Speaking of influence, the influence era began with a scrappy bunch of influencers who started sharing their content on Instagram and calling themselves influencers. Influencers lived in the shadows because they didn’t get paid much for their work. Now that it’s become less about individuals (unless you’re Will Smith) and more about brand deals, a new era of personal branding may just be upon us.
If you’ve got a blog, odds are you’ve noticed an increase in guest posts from influencers. And if you’ve worked with many, I bet there have been challenges that come with the deals. Are we approaching a new era of social influence? Does the influencer era have more life left in it? Or is this the beginning of the end?

Look, there’s no doubt that influencers are just as relevant today as they’ve ever been. But don’t you wonder where these Instagrammers will be in 5 years if they aren’t building anything from their channel? If a social star can’t make a business out of their content, then what will happen?

Many of us were wondering how long it would take the Instagram influencer trend to die out. I mean, it’s not like using someone else’s picture to promote your brand is really all that clever a concept. And so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise for the New York Times to run an article about the death of Instagram Influencers . Because apparently more than a few brands and promoters feel like they’re spending way too much time dealing with influencers who don’t really have any clout.
Over the years, Instagram has evolved into a new platform that some say is “ruining the influencer game”. However, is this meme too over saturated? Have influencers or brands simply become too complacent with the “game” themselves?

Stop the presses! The influencers have taken over. Snaps of just the right filter, and a related hashtag has been found to boost traffic and sales in droves. Social engagement is skyrocketing, and it’s Instagram with their millions of users that has brought us this new wave of “influencers.” But can the viral buzz around this still-new phenomenon last? When the Instagram craze started some time back, much was made about celebrities jumping on the bandwagon (anybody remember when Kim Kardashian or Ellen DeGeneres had an account?), but what many underestimated was amateurs with some serious talent. Now, there’s a growing sense that Instagram isn’t really breaking new ground — as one report noted, “Instagram has become so crowded with amateur photographers and brands using their personal accounts to promote products that it’s almost difficult to create a following from scratch.”

You may have heard the terms Influencers, social media Influencers and even micro Influencers. You may have also seen the ease of which money can be made off sponsorships and advertising on these platforms. But is that money in your pocket?

A photo says a thousand words – what if those words were “follow me”? This is the model which social media trailblazers (and Instagrammers) such as Amanda Abbington (@amandaabbington), owner of AB Creative, live and die by. For example: her posts are mainly of pen and ink artworks by her husband Ben (@benabbingtonart); but, as she writes on her website, “many will also follow for my fun dispatches about our lives as artists and creative business owners in the creative city of Bristol.” For example: I am having a lovely time at

What’s your age? If you’re anywhere between 20 and 40 years old, then your personal brand is likely tied to the number of followers you have on Instagram — otherwise known as your “influencer” status.

What the hell is Instagram?
Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook videos, Twitter impressions — mmm yeah, I like those. They’re fun. And it wasn’t long ago that being on a big network was the pinnacle for social media marketers. But that all changed when Instagram rolled out their now famous Stories feature. It created and entire new space for influencers to interact with consumers in non-traditional ways which has led to increased creativity and interaction from both sides of the marketing spectrum.