With the advent of social media and its popularity among the youth several people have become famous and have created a new scope of career opportunities known as ‘influencer’. The influencer market has boomed with the growth of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, etc.
From big to small all brands see the importance of influencer marketing and invest in it rather than other forms of marketing. If you are unique and have a fan following, this field will give you great returns on little investment. It is time-consuming but highly lucrative.
Nowadays every teenager wants to become an influencer and thinks it is easy money. But that is not true. Becoming an influencer takes a lot of skills and more importantly your time and money. Only if you reach a certain stage will brands work with you and will social media sites pay you for your posts.
If you want to enter the influencer market or are in it but want tips to up your game, you are in the right place. Let's dive into some interesting ways in which you can boost your profile and enter the influencer market.
8 Tips to becoming a Social Media Influencer:
1. Select your platform
There are several social media platforms like Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, Facebook, etc. You cannot become an influencer at all. You have to choose what type of content you want to create for example- photographs, videos, or short clips. Based on the type of content you can choose 1 or 2 platforms where you will focus and create your account.
For example, if you want to become a travel blogger and influencer and create video content that is 10 to 15 minutes long then ‘Youtube’ should be your topmost platform. You can also create an Instagram profile to drive people from Instagram to your Youtube channel.
2. Choose your niche
People follow influencers because they know a specific field. Nobody wants to follow people who do not add value to their lives and do not share information that they do not know.
Hence if you want to make it big in the influencer industry choose your niche. Choose an area that isn't explored. An area which people usually do not talk about or do not know.
This will make you unique and stand out among others. But keep in mind to choose a niche you are passionate about because you will have to research and work on it for most parts of your day.
3. Create an inviting account
Whatever platform you select, make sure your account is visually attractive. Keep an interesting username, profile picture, bio. This will intrigue people and they will visit your account.
The first few seconds are crucial when a user goes to our account. If it attracts the user he will want more and will immediately follow you.
Create a business or a creator's account to enable various features which will help you in gaining popularity.
4. Start posting!
This is the best and the most crucial part. Create different kinds of content such as small videos, photographs, stories, etc. Various apps, especially Instagram provide various ways in which you can upload content.
Use all the features provided by the platform for maximum engagement. Share content that spreads knowledge. People love to tag their friends or save these kinds of posts for later reference. If your post just states the obvious and is nothing new people might just like it and forget about it.
Bakers, chefs, and small businesses have started sharing videos on tips and tricks, smart hacks, DIY’s, and entertaining posts rather than simply displaying their products and services. This is because people will not engage with photos of cakes but they will engage with a photo of 8 mistakes while baking! This is simply because they did not know about this.
5. Know your audience
Knowing your audience is very important to growing on social media. If you understand the audience you can mold your content according to their interests.
One of the ways of knowing your audience is through app insights. Instagram, Facebook provides insights on each post such as the number of views, the age group of the views, their genders, their interests, and engagement with the post.
This way you can understand the strata of people consuming your content. Because your content is not for everyone!
You can also use Instagram story features such as Polls, Question feature, Multiple choice feature, to ask questions to your followers, know them better, get their opinions and feedback, and interact with them. This will build a personal connection between you all and enhance your online persona.
6. Formulate a content strategy
Plan on the number of days you will post, the time, the type of content, the captions, etc. Make sure you post on time when you get the maximum engagement. Do not randomly post anytime you feel like it.
Algorithms of social media platforms change from time to time. Hence, try to understand them and keep updating your content strategy.
7. Be consistent
“Consistency is the key to success”
Be focused and constantly post on your social media accounts. If you do not have content you can upload stories or small updates about future projects to keep the audience excited.
You should decide if you want to include your personal life in your influencer account or not. You can either post about your niche and not include your personal life in it or you can upload some content about your life.
8. Let brands reach you
Make such a mark on your followers that brands and companies come to you rather than you reaching out to them. Brand collaborations will help you gain publicity as well as earn money out of your profession.
These are some tips that can help you enter and improve yourself in the influencer market.