Why is Everyone Trying So Hard to Get Your Attention
How many times have you had the pleasure of reading a tweet or seeing a video of an influencer spew out information you knew for sure was going to invoke a visceral reaction? I’m pretty sure that instead of counting you would rather state the number of years you’ve been seeing it. No matter what platform you are you’re going to see it. Someone says something super controversial, a video of someone jumping from the roof of a moving train, or a risqué picture that’s borderline porn. People aren’t just putting their brands on the line but also lives for the sake of a few views. What you’re seeing is an influx of microbrands/microinfluencers doing whatever it takes to get your attention for the sake of a sale. Whether it’s to bring you into their funnel or possibly get a brand sponsorship everyone is fighting (quite literally) for eyes to view their content/product.
Are There Just Too Many Influencers? I’m going to say no just for fact that a lot of the influencers I follow and watch most people have never heard of. Some of the influencers I follow have already gotten $100 out of me already which would qualify me as a true fan. I like what I like but I’m still tapped into what’s currently making waves. So if I’m practicing that then it would be safe to assume that the average consumer of social media content is doing the same if not more. However, we’re still seeing people doing and saying some of the craziest things imaginable. There are some influencers who would behave this way without a camera but there is a lot more which would mean that something is nudging our artists to do this. What would make even the most docile YouTubber decide to glue her hair on purpose for the sake of getting everyone’s attention?
Commerce: Now everyone isn’t taking this approach. There is still a large number of folks who would rather make content their way instead of trying to force a spike in their watch time. Take !llmind for instance. He started his twitch channel two years ago where all he was doing was live streaming him making beats. Eventually, he grew his channel to the point to where he has now converted that audience over to his personal website and his business has tripled. Not once did he do the cinnamon challenge or have a naked woman running out of his bedroom. All he did was cater to his audience directly by giving them more access to him and connecting with them through his love of producing music. However, he has become the outlier and a lot of his peers feel the need to do whatever to grab people’s attention. There are music artists out there that have gone so far away from just promoting their music that their audience no longer knows them for it. Some have pivoted to just be a shock jock, and that’s fine, but what happens when its all said and done the brands still don’t call?
As I grow my brand day by day I am aware of all the opportunities to shock people into checking out my content to possibly buy a beat or hire me to produce a record for them. The question I have is what happens when the idea doesn’t work? I’ve got this content out that I’m hoping will reach millions so that they click on my profile and then the link in my bio. But what if the people don’t care about that. What if all they want is for me to make more shocking content? Now I have to play a different type of game to where I’m hoping my reels generate enough revenue all while falling within the guidelines and not shadow banned or deleted. Keep in mind that almost everyday the algorithm is changing so it may be months or even a year before I get that traffic back. The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to focus on the fan base you already have and grow. Serve them with content they like consistently and put them first. It is a long game but as someone who has benefitted from playing its definitely worth it.
And safer….
