Don’t discount your own social influence

Don’t discount your own social influence

A few months ago, in that mid-pandemic, I-desperately-need-a-new-hobby panic, one of our team members decided she was going to learn to paint her nails. 

For months, she had seen friends and strangers posting on Instagram about this new at-home manicure brand, Olive&June. They weren’t ads—they were recommendations from people she respected and had chosen to follow. She was sold.

A week later, she was the owner of a new manicure kit and posting on her own social media about nail polish—telling her own friends about the merits of the brand. (And this, my friend, is why people pay big bucks to social media influencers…)

We love what our friends love. 

We are influenced by their nail polish choices. We choose to eat what other people say is delicious. And when a friend champions a cause, we’re way more likely to care about it, too. 

This is what makes peer-to-peer fundraising powerful. And this is why word-of-mouth promotion is still magic. 

Lean into your own social influence.

Whether you have thousands of social media followers or simply a few close friends, people are listening to you. They are looking to you for advice, ideas, and recommendations. 

So talk about what makes you excited!  Tell your friends what is inspiring you or blowing your mind or saving your life right now. And ask them to tell you what they think is awesome, too.