Hey Micro-Influencer, Don’t Use Afghanistan’s Tragedy to Build Your Brand
Don’t use other’s suffering as a means to your personal brand marketing end.
As the United States military and diplomatic presence hastily withdrew from Afghanistan over the past week, the fallout of the nearly 20-year conflict has drawn the attention of nearly every soul on the globe — at least those who have access to a smartphone and social media.
And rightly so. This global tragedy reveals much about the military-industrial complex, nation-building, culture clashing, and the power of the militant groups. To make matters worse, this was a war that saw far too many deaths, both foreign and national.
I grew up with individuals who saw parents go to Afghanistan when they were children and then went themselves once we graduated from high school. Some multiple times. Many lost their lives.
All of it brings so many heartbreaking questions without answers:
- Was our exit too fast and too dangerous?
- Did we have a plan at all?
- Were we there for the wrong reasons?
- Were our military veteran’s sacrifices worth it?
- What will happen to the women, men, and children still there on the ground?
- How do we as a global community move forward from here?
These questions — and so much more — are hard to answer. Maybe we won’t have an answer other than hindsight-driven opinions that are easy to make from our Western air-conditioned living rooms with free wifi.
But this article isn’t about the events currently unfolding in Afghanistan itself. Or Haiti’s devastating earthquake, for that matter.
It’s about how we respond when global tragedy strikes.
News and journalism have always been a passion of mine. I received my undergraduate degree in Communications/Journalism and worked as an editor for my university newspaper for 3 years.
I know the feeling of breaking a juicy story and watching your content break free and go wildly viral. So hear me when I say I get it.
As the news broke on Sunday that Kabul had fallen to the Taliban without a shot fired, I knew what would be coming next in my online world.
My newsfeed was suddenly flooded with the thoughts and prayers of individuals who had apparently been hiding a deep understanding of foreign policy for the past two decades.
Posts with talking points, sad emojis, screenshots of *texts* from those in-country, and “how to help” bullet points. All aimed at helping raise awareness and impact a better outcome…right?
Getting Cynical About CTAs
I try not to be too cynical about the intentions of individuals posting online.
Most simply see something that puts words to their emotions and helps them share their hearts with others. I can even overlook the self-serving popularity seeking that can linger behind these posts.
But there is one thing I just cannot overlook, and that’s when it’s done for the wrong reasons. At the bottom of many “PRAY FOR AFGHANISTAN” Instagram and Facebook posts is something I know all too well because I write them all the time.
The all-too-familiar marketing CTA (call to action) that drives engagement and interaction:
- “Register for free and join me for my upcoming live stream as we pray for Afghanistan.”
- “I’ll be posting updates as I hear them for those who are subscribed to my email list.”
- “Make sure to click *follow* for more updates as I hear them.”
Now, if these posts were coming from a news source such as Reuters or the Associated Press, or even a veteran news journalist on the ground in the country, I’d be the first to click and sign up.
As a human with — I hope- some sense of compassion, I want to know what is happening. We have the incredible opportunity to see it unfold and enact real change faster than ever before in our modern world.
However, here’s the rub: Too many of these posts come from individuals who are clearly working to develop their brand online.
***An aside: To be clear, I’m speaking to micro-influencers, those who are working to build their own online brand or business rather than someone who has a large following on Instagram.
These individuals maintain a very small group of engaged followers but want to grow their online presence so they can reap the financial and social benefits of social engagement.***
I’m going to paint with a wide brush and assume that this was probably the first post about Afghanistan this “influencer” had ever created — because the war began (and the major conflict ended) far before social media was a thing that existed.
So forgive me when I doubt that you have been helping lead a foreign policy think tank striving to bring real change and awareness to the issue.
Forgive me when it appears that you are using the event to drive engagement.
When you are driving traffic to your website for an event that is free-except-for-your-email-address or sharing your suddenly intense emotions about something to drive agreement-likes, then you may need to take a step back and reevaluate the purpose behind what you are doing.
Don’t Grift Your Followers
Here’s the deal. I make a living helping others market themselves online. So I’m not opposed to brand building. I’m just opposed to grifty-and-shifty brand building.
I’m not opposed to giving equal attention and prayers to Afghanistan, but I am skeptical of those using this situation to build their brand. Using these global events as a way to increase exposure for your personal social media profile or business is something that we should be aware of.
Sure, posting a heartfelt message about a current event is a quick way to gain new followers, subscribers, and customers. In the short term, this tactic will indeed work.
Here’s the bad news: In the long run — as we’ve seen multiple times before — it won’t be taken too kindly by those who are looking for authentic content from individuals who really care about what is going on.
In fact, most people will soon discover that you are a phony once your attention moves from women’s rights in Afghanistan to that Pumpkin Spice Latte that is about to come back to the market.
Marketing Lesson: Don’t Use Tragedies as a Marketing Tactic
Here’s something that I’ve been able to do in life that has really benefitted me: develop a thick skin.
If you are using posts such as “PRAY FOR AFGHANISTAN” or “WHY WE NEED TO HELP THE HAITIANS” as CTAs to drive your email list and social media engagement, then I’d encourage you to really allow yourself time to sit with that. Take a hard look at why you are doing this.
If your goal is to help inform and drive a change, by all means — do it!
Do it authentically, with a true passion for what is going on in the world.
However, if your goal is strictly to get more followers and likes on social media so that you can build your email list and sell more stuff, then honestly… just skip it. Or at the very least, share content from a reputable source that drives traffic to a news outlet or reporter that can give unbiased, factual, and useful information.
Remember: what you choose to post is not always as important as how you post it and why you post it. And I cannot say this enough: Using a major tragedy for personal gain is not the way to build your brand using your social media account or email marketing list.
It’s shady, unattractive, and not the kind of influence that an influencer should provide.
Real Ways to Help
I’m not a pump-and-dump critic, so here are a few ways that you can put your clicks to work to enact real change on the ground in Haiti and Afghanistan this week:
Haiti Earthquake Relief: Visit websites like Charity Navigator and GiveWell to find approved and effective relief charities that can help you turn your awareness into change.
Afghanistan Support: Right now, the need is for help with refugees from the nation. Check out Women for Afghan Women, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee. All of these are doing great work to enact change on the ground amid the ever-changing realities.
