What’s an effective way to boost brand exposure and increase your revenue? Become a social media influencer!
Influencer marketing works – and it’s a powerful way to advertise, keep your audience engaged, and make a profit.
First, let’s define what an influencer is and why you might want to become one. Then we’ll look at some tips to help your business gain influencer status in your industry.
What is a Social Media Influencer?
These days, most consumers don’t trust celebrity endorsements of products. Instead, they’re more likely to get advice from people they perceive as credible peers.
That’s where social media influencers come in. These laid-back and subtle marketers are usually ordinary people who promote brands to their followers. Some influencers have large audiences (up into the millions) on more than one platform, but that’s not always the case.
The important thing is that influencers provide transparency and knowledge about products. When they share information, their followers trust what they say. Because they are seen as trustworthy, they are highly effective at driving conversions when they make recommendations.
What is a Micro-Influencer?
Micro influencer status may be more attainable since they usually have between 1,000 and 100,000 followers. And when it comes to niche marketing, a small following can be especially effective and explains why the popularity of micro-influencers is growing among well-known name brands. The key to becoming a micro-influencer is identifying your niche and working diligently to connect with its audience.
Why Become an Influencer?
Here are a few reasons to consider becoming a social media influencer:
- Become a thought leader in your industry.
- Earn extra income from brand deals with other companies in addition to the income from your own products and services.
- Promote your own business while you’re promoting other brands.
- Allows you to have a voice and a platform for causes and products you support.
- Become a trusted source for driving conversions.
4 Tips to Become an Influencer in Your Field
With hard work and determination, you can become an influencer in your niche and boost your visibility and revenue. Here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Find Your Niche
This first step is crucial if you want to be successful. The more passionate you are about your niche, the easier it will be to attract an audience and maintain engagement.
Make sure your choice is something you believe in and reflects your personality – that’s the only way people will relate to and trust you.
2. Choose Your Channel
Before becoming an influencer, you need to decide which social media channels are best for your kind of content. Then start building your profile on these channels. Certain platforms may be better than others – depending on your niche.
The key is choosing a platform your audience uses regularly. For example, if your topics are more business-oriented, LinkedIn may be the most practical choice. However, millennials prefer Instagram and Snapchat over most other channels.
3. Create Content Strategy
The most important thing you need to become an influencer is relevant and valuable content that resonates with your audience. Your posts should be genuine and unique enough to attract followers – and keep them coming back for more.
Quality content will also help attract other brands – this is an essential part of being an influencer.
In addition, followers expect consistency and commitment in social influencers, so you’ll need to create relevant content frequently. Regular posting leads to more content – and more opportunities for followers to share your post.
Learn more about how to keep content relevant here.
4. Grow Your Community
To be an influencer, it’s vital that you grow your community. Remember, your followers are the ones driving your growth and potential. So, how can you accomplish this goal?
Use hashtags, engage with your followers, and partner with other influencers and brands – these strategies will help you grow your community. Your engagement rate will also affect how often your posts are shared around social media channels, so make sure you engage consistently with your followers (and even the followers of other influencers) in your niche. Influencers are just ordinary people with a platform – and engaging with your followers makes this clear.
Another way to grow your community is to invite your followers to participate in groups and fan pages. Also, if you’re active on multiple platforms, make sure you share content across all channels – cross-promoting will help increase visibility for your posts.
Finally, leave comments or ‘like’ posts from other influencers in your field. Their followers may notice you and check out your platforms as well.
Bottom Line
It takes time, effort, and patience to see results, so stay determined, create quality content, and engage with your followers. Your hard work will pay off and you’ll have the social media following you need to become an influencer!
Impact Group Marketing is a digital marketing agency based in Bryan/College Station. If you’d like to learn more about our social media management programs, contact us today for a FREE consultation. We’d love to help you become a social media influencer in your industry.