Keith Lee, Social Media, & having a Purposeful Platform
Song of the Week: Big Boi, Sleepy Brown (Feat. RENEGADE EL REY): Recreation
This week’s song of the week is a shameless plug because, why not? I co-produced this song along with my bro Brilliant Mack and it came about two years ago this week.
Y’all know the vibes… Let’s get into today’s piece.
“I got it, let’s try it and rate it 1-10.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt at some point seen Keith Lee cross your social media feed reviewing food.
He’s currently on a trip across America do reviews in places like his hometown, Las Vegas, Houston, New York, and Atlanta (I’m ashamed of us, Atlanta).
Keith’s influence in the food space has grown to a point of legend. Many small businesses are praying he can visit and help their restaurants and help them grow.
It started with a Las Vegas pizza shop, Frankenson’s, which was struggling to keep customers. Keith visited and gave it a glowing review.
The Aftermath? Business went crazy.
That same thing happened to even more businesses, and it eventually became a phenomenon that we’ve come to call:
The Keith Lee Effect.
For those unaware, The Keith Lee effect refers to boom in business that many restaurants receive after he leaves.
Some spots would be on the brink of closing, but one visit from Keith would cause them to sell out in weeks & even months to come.
It’s the best in class example of what influencers have to offer.
Why?
Because Keith is not self-serving.
And because he’s not self-serving he’s effective & able to reach a wide audience.
Shocking, right?
The thing is, marketers tend to forget that consumers don’t mind being sold to.
In fact, people will support you when it’s clear that you’re looking out for the community or, in general, just a helpful person doing your thing on social media.
Keith Lee flourishes because he uses his large following to help struggling businesses, especially at a time where all of us are trying to make ends meet.
Occasionally, he’ll do a brand deal, and rather than it being met with wide scale skepticism, people are receptive to it because of how many businesses has Keith saved from the brink.
Seriously, how many jobs or families have been positively affected by what he does?
People are naturally giving when there’s reciprocity so the feeling is
Get ya money big dawg.
If Keith does a deal with a brand, we’ll support it.
He has merch on the way? Ship me a hoodie.
Oh this a sponsored video? I see you, bruh.
People don’t really mind influencers working with brands when they’re invested in the influencer having a greater purpose.
The purpose doesn’t always have to be one of altruism — it could literally be that you’re giving away the best information you have in your particular domain of expertise for free.
Maybe that leads people down your sales funnel, but if you’re truly valuable people are cool with that.
Everyone’s gotta make money to survive - so nobody’s tripping over you getting to a bag. But just don’t cheat people out of their time and attention or compromise your integrity. That’s all.
Speaking of integrity…
Keith is honest in his reviews.
The achilles heel of most influencer partnerships is that the people reviewing the product don’t give bad reviews.
Every product is perfect and something they’d consider using.
If you’re a brand, you might as well do an infomercial at that point because people can smell the cap.
What’s great about having a purposeful platform is that people can take you at your word. It’s great for engagement and creating a fanbase.
When Keith does his reviews, it’s just like having your friend talk to you. He or she tells you point blank: “I’ma let you know if I don’t like it.”
And, in Keith’s case, he tells people what’s’ up without compromise.
That breeds trust — something you can’t buy.
Ultimately that brings us to…
ATLANTA.
I love my city, but the food scene can definitely be a bit much to navigate.
Grass walls. Hookah. $40 lamb chops.
It’s a lot.
Unfortunately, Keith got sent to the spots where most of the transplants go, but I digress.
But for marketers, creatives, and whoever reads this essay let the saga that happened in Atlanta be a reminder that you shouldn’t ask to work with influencers
IF YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.
No influencer can save a company with bad product or shitty customer service. All it will do, especially if the influencer cares about their audience, will highlight its flaws.
If Keith said his experiences were great when they weren’t, people would know that either he’s lying for a check, or was given preferential treatment — something that he hates.
Peep below to look at a portion of Keith’s adventures in Atlanta.
The reason Keith’s Atlanta reviews went viral is because he reaffirmed things that Atlanta residents have been saying for years: The restaurants have crazy rules, some give too much preference to celebrities, and other overcharge.
These were things that anyone in Atlanta could tell you,
BUT THE MAIN THING IS THIS…
Keith has built a platform with purpose at the core of it, and influencers who are fueled by purpose are the best of what social media has to offer.
For marketers & brand stewards alike, it can be hard to find someone who can deliver the results you need, or give you the scale you’re looking for, while having that deeper purpose to what they do, but it’s possible.
There’s likely a Keith Lee in your category right now — someone just below the radar, who’s on a mission to transform the world with everything that they touch.
If you ever get a chance to work with them, do it. And for the love of God, remove as much red tape as possible. That’s how you get the magic.
One.