Chris Buetti
The Beauty of Instagram Automation, What Makes Someone A Good Influencer, and Eating For Free In NYC
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Intro
In this episode of Auxoro, Zach talks with Chris, a data scientist and co-founder of the influencer marketing platform Digital Prezence. Zach and Chris discuss Chris’ viral Medium article, the services that Digital Prezence provides, what makes someone a good influencer, and misconceptions about influencer marketing.
Key Takeaways
House of Highlights: one of Chris’ favorite IG accounts
Chris and Zach discuss the Jordan documentary The Last Dance
(7:31) “… watching the documentary makes it more obvious that Jordan is the number one.” -Zach
Chris’ Viral Medium Article and Different Approaches to Instagram
(8:40) “I made an IG account that was completely self-sustaining.” -Chris
Chris used this Instagram account to give publicity to local restaurants… and got free meals.
Zach tried using bots but Chris’ approach has an artificial intelligence aspect
(15:21) “If everyone does [botting], but no one talks about it, then no one learns about it.” -Zach
(15:40) “I’m not as much into the botting game as much as I used to be…” -Chris
Transferring Instagram Practices to Video Platforms like TikTok
(19:22) “I don’t have much experience in TikTok, mostly because I think I’m still a little unconvinced of its longevity… to me, it seems a little fad-ish.” -Chris
It’s harder to automate TikTok because it doesn’t have as much of a web component.
(21:44) “It seems like TikTok has something that prevents people from reposting content that already exists on the account.” -Zach
Dealing with Pushback
Chris has dealt with very few creators who don’t want their photo reposted.
If he runs into any opposition, he automatically takes the photo down.
(26:29) “I think a lot of creators have a primal reaction when they see automation… not necessarily because of what you’re doing but of a fear of their content being automated away by something.” -Zach
What Chris does with Digital Presence
(28:40) “I learned how to code because I hated Followliker so much.” -Chris
Chris got a job at NBC as a software engineer and hated the job but loved math and statistics.
Later Chris got his dream job with the NBA.
(32:48) “We operated on just growing peoples Instagram accounts, that was simply our business model.” -Chris
(33:01) “I didn’t find it to be super long term or super profitable… I really saw influencer marketing to be more of a lucrative area.” -Chris
Chris decided to create technology that could aid in influencer marketing and ended up developing software called Bella.
Advice for someone thinking of leaving their 9 to 5 job: 95% of people should prove their concept before making the decision, unless it’s very time-sensitive.
Both data science and people skills play roles in influencer marketing.
What Makes Someone a Good Influencer?
(42:18) “It really depends on what the brand wants.” -Chris
Some brands want ticket sales, buzz about their product, or user-generated content.
(43:21) “I see much better results from smaller influencers than I do bigger ones.” -Chris
There is real influence from Instagram users with YouTube channels.
Small to mid-size influencers are more personal in general.
GuestPlease, an online app to connect podcasts and guests
Podcast views go up with high-profile podcast guests.
The app facilitates connection.
(49:28) “A potential podcast guest could be retitled into an influencer.” -Chris
This app allowed Digital Presence to rebrand their technology.
Misconceptions about Influencer Marketing
The influencers that perform the best are often unexpected and surprising.
(56:43) “One advice I would give: Stop looking at likes, stop looking at comments. Half of them are fake... ask for some deeper level things.” -Chris
Giving your name a good image is as (or more) important than clicks.
How and Why Chris Got Where He Is
(1:05:58) “I had no excuses not to go build it myself or at least attempt to.” -Chris
He is both creative and entrepreneurial.
He’s willing to understand a problem and wait patiently before jumping into the solution.
Be Friends with Your Co-Founders
(1:11:51) “My co-founder is my best friend.” -Chris
Chris and his co-founder have complementary skill sets.
Work with someone with whom you can be brutally honest.
Make sure there is no hierarchy among co-founders and that everyone has an equal say.
Go Out or Keep Working?
Later in life, will you wish had worked more or gone out with friends and family on the weekends?
Chris would prefer to have worked hard and been productive than feel like he messed around and wasted his time.
(1:23:10) “I wish I was working.” -Chris