At only 32 years of age, Waheed Al Balushi has already made a name for himself as a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, avid traveller and, more recently, a local social media star with over 150,000 followers on Instagram. In fact, he has achieved such popularity in just eight years on the platform. We caught up with Waheed Al Balushi to find out how he managed to grow his channel so quickly and how his life has changed since.
How did you get started as an Instagram influencer?
Well to be honest I used to be a rather shy person and it was hard for me to start posting my pictures on Instagram. Believe it or not, I did not even have a Facebook or Twitter account initially (when almost everyone I knew had one).
It all began in 2013, on Instagram, when I started taking pictures of myself while travelling for my holidays and posting them for my friends and family. It was only later that I decided to make my page public and see what happens. As time passed, I started noticing that people from all over Oman, and even other countries were beginning to follow me. I enjoyed interacting and communicating with different people, which in turn also increased the popularity of my page
How hard was it for you to enter such an already established online space?
Back when I started, in 2013 it was rather easy, because there was not much competition from other users in the online space, especially in the Gulf and specifically Oman. Only recently, over the past few years, has it become more crowded. Today, you cannot achieve the same level of interaction or have more people visit and choose to follow your account without having strong content.
How did you grow your channel to the size it is now and how long did it take you?
It took me almost eight years to grow my accounts; I have to say that gaining numbers was not easy. It requires the dedication of a lot of time and effort in order to provide useful and entertaining content that will draw people to your channel, asserts Waheed.
How has your life changed since becoming an influencer?
It took me some time to start realising that my life has changed, and the word “privacy” won’t exist anymore for me… at least in Oman. Let me tell you a short story as an example; I remember walking down the street one day, right after I got few things from a grocery store. I was carrying a small waste bag in my hand at the time and the nearest garbage can was a little far from me. So, I decided to make my way to the can and dispose of the trash there. A while later, I received a message from a lady who happened to be one of my followers on Instagram. She told me that she was in the same street and was waiting to see what I was going to do with the waste bag. To see if I would throw it in the street or take it to the garbage can. It was at this moment that I realised people were watching my every step and that I no longer have the same level of privacy in Oman I used to enjoy before.
What has been your biggest challenge as an influencer?
The biggest challenge I face is the fact that I must be interactive and always present in social media. If you disappear or became lazy even for a moment, they will forget you almost immediately. This is especially true now that we have such a high level of competition in in the space. So, to maintain the same level of traffic to your channel, you must sacrifice a lot of things and dedicate a lot from your time to it. As a result, taking time out for anything else has been a challenge. This has been especially true over the past two years and most definitely now with the pandemic as I have to spend more time in the office than usual, given that I live in Muscat and work in Sohar, which is a two-hour drive away.
How do you typically spend your day when trying to run and build your channel?
Typically, my schedule is busy all day. I finish my work, follow my own studies, and write my social media content. I do of course keep one day free during the week to spend time with my wonderful wife and great son, says Waheed.
On the same note, how do you engage with and build a loyal channel following?
Well, I have spent enough time building my direction in life to become who I am today, and I think I’m attracting people with the same interests or people who have the same life goals as me. I always focus on motivating and advising my audience from the experience that I have been gaining through the years.
How do you go about vetting brand collaborations or deciding if a partnership is right for you and your audience as an influencer?
After spending eight years in this field, I can say that I understand the preference of my audience rather well and I always make sure to pick things that will add value for them.
How do your followers feel about your sponsored posts and brand collabs on Instagram?
They enjoy it, as I always make sure when collaborating with any brand to ensure that my followers can benefit from it. This could be in the form of special prices, discount codes, or even just an incredibly good offer.
Any other words of wisdom for Waheed Al Balushi to share with any of our readers looking to start or grow their own channels?
You can start your channel anytime, even today, all you need to do is be creative and inspire people in your field of interest.
