Once solely the domain of big brands and well-known companies, what makes an ‘influencer’ has drastically changed over the past decade, and real estate agents wanting to be seen as an expert in their field need to have “the courage to do things differently”.
Speaking as part of Accelerate 2020, Julie Masters, the Chief Executive Officer of Influence Nation, says the definition of what an influencer is hasn’t changed, but how you become one has altered significantly.
“A definition I love is, ‘an individual or a company recognised as the authority in their field, whose insights are highly sought and rewarded; a trusted expert’,” she says.
“How do we become this? The rules have radically changed over the past 10 years.
“The digital world has changed how we influence and where we influence. What stands out now is what I would call ‘access’.
“We all have a platform now … I think at last count there were 52 social media platforms alone, not even counting CRMs or mail out systems.”
Julie says who we give our attention to has also changed a lot, with 96 per cent of all attention now living with humans, not brands.
The speed in which someone can become an influencer has also altered dramatically.
“You can now go from a nobody to a somebody in 180 characters or less in under 24 hours,” Julie says.
“You better be good when you get there, you better have a service worth purchasing, an idea worth listening to or a movement worth following.”
So how do you get there?
First, you have to recognise what influence is not.
Julie says it’s not years in the game or how many dollars are in your bank account.
“It’s not being an extrovert, it is not loudness, it is not aggression and it is not force,” she says.
“At its heart, radical influence is the courage to do things differently.
“It is the courage to turn away from the tried and tested things that you have done before and it is the courage to put yourself out there.”
The framework Julie works with to help individuals, businesses and brands to become an influencer is called the Rapid Authority Formula, which is made up of six components:
- Clarity
- Contribution
- Captivation
- Collaboration
- Consistency
- Certainty
“When I say rapid, it is not immediate, but it does happen if, and when, you decide to show up and have the courage to try some new things,” Julie says.
Here, Julie explains exactly what the Rapid Authority Formula is and how it can help you have radical influence.
CLARITY
You need to be clear on the space you want to own. Years ago, you could own a huge space, such as health and wellness, but now there is too much noise to own such a ‘macro space’.
Today, we need to operate in much smaller, or ‘micro’, spaces. A micro space is where you take two worlds in which you have mastery, insights and experience and you overlap them.
The space in the middle is ‘the impact zone’. That’s a space you can own.
In real estate terms, you might decide to own property in Bondi and overlap that with waterfront homes, or high-end apartments.
Next, you need to be clear on how you’re going to own that space. It might be through being genuine or by listening to people’s stories.
One you can nail what you do, who you do it for, how you do it and why you do it in three minutes or less, you have what I call “a sizzle”. You can use this sizzle in your videos or in the living room to ensure you stand out.
CONTRIBUTION
Once upon a time, those that could out-interrupt and shout the loudest were seen as the influencers, but that doesn’t work anymore.
Today, those that out-contribute everyone else in the space are the leaders. If you look at who you follow and take advice from, they got there because they made a contribution to your world.
Generic messages no longer cut through, but personalised ones do. If I use personal trainer and influencer Kayla Itsines as an example, when I went on to her Instagram page I found mini videos of things like ‘a three-minute video to do in your living room when you haven’t slept all night’ and ‘here’s a smoothie you can make in less than two minutes’.
She was bringing me information, in my language, in bite-sized chunks. That’s called being a primary translator.
We don’t buy from the technicians anymore, or the people with the most expertise. We buy from the people who can translate that expertise into our world, using our language.
CAPTIVATION
Captivating an audience, or target market, and keeping their attention comes down to storytelling.
Story is how we connect with each other. Story is how you take everything that’s interesting to me and put it into my world in a way that I can understand it and see it. Stories should be your primary vehicle going forward.
The three main elements of a compelling story are:
- Is it personal?
- Is it relevant?
- Is it emotive?
A good filter to apply is to ask yourself if the story you’re telling is valuable enough that someone will keep it and refer to it again later or share it with someone else?
If the answer is no, then you shouldn’t be telling that story.
CONSISTENCY
In 2015 it took six touchpoints to convert interest into a sale. At the start of this year, pre COVID-19, it took 10 touchpoints, and at the end of this year, I think we will find it’s even higher. We can talk the talk but then we’ve got to walk the walk consistently.
These touchpoints can be digital – a Facebook message, a text message or it can be presentations, webinars or emails. The key to this is relevant and practical content that delivers real value at the right time in someone’s journey.
That journey starts before you know I exist. I’m looking for information on your brand, and this is where I decide whether or not I can trust you. Do you have the infrastructure, the legacy, the name behind you to carry this?
Then I want to know about service and whether you can educate me about the journey I’m about to go on.
You need to know your target market, and you need to know that they’re going to ask different questions depending on what part of the journey they are up to.
The answer to each of these questions can become numerous pieces of content, and that’s how you can build a content calendar.
COLLABORATION
The good news is, you don’t have to put all of the content together yourself. The most impactful people now are using what I would call non-competing independence. They have a collaboration mindset.
If you’ve navigated this path for me and you know what my questions are going to be at every stage, then you and your team can decide which questions you’re most qualified to answer and which ones you need to call others in to answer. It might be a financial advisor, a mortgage broker or a stylist.
They might put together a video, a how-to guide or do a webinar with you. They put all of this effort and energy into it and they share it in their networks as well. That’s how you amplify really quickly.
CERTAINTY
One of the biggest things that will stop you doing any of these tasks, from telling captivating stories or from becoming a translator and owning your space, is what I call ‘the confidence myth’. Confidence doesn’t exist.
Confidence is the result of doing something over and over and over again. It is trying something new, falling down, picking yourself back up, letting go of perfect and putting yourself out there. It is a result of showing up over and over again. Confidence is the result, it is not the ingredient.
Certainty is something you can have right now. Certainty is knowing that today you will give the best that you have. You will give all of your knowledge, all of your experience, all of your mastery, all of your successes and all of your mistakes and you will give the best that you can.
Someone who communicates with certainty can say, “That’s a really good question. I don’t have the answer to that right now, but I’m going to go to my team and my network of experts and I’m going to get a really good, comprehensive answer for you on that question. And I’m going to come back to you within 24 hours”.
That’s certainty.
Julie Masters will be running a ‘Rapid Authority Masterclass’ on the 18th of November 2020. If becoming the most trusted expert in your space is on the goal list for 2021, visit this link for more information.
Enter the code ELITE to receive 25% off the full ticket price.
