Did you know that there is a rise in Granfluencers?

One of the many surprises over the past few years is how good my Grandma is with technology. She uses an iPad to text the kiddies and they send her GIFs, filter faces on FaceTime and have lots of fun chatting to each other. My Grandma is 88 and happily keeps in touch with loved ones using her iPad. It has been invaluable over Lockdown. I wonder if Grandma could take that next step and become one of these Granfluencers…

What is a Granfluencer?

It is used to describe a seriously cool senior citizen who influences online. So, like any other influencer, but they have age and wisdom on their side! They appeal to a different target audience to the younger influencers and offer a steady authority and appeal to an older audience. I just love this term; it sounds very glam and cool. I can just see my Grandma now trending with a cool dance to something on Insta Reels! After all, age is only but a number.

Here are a few tips on becoming a Granfluencer from someone who has experience, albeit a younger generation:

Influence what you love

If there is one piece of advice, I could offer someone wanting to influence, it is to do it with things that you love. Don’t try to influence people in Golf if you have no idea about Golf or never will; just because you think it might pay well. If you are a Gran that has had a history of beauty, and you love it, then talk about it. Not that my Mum will like me saying this: she is technically a grandparent. She is only 55 and really doesn’t look it. She has a whole lifetime of knowledge about beauty, from make up to Reflexology and she could influence lots of peers and even my generation with her knowledge and tips. She could talk for hours about it too, so that’s a natural starting point for someone.

Find a style

Finding the right style for your social media platform can be a minefield. I repeat the above; stick with what you love. If you are a vibrant colour person – embrace it. If you love neutral tones, then embrace that. Don’t be who you are not.  Finding the perfect style guide can be really useful too, Chums have created one specific for Granfluencers too. I love the garden party outfit inspo page, I would love to have a Instagrammable garden.

Do something different

Doing what you love might be quite different. For example, you might not want to do beauty or fashion posts – you might want to do woodwork tutorials or tips on how to grow certain, specific, flowers. There might be something quite niche that you know about that you can discuss with your followers and inspire a whole generation too. OK a little ambitious there, but the world is, quite simply, your oyster when you are looking to influence others.

On the whole you need to be engaging and come across as friendly if you want people to carry on coming back to your account. If you are personable and know what you are talking about you really cannot go wrong.

Have you heard of the term Granfluencers before? I would love to know if you have grandparents, or are a grandparent, that influences? Let me know in the comments below.