Back by Financial Need
Not the same as before.
In 2010 when I was 15 years old my dad started a marketing business because as a business man navigating the trans border landscape his acumen had made him a person that people seek advice from. This company opened the doors to marketing, designing, and ultimately influencing; I distinctly remember the first time I got featured and tagged on a modeling page my follower count grew exponentially - and so did my ego.
When we brought J.L. Rocha Collections to the U.S. and social media became a career, we teamed up some other companies, fashion reps, and influencers early on to help us establish ourselves. We’ve worked with great people who truly influence others for a living, many have jobs beyond the screen but those above 100K followers live the trade.
When my follower count reached above 5K I was invited to join a community called Social Native that connects brands and influencers, and started earning money for outfits that I would post or soda I would drink or chips that I would make a video about. Our brand is selling shoes, jackets, and travel bags but what am I selling to be an influencer?
The DISC
D.I.S.C. is a marketing term that denotes the four basic types of consumers. It helps you create the right media for the right kind of people and train sales to sell for different personality types. This is the disc:
Drivers - customers that want to win, want a deal, make quick decisions and don’t mind the consequences.
Influencers - also known as early adopters are high energy talkative people who love attention. In sales these people want to feel special and are suited for clientele strategies.
Supporters - want to form a relationship with your company and are interested in your story, culture, and community. They give good reviews and are your consistent engagements online. (Thanks mom)
and Critics - picky people who care about quality. We all know, have, and are critics and need to thank them for pointing out our mistakes so we can grow as businesses. For critics in sales you have to focus on solving problems.
I’m too busy to talk a lot these days, but that’s my job. I’ll be working on social media for all the companies I work for (check my professional page) so I can’t say I’m quitting social media. But I can change the way I use my platform.
I make three promises:
I quit social media because I hate the falsehood of influencer culture and toxicity of social media toward the general populous, but when I had 10K and over followers I could put links on my story which I do miss. So I make three promises to the 9K I still have and the 1% engagement rate (90 people) that stayed when the other 2% left:
I’ll Post Genuine Content and Ads - about my writing, career, and observations. The disclaimer on my homepage is important. I have a degree in English and I’m going to use it, I enjoy making art and music, and I’m proud enough to share it. I also pose in outfits for work, and take pictures of amazing spaces and people. If I lose followers so be it.
I won’t stop posting about social issues - because my platform is mine, and I care about changing the world. All the businesses I work for are ethical, caring, and amazing people. Sadly though, we humans treat earth and each other horrifically in many instances and I intend to continue speaking up against those instances.
I’m doing this for the money - because money makes change, and I live in the material world. Also this website costs $144/yr and I’m about to upgrade to the $235/yr package so I can sell you stuff and donate some proceeds to charity. Donating to charity has always been a part of my life and is an important part of everything I do.
I’m not an influencer anymore.
I’m just a regular guy with a lucky life who does marketing, in 2020 that means social media marketing: so here I am. This website holds my portfolio, my art, my writing, and will continue to be a by-product of my life. If you do something your proud of, or care about something important: post about that.