The word influencer has gotten a bad rep in the past year or so. But is it just the millennials who are dismissing the word influencer?

What's behind this trend?

For the past few years, the word influencer was used almost interchangeably with the word celebrity. It was a very trendy word in social media marketing, appearing on every social media marketing list.

Now, I am not a millennial and I don't hate millennials. Millennials are great people and I love having a good relationship with them, but I do hate their use of the word influencer.

But don't worry, I am sure that I will be voted the most hated person in the world one day because I decided to share my thoughts on influencers.

Does the word influencer even mean anything anymore?

When was the last time someone said to you "you are an influencer"? Does it make you excited to hear someone congratulate you for being an influencer?

Do you believe they really mean it?

As we move to a social media landscape, where more and more brands are being focused on, the word influencer is no longer about being a celebrity. It is now used to describe people who are not famous, who will endorse your product. It is about the more modest influencers that will promote your brand.

How about us everyday people? Are we really an influencer in your world?

The word influencer was trending before Instagram even existed. The way the word influencer is trending today, it's not just on social media.

In fact, you will find people using the word influencer everywhere.

They are using it to describe the trendy celebrity gossip bloggers that will review a restaurant, or a well-known Youtube personality who will review a new phone.

The word influencer is being thrown around. And I can't blame you.

It's cool to be an influencer!

That being said, I am here to tell you that the word influencer is the worst word in the English language.

Why?

Because the word influencer has lost its meaning. The word is getting confused with celebrities. You might use the word influencer to describe your friend, or a football star.

And they will probably say to you, "oh you're an influencer."

Doesn't mean that you are, and that's all that matters, right?

How can the word influencer mean so many different things?

The word influencer has several meanings. And as technology progresses, it's getting easier and easier to determine what the term truly means.

I guess, we just have to decide for ourselves what this word means. Do we use it to describe people who are really influential in their industry?

Do we use it to describe well-known celebrities and influencers?

Or do we use it to describe a website that allows us to showcase our voice on social media?

But I don't think we can limit the word influencer to just one meaning anymore. There are so many people using the word influencer incorrectly that it's ridiculous.

The term influencer was everywhere. But now, it's getting lost in a sea of confusion.

I think it’s time we focus on the right meaning for influencer and give it a new definition. Instead of using the word influencer, try using the word YouTuber.

If I don't like what the word YouTuber has to say about a particular topic, then I am still going to call myself an influencer. Why?

Because I am YouTuber. And you are influencer.

That way, we can finally stick to what the word truly means and keep it at what it really means.

Influencer marketing is marketing

Let's think about marketing from a purely logical point of view. There is no such thing as a new idea or a unique way to do something.

Marketing is a strategy that works and works well for a few brands, but it eventually runs out of gas and people don't take you seriously anymore.

Influencers simply don't sell anything. Yes, they'll promote the brand for a fee, but they are not a sales force.

They are simply there to promote the brand and reach out to the right audience.

Influencers aren't the answer

Do you know how many times I've heard someone say they are going to change the world with a business or product, but never do? There is a reason for this.

These people have failed at the step that makes the product successful. They don't understand that the product itself is only a small part of making a business succeed.

They try to solve every possible marketing problem and go on an extreme spending spree in hopes that something, anything will work.

They don't understand that a product has to sell itself to the people who will buy it. There is a formula that brands work by and it has nothing to do with an influencer.