By now you’ve more than likely heard of the term ‘influencer’ when it comes to digital and social media marketing. But what does this term ‘influencer’ mean to you?
Well, for starters, if you have a large following on social media, particularly on Instagram, then you will want to read this entire article.
It’s thrilling to have a large number of followers on social media, right? But how much more awesome would it be to make a living by simply engaging with your followers on behalf of a brand.
What an influencer?
So now you know that having a large number of followers on social media can bring you an income, great news right? But what exactly is an influencer and more importantly how can you become an influencer for top brands?
In a nutshell, influencer marketing is where a brand pays you to influence your social media followers. However, in order to be a successful influencer, you not only need a large number of followers you also have to post content that is aligned to not only your online presence but also aligns with the brand that you are influencing on behalf of.
Basically, a brand will hire an influencer only if they have the power to influence and thereby affect the purchasing decisions of their followers.
How does an influencer ‘influence’ the buying decisions of others?
There are many reasons why a social media influencer is able to influence the purchasing decisions of their followers.
Here are a few reasons:
- Authentic
- Expert
- Authoritative
- Popular
An influencer needs to have built up a substantial, authentic audience over time by posting captivating, current and relative content. This is a time consuming process and cannot be achieved over night. A ‘real’ influencer will have a documented posting history on social media which gives them the clout to influence.
It’s advisable to try out your influencing ability on social media for a while before going into this line of business full time as competition is fierce and grows stronger by the day. For starters you can do this by completing a social media course so you can understand how social media works holistically.
How does an influencer – influence?
Being an influencer sounds appealing – doesn’t it? Absolutely! However, you must take into consideration all the pros and cons of this new career opportunity.
So, what does it take to become an influencer? Well, for starters you’ll need around about 3k followers or more on all of the social media platforms. All successful influencers are able to add a high volume of value for their sponsored posts and you’ll need to be in a position to do the same.
There are quite a few types of influencers and it would be a mistake to think that influencer marketing is brand new. Although modern online influencers are relatively new, traditional marketing such as tv, radio, and print have always used very ‘popular’ celebrities or experts to market their brand.
Online ‘influencers’ is just another form of this type of marketing and the great thing is that it’s available to anyone that is authentic, an authority in their field, and who has a loyal following and posts great content on a continual basis.
How you could become an influencer for top brands
It’s good to know that the term ‘influencer’ does not only apply to celebrities or super popular figures on social media. If you have a large loyal following and you are respected in your chosen field as an expert, you can also build your own online brand as an influencer.
Here are some great tips on how to become an influencer:
- Understand your niche – It’s crucial to fully understand your particular niche before becoming an influencer.
- Know your audience – Make sure you know what content your audience is looking for and what makes them continue to follow you.
- Be different and stand out – No one becomes a successful influencer by posting ‘blah’ run-of-the-mill content. It’s vital that your posts are different from your competition and you stand out.
- Choose your platform carefully – Not every social media channel is the same. You’ll need to choose your particular social media platform to be in sync with your brand. If you happen to be interested in a company that’s selling to customers directly online, you might want to learn more about influencer marketing for DTC brands.
