In an era where going viral is seen as the ticket to fame, clout, wealth and success, those who wish for the latter but don't care about the former often feel a sense of dismay owing to the fact that they may be missing out on growth opportunities big- time. But you can build influence without shouting from the rooftop in an attempt to go viral.
As a matter of fact, sudden and intermittent virality is no guarantor of your ability to influence people as a content creator. Rather, slow and steady outreach is a better strategy, and you would do well to abide by the tortoise and the hare fable.
Let your expertise shine through
As AI becomes increasingly all-pervasive, it is not gimmickry and your ability to make noise and attract attention that will stand you in good stead, but your proven expertise. This is what will help you build a rock solid reputation over time affording you the opportunity to monetise your skill. Somebody like Christopher Nolan lets the sheer quality of his motion picture creations cement his reputation as one of the greatest cinematic creators of all time. It is not VFX generated special effects or super budgets that define his abilities, but raw film making ability honed over years that marks him out as the genius that he is. This has not surprisingly resulted in spectacular box office earnings for his latest masterpiece, The Odyssey, which have already crossed $1.5 billion globally.
You don’t have to be an influencer to bear influence
We seem to be living in the age of influencers of all shapes and sizes. The internet has democratised the playing field for would-be celebrities and influencers, and that is a good thing too. However, not everyone is willing to, or indeed inclined to, be a bona fide influencer, yet want to bear influence on a target audience that is relevant to them.
The good news for them is the fact that there is much more to bearing influence than hordes of followers and the ability to create viral posts. Your conduct can help you influence others. Gandhi and Mandela influenced millions simply by the way they lived their life. Their lives truly became their message. If you are someone with unimpeachable character and are able to provide or add value to peoples’ lives in a substantial manner, you will definitely make an impact and, therefore, bear considerable influence over them. You don’t need social media to validate your ability to bear influence- you need to possess the ability to add positive value to people’s lives.
Understand what influence is
Influence is not defined by your ability to go viral. It is also not about being present everywhere and collecting as many followers as you can. If you have clarity of thought and a clearly defined vision which you articulate on a consistent basis, you will leave a mark. You will not merely be popular; you will be looked up to. You will be able to build a bridgehead of trust to your people. The popularity of newsletters and their growing viability as a means of creating a regular income stream is a testament to the powerful, slow and steady, willful and mindful outreach and engagement.
You don’t have to work on cultivating star charisma to become a thought leader and influencer in a certain genre of expertise. What you need to do is to display your expertise and the value you bring to the table to win you over the admiration and support of people who are ready to swear by you. Elon Musk didn’t become the innovator and entrepreneur par excellence on account of his movie star looks. He achieved celebrity status and even bought social media giant Twitter by showing the world what he was actually capable of. The electric car revolution that we are witnessing around the world or the increasing participation of the private sector in sending satellites and people to space, is all on account of his pioneering vision. Today he may be a rock star influencer, but that is not how his journey began or what he is about.
You can build influence by virtue of what you bring to the table in terms of what people value. Going viral is not a necessary step in that process.
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