Did you know that social influencers have existed in the modern-day since the 1930s?
Becoming a social media influencer these days is not as easy. Whether you want to become Instagram famous or YouTube famous, these websites are dense with hundreds of thousands of users that have the same idea you do.
However, it is still possible to become an influencer with the right plan in place.
Read to learn all about the first steps you need to take to become a social media influencer today!
Read: 10 Proven Ways to Make Millions on Social Media
What is a Social Media Influencer?
An Internet influencer is a popular brand or person in their niche. Through their content, they consistently engage with followers and have become the authority in that field. The keyword is “influence.”
Social media influencers are able to influence their followers because of their sheer popularity and likability. If they recommend a certain product or service, their followers are far more likely to use it. This is why influencers are powerful assets when it comes to marketing.
It’s important to remember that there are different levels of influencers:
● Mega – More than 1 million followers
● Macro – Between 40,000 and 1 million followers
● Micro – Between 1,000 and 40,000 followers
● Nano – Fewer than 1,000 but highly engaged followers
If you become an influencer, companies will want to work with you in order to sell their products or to promote their brands.
How to Become a Social Media Influencer
Becoming a social media influencer starts with becoming a consistent content creator with an emphasis on quality. Instead of working to attract brands, work to build a loyal audience of people who love what you do. Here are the first few steps:
Choose Your Niche
You cannot be an influencer if you do not have a specific niche. Social media platforms are simply too crowded to become jack-of-all-trades.
Consider your interests, talents, and your experiences. Look at the Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts you follow and see if you can identify their niches. Here are a few to give you an idea:
● Body-building
● Interior decoration
● Healthy eating and cooking
● Beauty
● Style
● Travel
● Dance
● Woodworking
● Gaming
Remember that you can even try blending two niches together, such as becoming a roller skater with an emphasis on body-building. Take time choosing a niche that you can create quality content for and bring your own unique voice to the forefront.
Choose Your Platform
Once you have an idea of your niche, you will next want to choose a platform. The best platform is one that your target audience is predominantly using.
Although the majority of influencers choose to use Instagram, TikTok may be a better platform if the majority of your audience is Gen Z. A short-form video format may also be better to display your content.
We recommend focusing on one platform first because you do not want to spread yourself too thin on multiple platforms. An influencer will have thousands of followers on predominantly one platform, not a few hundred followers on three different ones.
As your followers and influence grow, you will be able to branch out and promote your content on other websites.
Create Unique Content
One of the hardest aspects of becoming an influencer is that you have to consistently create quality content that your audience will enjoy. Without captivating content, you won’t attract followers. However, the best content can inspire them to engage as well as share your content with friends and family.
Read: 15 Best Tools for Creating Compelling Content
You need to have a unique voice in order to stand out from the crowd, so it is important to incorporate that into every piece of content you post. For instance, the model Chrissy Teigen exploded on social media because of her refreshingly grounded and humorous posts about her daily life. Unlike many models, her predominantly female audience finds her relatable.
We recommend using a content scheduler such as Sprout Social, Later, Preview, and more. Schedulers allow you to create content and plan out when they’ll be posted ahead of time, making it easier to publish consistently. You’ll also be able to see how Instagram posts look on your grid to ensure that there’s a similar aesthetic.
Engage With Followers
Even if you only have a hundred followers, it’s important that you’re engaging with them consistently. The difference between an influencer and someone posting about their daily life is that an emphasis is placed on building relationships with followers.
For that reason, make sure that you’re responding to comments as well as leaving your own likes and comments. You can also plan giveaways, create polls on Instagram Stories, and ask questions in your captions.
Gaining more followers should be secondary to interacting and engaging with the followers you already have! You won’t receive instant TikTok likes or Instagram likes if you’re not consistently engaging.
Don’t Forget Hashtags
Last but not least, it’s important not to forget that hashtags still play a role in your reach. From Instagram to TikTok, using relevant hashtags for your posts will help you reach a wider audience and attract more engagement.
Platforms differ on how many hashtags to use. For instance, Instagram influencers often use between nine to the full thirty. Use a combination of hashtags based on what you can see in the photo and video, community hashtags, and branded hashtags.
Instead of using the most popular hashtags with millions of posts, opt for more niche hashtags that will get you more engagement.
Focus on Quality and Engagement
When it comes to becoming a social media influencer, you need to understand that it will not happen overnight. You need to have a plan in place for your niche, your unique selling proposition (USP), and a focus on creating quality content on a consistent basis.
Many people give up after a few months or even a year if they do not see the numbers they desire. However, it is important to get started with a niche you love in order to keep going.
Ready for media that are more social tips? Keep reading the blog for more informative articles that can get your following going!
