Business Book Review: Influence by Sara McCorquodale

Influence by Sara McCorquodale will have you questioning if you’re ignoring the future of your industry.

My Rating: ★★★★

Length:  224 pages

Publisher: BLM Business

Released: 2019

Key Takeaways for Personal Branding

Influence by Sara McCorquodale shows how influencers are changing the future of the world.

McCorquodale delves deep into the evolution of the world’s dominant digital platforms. But, it’s much more than a captivating history lesson. McCorquodale’s research for the book involved from speaking directly with some of the world’s most notable names in digital influence. Learning first-hand from their insights.

From a personal branding perspective, here are my top takeaways:

The New Media Mogul

McCorquodale notes that most influencers she spoke with don’t like the term ‘influencer’, but rather many see themselves as community builders.

“Broadly, they believe their value lies in their ability to build communities through consistent, relatable, authoritative and regular content.”

And, because of their ability to turn communities into attention online, they are the new media:

"The word influencer is symbolic of a new kind of media mogul – one who is independent, industrious and has capitalized on their online popularity to launch further creative projects and successful startup.”

There may be billions of people on social media, but with digital platforms’ evolution and algorithm changes, it’s become more difficult to have brand content get seen. This is where influencers - the real people - act as the conduit between the business and its ideal customers:

“A brand can’t be a person, but an influencer can. Essentially, theirs is the business of being human and telling stories about it.”

The Relatable Celebrity

Where celebrities were once the shining star of brand deals, influencers have taken over.

Net-A-Porter staff explain that street-style influence photography drives more traffic for the brand than celebrity images.

Much of influencers appeal comes down to reliability:

“…like celebrities, their followers – their fans – aspire to their lifestyle, but unlike celebrities, their lives are presented as relatable and achievable.”

"Like traditional media, they share information; unlike traditional media, it is all from a personal perspective.”

Their community is made to feel like they know them directly:

“…share achievements, admit mistakes and document the mundane. The attention they pay to the relatable nitty-gritty and smallness of everyday life – as well as milestone moments – gives their followers the impression they have a direct line to them.”

McCorquodale proposes a Venn diagram, where celebrity and media overlap. The space of the overlay is where the influencer exists. This is an evolution away from the often perfectly curated days of social media like Instagram:

"This ‘real layer’ is crucial to influencers’ success, particularly for those aiming to build a community rather than something more akin to an aspirational look-book, simply documenting their aesthetic and the products they have used to create it"

It’s likely why on some vlogs you see some of the biggest influencers documenting the mundane, like doing their dishes:

“Their output is more like a daily feed where, as discussed, the ‘real layer’ is key, rather than shocking viewers with high drama.”

Brands Buy Trust

Brands who invest in influencers are buying trust. The trust the influencer has worked hard to gain from their audience. The best brands will allow their partnership to build on, not break that trust. Ideally investing in long-term relationships with target influencers instead of one-off campaigns:

“We don’t want a brand voice. We don’t want the ‘royal we’. We don’t want awkward marketing copy attempting to ape internet slang. Ironically, in this age of artificial intelligence – where technology has never been so advanced – we want human beings.”

The Iceberg You Don’t See Coming

If you aren’t in the business of influencing, it’s easy to ignore it or ridicule it.

But instead, consider marvelling at it. For yourself or your business and ask yourself if you’re missing the future of your industry. One you might not have seen coming.

As one influencer sums up:

“The haters, the doubters are all drinking champagne on the top deck of the Titanic and we are the f**king iceberg.”

Influence by Sara McCorquodale:  Available on Amazon.