So, you want to have an influence on the world in some way, shape, or form? You and thousands of people out there! Being an influencer on social media has become one of the largest trends in the world and more and more people are striving to learn about this somewhat confusing industry.
Before pursuing the journey to become an influencer on social media, you must first understand if it truly is the right path for you. It seems like a fun job; you get to work from home, at your own hours, creating your own content. You are your own boss, what can beat that? Though it’s all true, being an influencer on social media is really done by only a certain type of person. It is surely not a short-term commitment.
The biggest advantage is definitely that you get to do what you love. The disadvantage is that you have to hustle and grind almost non-stop through your days whether you feel like it, or not. When you work so hard to gain an audience that enjoys your content and looks forward to your postings, you can’t let them down by disappearing for days on end just because you are having a hiccup in life.
The great news is that digital influencing is a market that is on the rise and more people today, than ever before, are able to make a living as influencers on social media. Bloggers (in other terms) are able to quit their day jobs and some even retire their spouses because the income coming in is far greater than they’ve seen before.
Studies show that influencers/bloggers on Instagram alone are powering a $1.7 billion industry. YouTubers that have anywhere from one to three million subscribers earn an average of $125,000 per post. With wealth like this, please tell me how digital influencing ISN’T a career? There are many naysayers out there that don’t believe it’s a reputable career…simply because they don’t understand it.
Read More: Mommy Bloggers Turned Authors: Their Inspiring True Stories
Of course, there is no guaranteed success when you’re an influencer on social media. If you aren’t doing something you truly enjoy and love, you will find yourself struggling to find the will power to stay committed.
So, are you cut out to be an influencer on social media? Let’s find out.
What It Takes
If you understand your niche and get your content strategy on lock, you’re likely headed in the direction of success as an influencer on social media. Whether it’s on Instagram or another social channel, you’ll grow your own community with people from all over the globe. This sets you up for success when it comes to the digital influencing business.
Let’s take a look at the key components that are a must when launching a career in influencing/blogging.
Find Your Niche
What are you really passionate about? What is it that you can’t stop talking about or are an expert in? It could be fashion/style, beauty, motherhood, travel, wellness, recipes, fitness, etc. Whatever niche you set out to pursue is the first most important component of your business. It will define your entire career as an influencer on social media.
A lot of bloggers have multiple interests, so they set forth to become lifestyle influencers, where they cover a few different topics. Being a lifestyle blogger can, however, get messy if not carefully executed. If lifestyle is your niche, try to keep it to about 2-4 sub-categories.
Select Your Social Media Channel(s)
Ideally, you want to pick one to two social media channels that you feel comfortable with. If your niche is targetted towards educating small business owners, your best bet is to start your influence on LinkedIn. If you’re a natural in front of a video camera, then YouTube is an excellent choice. Instagram is great for those who enjoy creative photography. And a blog website is ideal for those who have a talent for creative writing. Selecting your social media channel will be based on what your niche is and what you are most familiar and comfortable with.
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Find Your Target Audience
This is a crucial step when setting up your career as an influencer on social media. This component comes before even understanding what type of content you’d like to create because without a tightly defined target audience, you will have a hard time knowing what kind of content will turn into engagement. Generally, engagement is measured in terms of comments, likes, post clicks, and shares.
Having a high percentage of engagement on your choice of social media channel shows that your audience is interested in your brand. Not only that, but platforms with high engagement are also an attraction for big brands to notice you and offer a collaboration. Which is exactly how to grow your blog to higher levels!
Create Valuable Content
Good content is anything that will add value to the reader’s life; a takeaway. Your niche will already be broad (such as: fashion, beauty, wellness, recipes, etc.); make your specific content something different than what readers already see on the internet. If you are a fashion blogger, don’t make your content mediocre like every other fashion blog out there. Maybe you can specialize in motherhood fashion or fashion for your twin daughters.
The point is, make your content different than what’s out there on the web. Readers are not as interested in your niche if they can’t connect with you on a personal and genuine level. On that note, you must stay authentic and truthful; it is always obvious when an influencer on social media is fabricating their life.
Content Strategy
If you want to thrive as an influencer on social media, you absolutely need to have a strategy for your work. Working from home at your own pace sounds like a dream, but it’s much harder than people realize. Self-discipline is a very difficult habit to instill, but once you do it, you will flourish. Your content strategy has to be based on consistency.
Find a schedule that works for you. For example, you can have a rule that you will post content every Sunday and Wednesday. Or, you will share yourself on Instagram stories daily, providing valuable takeaways for your audience and perhaps post a photo once a day on your Instagram feed linking to your outfit, home decor, recipes, etc. The majority of influencers on social media make a living off of blogging because they are constantly and consistently executing on a content strategy.
Network And Collaborate
Probably one of the most exciting parts of being an influencer on social media is connecting with other influencers; people and brands that you don’t even know on a personal level! This is also a powerful way to get your brand out to a higher reach and grow. Connect with other bloggers that you can relate to, collaborate, and create combined content that can help both parties succeed.
Read More: 11 Mom Blogs You Can’t Parent Without
Create A Website
Although not 100% necessary to be a successful influencer on social media, creating a blog website is highly recommended. Sure, you can rely solely on social media channels such as Instagram or Facebook, but you do not own your social media channel. Having a website allows you to set up some real estate that you have control over.
It’s a small price to pay but it solidifies your blogging career that much more; not to mention, makes you appear far more professional than if you utilized just a social media channel. The best approach is using your social media channel to drive traffic towards your blog website, where you go in-depth about your content.
Self-confidence And Motivation
You need to have an inner drive to operate successfully as an influencer on social media. Before starting this journey, you have to understand that there will be people who will not support you, mostly because they don’t understand the industry or they lack self-confidence for themselves. There will be naysayers who will make you question your self-confidence in this industry. You have to be sure this is for you, otherwise, the community around you who don’t believe in you WILL affect your motivation to succeed as an influencer.
A lot of bloggers who are starting out are fearful of the judgments they will receive from the people that don’t really matter. Understand that this will happen, but it will also pass. You will realize that the community that supports your passions and goals is much larger than the small number of people who root against you. Self-confidence means growth, which means collaborations, which means income! Think big and play big; the noise disappears eventually.
The influencers on social media that you find as inspiration did not wake up one morning and become successful. They did not gain hundreds of thousands of followers overnight. It is a constant work in progress and there will never be a time where you stop engaging and growing. If you follow the above guidelines, you will surely see the results unfolding. Don’t count the actual number of followers on your subscription list or Instagram account, just focus on whether the number is consistently rising.
Being an influencer on social media involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but it’s one hell of a fun ride!
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out our article on 10 Ways to Make Money on the Internet When You Work from Home.
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Sources: DigitalMarketing.org
