Influencer marketing is a new wave in digital marketing that’s proving to be immensely effective for brands and marketers.
A study by Linqia found that 86% of marketers used it in 2017. And 92% of them found it to be truly effective.
Marketers are paying greater attention to influencers and increasing their budgets for influencer marketing. So, is it a good time to be a social media influencer?
Absolutely.
Ask Rachel Brathen. She is a social media influencer who makes more than $25,000 from a branded Instagram post.
Fitness influencer Lyzabeth Lopez charges between $20,000 to $100,000 for every sponsored campaign.
Obviously, it can be quite lucrative to be a social media influencer. But how do you become one?
Let’s take a look at 8 tips for becoming a social media influencer:
1. Pick Your Niche
It pays to have an innate interest and deep knowledge about something you discuss on social media. That subject can be your niche.
Perhaps you love traveling and exploring off-the-beaten-track kinds of places?
Or maybe you are an expert in style and are always aware of the latest trends in fashion?
Or perhaps you have a furry friend whom you absolutely adore, and know a great deal about caring for him or her?
Make sure to pick a subject you’re knowledgeable and passionate about and make it your niche.
Remember, the important thing here is to be authentic. If you don’t have a genuine interest and knowledge in the subject you have chosen, it will reflect in your content.
That can be detrimental to your career as a social media influencer. Your followers won’t trust you enough, and will soon start unfollowing you.
And brands will steer clear of any collaborations too.
2. Decide Your Content Strategy
In order to be a social media influencer, you need to have a solid content strategy in place.
Decide on the kind of content you will be posting. Will it be inspirational, informative, how-tos, or a combination of these?
Whatever you decide, you need to make sure that your content is useful and adds value. Only then will you see an increase in your followers.
Make sure to take great photos and videos. And enhance them if required to get that professional look. You can easily achieve this with the help of apps like Snapseed, Lightroom, or even basic Instagram edits.
Lewis Hilsenteger is a tech influencer who provides valuable information to his followers through his videos.
4. Create a Posting Schedule
To be a social media influencer, you need to have a sizable following. And for that, you need to have a posting schedule that ensures you’re consistent in posting content.
Consistency is extremely important for a social media influencer. Followers who love your content will return for more. But they will be disappointed if there’s no new content.
Some may think you’re inactive and even choose to unfollow you. Consistency can help you grow your followers organically.
You can use services like Buffer, Sprout Social, or Hootsuite to schedule your posts in advance. This can help you save time and ensure that your followers have access to a steady stream of content.
5. Network
As a social media influencer, you need a strong online presence. And that’s not limited to your social accounts alone.
You need to be a part of the community, participate in discussions, and get yourself out there.
The more visible you are, the greater are your chances of gaining more followers or being noticed by brands.
You can join relevant Facebook Groups, participate in events, or write guest posts for influential sites.
6. Deliver Value
Influencers are assets that brands bank on to achieve their marketing goals.
So, you need to deliver value to your audiences. Brands should clearly be able to see the benefit of collaborating with you.
You need to put in a great deal of thought and effort into creating content. It needs to be useful, engaging, and appealing too.
7. Engage with Audiences
You need to post content that encourages your audience to like, comment, and share your posts. In order to be a social media influencer, you need to engage with them too.
Reply to their comments and answer any questions they may have. Remember, your engagement rate is an important metric that brands look at when they consider collaborating with you.
8. Create an Outreach Strategy
To be a social media influencer, you also need a proper outreach strategy. Follow relevant brands online and engage with them. You need to be on their radar and must try to build relationships with them.
Create a visually appealing media kit that includes your value proposition and social media stats including follower demographics.
Draft a winning proposal and make sure to talk about how you can help brands with your content.
Start making a list of relevant brands in your niche, find their PR contacts, and send them your pitches.
Conclusion
No one said it’s easy to be a social media influencer. It takes a lot of hard work to grow your followers organically.
Plan a smart content strategy, choose the right platforms, and engage with your followers regularly.
Most importantly, be genuine and authentic in whatever you do. That can surely take you places.
Do you have any other tips on becoming a social media influencer? We would love to hear from you, so please feel free to share them in the comments below.
