If you’ve ever dreamed of being a voice for important causes, then becoming an influencer could be your calling. Besides being a voice for change, Shane Barker notes that you could also potentially make a lucrative income while you’re at it, as well as enjoy all the perks that come with being your own boss. So, if that’s your goal in life, Lauren Design Co. reveals how to make a name for yourself on social media.
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So, what exactly is an influencer?
Suppose, you have a general idea of what an influencer is but, you require a little more information before you leave your current job to take it up influencing full-time. If so, it would help if you are already an expert in your field, or if you’ve managed to grow a substantial following on social media, in particular. In other words, people know you or know about you. Once you've reached this level of clout, you can expect companies to reach out to you to help extend their reach just by having that association with you.
How to know if it’s for you
Generally speaking, if you desire to be an influencer you should be a people-person. Furthermore, you should be digitally savvy with a keen interest in social media. And because many successful influencers know how to generate content that gets noticed, you should possess a high level of creativity too. However, becoming an influencer is not as technical as it sounds; what’s most important is that you have a passion that you’re passionate about with a burning desire to share it with those around you.
How to get started
As with any profession, you will need to wrap your head around the basics to get going. This will most probably involve investing time into growing your social media presence. Here’s how to start with the basics of establishing a social media account.
What is your passion?
First things first, you'll have to decide what you'll be posting about. And because you will have to post consistently about it, it’ll help if you are passionate about the topic you’ll be creating content around. Here, authenticity is key as this will shine through in the message you’re trying to communicate. So, choose something of genuine interest to you and you will undoubtedly attract a like-minded audience in no time.
Create an attractive looking profile and bio
As they say, a picture usually speaks a thousand words. So, if you want to leave a great impression on others, making sure that your profile looks appealing and as interesting as possible is a good place to start.
Create content
Then, as Intechnic points out, you'll want to get started on creating valuable content that your target audience wants to see. Again, you should stick to your niche whether it be sports, food, entertainment, or celebrities, and create interesting content around that. For example, if you're a fashion blogger, then you could create a content strategy around the best clothing picks for the season. You could also give your review on these yourself and hopefully attract reviews you’ll be paid for at a later stage.
Content plays a huge role in your marketing efforts. It’s all about branding and reaching your business goals. Content marketing is a specialized area of advertising and business promotion, so it's worth doing some research on the topic to make sure you're effectively putting it into practice. You can turn to online resources like Cornerstone Content to help you learn what you need to know.
Interact with your audience
Of course, you’ll also have to maintain an active social media presence to let your audience know you are on standby to answer their queries or reply to their comments. Basically, it'll show that you care about what they have to say, and it will give credibility to your new role.
Post regularly
Also, if you want to extend your reach, then you'll also need to post as often as you can. Again, the number of times you can post can vary from platform to platform. Just do a little research and you’re sure to discover what works for you and your audience. Don’t forget to highlight the fact that you’re interested in collaborating if the opportunity presents itself.
Popular tools that can help you in your influencer journey
As far as extending your reach goes, there are tools you can use to help you market yourself better. There are also tools to help you save time if you want to create and post content quicker such as Sprout or Hootsuite for example. You’ll also probably want to have a good camera and tripod if quality pictures are going to be a huge component of your content marketing strategy.
Suppose you've decided on a social media platform that will work the best for you and Facebook happens to be it. You can use its ad generator function to access a Facebook ad template and create ads quickly with a Facebook ad template using its customizable features that will let you choose your own colors, logo, font, etc.
In summary, becoming an influencer is sure to be great fun if you’re up for a bit of adventure of the social media kind. Don’t forget to stick with your passion, optimize content for your marketing purposes, and post on a regular basis. You’re certain to make a difference in the lives of many as you pursue a career that’s more to you than just a job.
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