photo by Tanya Goodall Smith of Workstory Creative

Have you ever watched someone review something online and then immediately purchased it to try for yourself? Me, too. Just like you reach out to your friends for trusted recommendations, increasingly people are choosing to find and follow trusted voices online. Influencers can point you to fantastic new products, services, places to visit… you name it, social media marketing is playing a role in how consumers find and buy goods in the digital space.

You want to know where to get an authentic Philly cheesesteak in Spokane? A great spot to find custom-fitted shoes? The best optometrist? Finding the answer to your question is no more than just a Google search away. In cities across the United States, local influencers have popped up to help create guides to a city’s food, shopping, beauty, wellness, and more. With followers in the thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions, there are people right here in Spokane who are making their personal brands go viral online, and you might be missing out. That’s where I come in.

I’m a local influencer who has grown a platform that specializes in finding the people, places, and products that can make your life a little bit better—right here in Spokane. I started the Spokane Guild five years ago after struggling to find great local restaurants and decided to share what I found on social media. Since then, my combined audience has grown to over thirty thousand on four different platforms, I’ve expanded my coverage, and I’m continuing to grow the reach of my personal brand. The community that has developed from sharing favorite destinations, events, restaurants, personal struggles, triumphs, and everything in-between has been a source of joy for me I never anticipated. I genuinely look forward to all the interactions I have with people both online and in-person (I can’t tell you how many times I get “recognized” when I am out and about—my husband laughs every time).

Beyond sharing my own stories, I’ve been delighted by introducing others to people on social media who have impacted my life for the better and happen to be based in and around Spokane. I’m excited to share about these dynamic individuals in this monthly column and a complementary deep-dive on our award-winning podcast—Trending Spokane—that I co-host with Melissa Berry. I want to make you a true Spokane insider, one story at a time.

photo by Tanya Goodall Smith of Workstory Creative

Are you still not quite sure what an “influencer” even is? Social media influencers are people who have established authenticity and credibility in a particular industry, and they have a big audience online that they can persuade. With online reviews becoming increasingly unreliable with opinions that are bought (without disclosure), Google searches providing unreliable results, and more information to sift through than any other time, people are looking for trustworthy information. That begins with relationships, and what could be a better place to casually learn about people than through their Instagram? With the advent of video “stories”, interactive features, and being able to direct-message anyone, anytime, we have never had more access to the lives of others—through the lens of what they choose to share.

Influencers have gotten a bad rap—at times panned as a legion of self-absorbed, phone-obsessed millennials. A large reason for that is how this now booming industry was at the beginning of the popularity of social media. There was a time before the development of guidelines by the Federal Trade Commission where consumers had no idea if an opinion was shared because someone paid them or if it was genuine, and people made thousands of dollars without disclosing the nature of their relationship. I mean, if someone was getting free or discounted products or services, would you want to know before you took their word on it being a good deal? I definitely would. From posts to stories to reels, being honest and transparent about paid advertisements is Social Media 101.

Now that the industry is more regulated, it is becoming an even more important part of our economy. According to a Marketing Week report, about fifty-nine percent of businesses plan to increase influencer marketing budgets as businesses now earn over six dollars for every dollar spent on influencer marketing. Moreover, the top ten percent earn more than twenty dollars on every dollar spent on working with influencers. If you look closer at the influencer marketing statistics, you will realize that the return on investment depends on several factors, including the platform and niche.

It’s also growing as a part of our social fabric. Who you follow has become a banner representing your values. At its best, social media can be an opportunity to give voice to the marginalized, share vital information, and get some encouragement when you need it most. At its worst, it can lead to heavy social stigma. These days, social consequences often originate in the digital interfaces we choose to interact with, rather than sewing circles and block parties. The crowd seems to police itself—penalizing posts that seem out of touch or derogatory with a litany of negative comments, followers lost, and even getting *gasp* ‘cancelled’. Some efforts to this effect are more successful than others. It’s a jungle out there, and survival of the fittest applies.

Social media influencers are here to stay, and I’m here to help you find and follow people who are bringing some much-needed attention to topics that can help you improve the quality of your life.