways. That means, for example, if you have produced a video, transcribe it. With this, you have created a blog article at the same time. Additionally, take short clips from the video for Instagram, etc.

2. What should I say/write etc.?

Convey valuable content, valuable for the viewer, listener, reader:

All influencers agreed on this topic as well. It is not about you, but about your counterpart. You help them with insights, advice, and knowledge to identify and solve their problems.
So ask your audience what they want to learn from you.

3. Which platform should I use? All, but at the beginning only ONE!

It is very good to use all platforms at the same time and this can be a goal of yours. But, if you are just getting started, pick a platform, one you love, and go ‘all in’ here. Focus on this one thing.

If you are already on several platforms or have different formats (e.g. blog and podcast), you can cross-link them. Talk about your blog in the podcast or refer to your podcast in the blog etc.

4. How do I best reach my audience?

The most important and therefore most often mentioned point is to be authentic.
You should not pretend to be real, but be as real as possible.
Further good advice on this from the Influencer Summit was:

• Do it with love, put your heart into your work!
• It is not the number of your followers that matters, but the depth of your relationship with them.
• Awaken a feeling in your audience.
  But also pay attention to your own state of mind! If you produce videos (or content in general), pay attention to be in a positive mood. Your audience can feel you!
  

5. How do I deal with haters?

About 10 percent of your following will not like what you do. Concentrate on the other 90 percent. Most likely the 10 percent will feel offended by you. You may have found a weakness in them.
But since they are not aware of it, they prefer to comment in a negative way. If they really hated your produced content, they would un-follow you!

6. How can I best imagine my audience?

Imagine one single person behind the camera or PC or smartphone and talk to that person specifically.

• Think about what your ideal viewer/listener/reader is like.
• How old is she/he?
• What does she/he want?
• Give her/ him a name etc.
  

7. How should I sell something?

At some point, you will want to sell something (provided that you strive to make money as an influencer).
Therefore, you must be convinced of your product. This will make it much easier for you to sell your product.

Do you know that buying your product will help the customer?
Does the customer feel better because of the product?
Will he be happier after buying the product?
Since you are convinced of your product, you will answer all three questions with ‘yes’.
And that’s why it’s important that as many customers as possible learn about your product and buy it. 
After all, this is how you improve their lives.

Also, always give 10 times more value than the customer expects based on the price. For example, if you sell an online course for 19 dollars, it should have a value of 190 dollars.
Think about which product you have already experienced this yourself.
This makes it easier for you to estimate the price of your product.

Here are a few more tips:

• Improve your copywriting and marketing.
• Write as if you wanted to sell your product to your aunt: First of all, you won’t want to sell her any crap and secondly, you’ll want to convince her of your product in a nice way.
• Plan for longer phases of advertising before your actual product launch. Talk/write about it more often. This phase can easily last a month.
• After the sale, continue to support and advise your buyers and don’t just leave them alone with your product.

General tips from almost all interviewed influencers:

• Just get started!
• Have the courage!
• In the beginning, you will not be perfect. You will get better by acting repeatedly (e.g. talking in front of the camera)!
• Read books! You might also be interested in my article about my best seven self-help books.
• Get a coach/ mentor!
• Consider your cash flow (rather for advanced professionals😊)!
• Think in advance about how you want to live. What should your lifestyle look like?
• What does success mean to you?
• Surround yourself with positive people!

I would like to end this article with the words of Jamie Kern Lima (L’Oréal):

Authenticity = Success? No!
Inauthenticity = Failure? Yes!

I wish you great success and influence!

Michael

I hope you were able to take valuable information from this article with you. Feel free to write a positive😊 comment and rate the article down below.
Thank you😊