This day in age, being an influencer is a lucrative field for many creatives, writers and models. Not only is it profitable, but it’s fun… right?
There’s a common misconception that being an influencer is all fun and no work. In reality, it’s a ton of hard work — and it takes time to climb your way to the top. If you’re looking to be a successful influencer this year, follow these tips!
1. Let your personality shine through
When there’s competition, there’s a need to be different. That means tapping into who you are, what you offer, and ultimately, what makes you stand out from the rest. If you’re into fashion, showcase your niche. If you’re a foodie, establish authority in one area of cooking or food-reviewing. Your personality is key when it comes to influencing. After all, you have to have something to influence, right?
2. Pick your poison (aka, your social media)
Most of the time, we default to Instagram. And most of us fall into the trap of thinking that Instagram is the only way influencers make a business for themselves. That’s not always true! There’s a whole world of political influencers on Twitter, and parent influencers make bank on Facebook. Your niche is suited for a social media platform — find it!
3. Do your research
We’ll say it again: Do your research. A lot of it. Research is key when you’re an influencer because people look to you as a subject matter expert in your niche. No matter what you’re promoting, selling or endorsing, you need to know it like the back of your hand. Plus, if you’re doing a lot of writing (for social captions, for example), you’re going to have to nail down the details before trying to teach folks about it.
4. Strategize
We’ve all heard a lot about content strategy, but what about putting it in place? Content strategy plays a critical role in the life of a successful influencer. Gone are the days of posting just for fun or posting only about holidays. Content strategy is key, so be sure to map out your content at least a month ahead of time. Try making a social or editorial calendar, and don’t forget to check the grid to make sure everything is cohesive!
5. Don’t be afraid to do your thing
As simple as it sounds, you’ve got to get comfortable with being… well, you! Influencers are followed because people enjoy hearing from them. It’s like an author or a comedian who has a strong following. The reason they have those supporters is because people enjoy getting to know them. Let people know who you are, and don’t hold back!
Caveat: When you’re in the public eye, it’s important that you know just how public your information is. While it’s encouraged that you be unapologetically you, make sure you run your content by others to double-check that everything really speaks to who you are. You wouldn’t want anything offensive going out when you don’t mean for it to come off a certain way.
6. Engage with others
Seems like a no-brainer, right? While a huge part of being a successful influencer is establishing your voice, another big part of it is engaging with potential followers. Who do you want to talk to? Who’s part of your target audience? Who would like to hear your story? These are the people that you should reach out to on a regular basis.
7. Look at the metrics
Influencing is a creative career, but there’s always an element of numbers to back up your progress. In order to measure how you’re doing, you’ll need to form some sort of metric. Lots of influencers will look at follower count, likes, overall engagement, and organic reach to measure their growth. This is up to you — just make sure you’re using numbers to evaluate your hard work!
Have any suggestions that we left out? The life of an influencer is one that changes on a daily basis. After all, it’s a pretty new career path, but there are so many ways to find success as an influencer. The most important one: Get started. You’ve got this!