Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live the life of that internet celebrity you�??ve been following? Have you ever wondered how they went from a common person to someone with thousands of followers and fans? Have you ever wondered how YOU could do the same?
Well, look no further because we have the inside scoop for you!
If we�??re being honest, the life of a successful social media influencer takes a lot of hard work. Although, yes, on the outside it looks very glamorous and entertaining, it is also a full-time career for most people and requires hours upon hours of dedication. Whether it�??s in the brainstorming, filming, or editing of the content, sometimes it takes a whole team of people (or just you and your one-man band) to properly execute the work satisfactorily.?�
That said, if you believe that being a social media influencer is what you want to do, then let�??s dive into how you can be a successful one!
#1: Choose your niche based on you, not what�??s trendy.
A common mistake and misconception that people have when starting in this field is the belief that you need to choose a niche that is trending in order to get popular. This is false. Every niche in the world has its audiences, so your choice should not be based on what could go viral in a few months. Instead, it should be focused on what you love to do and what you want to share with the world.?�
The reason for this is simple - you will enjoy doing what you like. In the long run, it would be easier on yourself to be an active member in a community that you have an interest in. Besides that, your audience will be able to tell if you�??re �??faking�?� it and this could be detrimental to your social credibility, so why put yourself through that hassle in the first place??�
Your recognition to the public will be based on your passion and how you choose to share that, so dig deep! If you�??re not sure what kind of influencer profile you want to start with, ask yourself these simple questions:
- What am I good at?
- What am I passionate about?
- What am I interested in?
#2: Choose the right platform according to your niche.
The next step is to choose the proper platform based on the niche you�??ve selected. One way to do this is by manually exploring the different social media platforms available to you and determining which is home to your target audience. Remember, your chosen audience plays a key role in your success!
Another way that might help you decide is by researching your �??competitors�?� and finding out which platforms work best for them. Of course, this doesn�??t mean that you have to stick with one platform only, as most social media influencers are known to use at least two different platforms for different forms of content curation.
At the end of the day, the social media platform you choose to work on will also rest on the kind of content you want to create in the long term and how easy it is for you to produce it frequently. Some contents work better for different platforms, such as music on Spotify or recipe blogging on Pinterest, so don�??t limit yourself to only the bigger named platforms if there are others that will better suit your niche
#3: Develop a content strategy and calendar.
Once that�??s done, it�??s time to start figuring out the strategy for your social media profile�??s content curation. A tried and tested principle that some influencers use is known as the 5-3-2 rule - out of 10 posts per week, 5 postings are reshared content from other creators,?� 3 postings are audience-relevant content by you, and 2 postings are personal content that humanise your brand.?�
The next part is the one that most social media strategists dread - the planning of content calendar. In order to be successful on social media, you will need to post on a regular basis as some platforms reward active users through its viewers algorithm. What this means is that you have to either manually post your content or subscribe to a service tool that helps you upload your work at a specified time, preferably when your audience is most active.?�
But before that, your work is to map out goals for the month and decide what you want to achieve with each post. Is it to educate your audience on your niche? Is it to advocate for a product or service? Is it to share your personality? These questions will help give your content direction and make it easier to craft. It also helps to establish the frequency of each type of posting, strengthening the vision of your brand.
#4: Define your audience.
It�??s been a few months now since you�??ve started curating your profile and garnering followers, so what should you do next? Analyse!
It�??s important to discover who your audience is and what they�??re like. This means researching their demographics, psychographics, and online habits to understand how to better cater to their needs and wants, while still staying true to the values of your own work. Through this, you�??re able to create relevant content that meets the expectations,?� emotional motivations, and cultural and social context of your audience. In other words, you have a basic insight into their characters and can use this to satisfy their thirst for �??what is in it for me�?�.?�
Some questions to consider when building your perception of your audience:
- What is the age range?
- Which gender is greater in numbers?
- What is the common race/language?
- What are the common interests?
- What kind of activities do they participate in?
- How active are they online?
- What are their values and beliefs?
#5: Build a plan to generate traffic strategically.
The last part that should be focused on is designing a plan to give rise to traffic on your social media profile and postings. The purpose of this is to increase the opportunities for building impressions, relationships, and sharing your brand with a wider audience outside your current circle of influence.?�
One way that is widely practised in digital marketing is by using search-engine-optimised (SEO) keywords when curating your profile and content captions/titles. For example, if your niche is baking then your social media name or bio should include keywords related to that, such as baker. The same can be said for using hashtags that are relevant to your postings, whether they are existing ones or personalised ones made for your profile.
In terms of user engagement, you should look none other than at the call-to-action (CTA) phrases that can be used to increase commentary from your audience. This helps to strengthen the bond with your followers and also build a community around your brand. Through this, loyalty can be made and then converted into actual fans who stay with you because they�??re invested in your life journey as well.
?�
Now that you�??re all caught up on how to be a genuine social media influencer, it�??s time to put those skills into practice and learn how to monetise your massive following! All you have to do is sign up an account with Partipost and join campaigns to collaborate with brands that you love!
?�