What are 3 things Meghan Markle can teach us about Online Influence?

ByKirryn Zerna InUncategorized

Look, I’m not going to lie. I’m definitely a Royals fan.

And I’ve been intrigued, like most, with the wedding, the tour and the baby.

While I love to imagine what it would be like to live beyond the Royal Gates. It would seem that I’m not the only one who’s interested with news that their Instagram account was the fast-ever account to reach one million viewers in April 2019 (source: News.com).

I think there is a lot to be observed and considered from Meghan’s entree into royal life from an online influence perspective. So here are my musings on 3 things Meghan Markle can teach us about online influence.

1. Live Life Amplified

Meghan was no doubt used to life in the spot light before she met her royal prince, and yet things have gone waaay up a notch since joining the Royal family. She’s navigated public curiosity and media obsession with grace, and she’s understood what she needs to do, and that is to- Live life amplified.

The careful communication of the arrival of their son was a great example of this. The whole world was waiting on the moment,and where was the announcement made? On Instagram! On their own @SussexRoyal instagram page.

Royal watchers not only saw official photos, they were given a little more – rewarded for their loyal following. Even the announcement of his name, was shared with a special behind-the-scene photo of the Duke and Duchess, with both of their parents doting on the newest bundle of royal news.

Capturing these real life moments and amplifying them online means a broader ripple effect for their reach.

What can you do?

How can you amplify the moments and magic of what you do through an online audience?One way is to always remember to post and share about the real life moments, like Meghan has.

Like when you’re holding an event, how you can amplify this moment online? For example what it you created a pop-up art or amazing moments, so delegates will snap selfies and then share it to their social. It amplifies the experience to entice more people to come along to the event.

Or when you’re meeting with clients, team members or important people. How do you document the moment with a photo, a video or caption to share what you’ve learned or experienced; in a way that adds value to your readers and gives an insight to you and your brand.

An important element here is bringing the real you (and your brand) into the online world, it’s As Master MC and Success Speaker Warwick Merry said, “Just Be Yourself Amplified.”

A recent interview I recorded with the wonderful Lisa McInnes-Smith was all about this idea of always bringing your best self, watch it below.

2. TrendJacking works even for Royals

What’s Trendjacking? It means observing a trend and then hijacking it with the purpose of drawing attention back to your business.

Many of us in business are looking for ways to stay relevant and topical in our social content, and observing key calendar dates is one way to do that. The art of doing this well, is creating the connection back to your business and relating it to you and your clients.

Meghan and Harry are all over this, their post on Earth Day is a great example.

The magic of this post is the image and the words. Knowing the world is hungry for more snaps of the couple, the photo of the couple walking through the forest is fodder for the fans. And then their caption slam dunks with mention of the day, creates the connection back to why it’s important to them, and then invites participation.

What can you do?

What trends can you hijack that are relevant to your business?

When I’m looking at planning for the year, the first question I ask is what are the relevant calendar dates that I could create a connection with? What major celebrations are relevant? Like Christmas sales, end of financial year, environmental or social days (e.g. RU OK day, World Earth Day etc) or national or local events that are relevant.

I recommend mapping out the calendar year into dates and then key themes. This will help plan a pathway of what to start writing and where to source content. It has the added benefit of focusing the message for your audience. Hit me up with a Reply Email or a note in the comments if you’d like my Yearly Planner Template.

3. Bring the people out from behind the brand

Fans of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex loved to be rewarded with photos of their life in action. We love Meghan and Harry, and we especially love photos of Meghan; and now photos of baby Sussex too.

Almost all of the photos shared are of their life in action. Candid photos of their family, causes and commitments, with very few that are posed or set up shots.

The photos that have captured their intimate moments have even higher engagement with more Likes and Comments, like this candid photos of Harry and Meghan at their surprise baby shower.

What Can You Do?

Think about your company page on LinkedIn or Facebook, what often gets the highest engagement? I’d guess that one of the top rating posts are photos or videos about you and your team.

What if you invited the audience in to your business, the people and how it works day-to-day? Your audience loves seeing behind the curtain, and it helps people to connect more meaningfully with your brand.

Here’s a few ideas to try: Show behind-the-scenes, Introduce the team, Show your product in action in a “day in the life of,” share an insight from an event that you’ve attend.

About Kirryn Zerna

I’m on a quest to help ideas, leaders and brands stand out (without selling out) in this age of online influence. I’m a conference speaker, a masterclass presenter and creator of the Stand Out Effect: a modern-day quest to uncover what makes brands stand out without selling out. What’s unique about me is that I understand the nuance of business from a large corporation to a small business and can translate the challenges and opportunities of the power of social media in each context. I draw on deep experience of working within corporate and public sector environments, and I also have had the privilege of working with over 1,300 small businesses and entrepreneurs through state and federal funded programs in the last year.