The Highs and Lows of becoming an ‘Influencer’

As I write this blog, I’m in a little bit of a funk and I’m currently taking some time off social media to focus solely on myself and my family. So, whilst I had planned on creating a powerful and uplifting blog, I have decided to keep it real with the hopes to still inspire you.

 

My name is Aimee but I am best known on social media as The Social Mama. I first created my platform 2 years ago, shortly after getting married and moving into our first family home. Life had been a whirlwind during the 5 years prior between 3 house moves, wedding planning and building a thriving beauty business which I later had to give up after having our 3 children – All within my early 20’s. When life had settled down a little and I had nothing left to plan or look forward to (so I felt at the time) the realisation of being “just a stay-at-home mum” hit me hard. I felt so incredibly lonely, lacking in purpose which I now realise I already had. Side note: Ironically, my ‘stay-at-home mum’ title being demoted from full-time to part-time as my youngest child soon starts nursery school has a part to play in this low vibrational funk that I’m currently in. Nonetheless, what started just as a hobby has since turned into so much more and I want to share with you all some of the high’s and low’s of building a thriving social media platform and essentially becoming an ‘influencer’.

 

As I initially set up my account ‘just for fun’ I never knew of the potential it had. Over the last 2 years, I have found myself inspiring and helping fellow mums and women in ways I had never imagined; I’ve made many new friendships with like-minded people across the world, raised incredible amounts of money and awareness to several charities and I have been able to work with loads of amazing businesses, small and large. It’s not been all sunshine and rainbows though. Whilst the positives in growing a social media platform far outweigh the negatives, it goes without saying that you will come across negativity along the way.

 

‘When you’re making noise, someone will try turn you down. When you’re shining bright, someone will try dim your light. If you weren’t standing out from the rest, people would have no reason to hate.’ 

– Vex King*

 

Something I have learnt through life is that not everyone will like you. I am very much a guilty people pleaser, however, it is impossible to please everyone and unfortunately this can often result in being trolled (bullied) online when you put yourself out there. I don’t like to talk too much about trolls, or Tricia’s as I call them, but I do wish that someone had warned me about them so I was better prepared initially which is why I must mention them in this blog. It’s a heart-wrenching hurdle to get over when you are targeted online and can have serious, long-lasting damage to your mental health which is why continual inner work is crucial when building a platform. It takes time to build your beliefs and don’t get me wrong, there can be moments of weakness when targeted numerous times. But if you do the inner work and then you do find yourself being trolled, you’ll know that these people simply act out of jealousy, hurt or because they feel threatened. It’s not you, it’s them. You must also never give them, or anyone, the power to lower your vibration, make you doubt yourself or make you want to give up.

 

Your potential is limitless when growing a social media platform. This is the incredible thing, but in order to successfully grow you must do two things; be yourself and believe in yourself. Being 110% authentically you is without a doubt my number one rule in growing my platform, anyway. If you try to be someone you’re not then eventually the cracks will appear and your followers will see right through. People love relatability and nobody can relate to the ‘Insta Perfect’ version of yourself so I always suggest taking the pressure off yourself, trying to be someone you’re not, as people will follow and love you ‘just’ as you are. Believe it! Self-belief is probably one of the most important tools you will need in growing a platform too. If you don’t believe in yourself then why should anyone else? You will be tested along the way with doubt and negativity so you need to know who you are and what you stand for. If you wholeheartedly believe in yourself then the opinions of others will not matter or hold you back from reaching your full potential.

 

So, to summarise I want to assure you now that you can do anything you put your mind to, especially when building a brand on social media. It’s not always easy though and in fact takes a lot of consistent hard work, not just on yourself but on the content you create too. But if you are willing to put in the work then believe me, it will be absolutely totally worth it.

 

Go for it!

 

Love,

Aimee @thesocialmama.xo

 

*Quote from one of my favourite books ‘Good Vibes Good Life’ - Highly recommended!!