E028: Creating Impact in the Influencer Space with Nik Aliye & Karyn Spencer

THE POWER OF REINVENTION with Kathi Sharpe-Ross

Looking to reinvent yourself? How about becoming a content creator and putting a dent in the influencer space? Today, we touch on important business, some personal life-changing reinventions, and the state of the influencer industry with Nik Aliye and Karyn Spencer.

Nik Aliye is the global director of Whalar, a best-in-class influencer marketing company and one of the most acclaimed influencer agencies in the industry. She is a multifaceted executive with a deep expertise in digital creators. Nik produces events that create emotional, authentic connections, delighting fans and driving benchmark breaking business results.

Karyn Spencer is the global Chief Marketing Officer at Whalar. She has spent the past 20 years building unique initiatives for brands, traditional celebrities, and digital creators. Whatever Karyn is doing, she focuses through a lens of inclusion and equity for historically marginalized people.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

- Karyn and Nik’s background stories

- How the influencer industry has grown over the years

- Content creator vs. a traditional celebrity
- Some reinvention moments in their lives

- The impact of working from home on company culture

Episode Highlights:

How The Influencer Marketing Space Has Grown Over The Years

Although the influencer industry is nascent, it definitely is rooted in social media. But for generations, actors and celebrities have been influential. They've been starring in commercials and being brand ambassadors. So the concept isn't new, but the delivery is new. And the mechanism by which we all receive that influence is new.

Traditional celebrities are great and they have a space in the world of branded marketing and advertising. But when you look at how to activate yourself on social media, you really want to lean into digital creators or influencers. These are people who have had to study that platform and pull themselves up out of nothing and into their fame – all through their creativity, innovation, and content creation.

The Emotional Connection

The creator is oftentimes talking directly to you, taking up your whole screen, and telling you about their day. So you get this emotional connection that just doesn't happen with traditional celebrities. Watching them is not only a fandom exercise, but it also feels a little bit of a training exercise. Many young people now want to be influencers for a living. And so, they feel like the more and more they can watch these creators, the more they can understand how to do that.

Reinvention Tips

There's no one path, there is no one way to do anything. You have to carve that path for yourself and you have to just do the work.

Think about where that fits into your life. Is this something you've always been doing? Did you just start doing it at a certain phase in your life? These are two-minute reinventions where you make this passionate, conscious decision – whether that’s picking up the guitar, gardening, learning to ride a bike, or learning a language like. It doesn't have to be a life-changing thing but it doesn’t affect every part of your psyche when you do things that bring you joy.

Links to Resources:

Whalar

www.SharpeAlliance.com

www.TheReinventionExchange.com

RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

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www.TheReinventionExchange.com

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