Follow Me: Niki Creasy
Spotlighting Local Insta Influencer
Influencers are big business. You’ll be hard pushed to scroll social media and not come across someone who has been ‘sponsored’ to promote a product or service to their fanbase. Mount Maunganui-based marketing account director, Niki Creasy, is one such ‘influencer’ – but her journey to the top wasn’t intentional.
Niki’s Insta ball started rolling when she was training for a marathon.
“I noticed my running posts on Instagram generated more engagement than other generic content, so I decided to have this as the core focus of my account – and it just grew from there,” she explains.
Now, with close to 11,000 followers, Niki is classed as a ‘micro-influencer’ – an account with less than 30,000 – in a market as small as New Zealand, that is no easy feat. However, she believes there’s no ‘sure fire’ way of securing influencer status. Some will follow a more strategic pathway – others not.
“Some people sort of fall into it by accident – they just have a knack for posting engaging content, or they start a social media page to keep themselves accountable,” she says. “There are some who set up an account with the intent to become an influencer – they’re creating and posting content specifically with follower growth in mind.”
Smart steps forward
For Niki, having people connect with her and follow her running journey is the greatest influencer reward. “And those encouraging comments certainly came in handy when marathon training gets really intense,” she says. “There is a downside to being ‘instafamous’ – you do receive nasty comments and abuse – but fortunately I’m relatively free from that kind of behaviour.”
So, the question begs, does it pay well? In New Zealand the likelihood is that you’ll probably have to keep your fulltime job – or at least part-time – explains Niki. “There are some influencers who are able to make a living from their brand partnerships and promotions – but not all.”
And, it pays to be selective about who you work with, she cautions.
“Social media users are smart – they know when they’re being told about or shown something that’s not authentic – so I only share what I actually use / eat / do in my ‘real life’.”
Being an influencer should have gains beyond dollar signs, says Niki, who is using her Instagram profile to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and a life-saving medication that isn’t funded in New Zealand. “I’m passionate about this cause and I know my online platform is a great way to gain support for the ‘Kalydeco for Kiwis’ campaign. Being an influencer isn’t all about marketing for big business, but also for doing good.”
Niki’s tips for becoming an influencer
- Post high-quality photos and videos
- Write engaging captions
- Use relevant hashtags
- Know what’s trending online
- Engage with your audience
- Don’t just do it for followers – keep it real, find your niche and inject personality into your content
Follow Niki on Instagram: @run_niki_run