In today’s modern world, a new role is taking the job industry by storm – an influencer. An influencer is someone who has the power and following to grab people’s attention and change their opinions, whether this means influencing their buying habits or even influencing the hobbies that they take part in.
Becoming an influencer doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might initially imagine, as there are several simple steps that you can follow to start a fruitful career as an influencer in no time at all. However, there’s a lot to consider, as it takes time and effort to see results from this social-media-driven role.
So, what are you waiting for? Read on to discover more about this modern career path and whether it’s right for you.
Choose your topic
One of the most important decisions that you need to make before you can start your career as an influencer is to choose your topic of influence. As there are so many influencers around today, it’s best to specialise in one key area so that you can stand the best chance of excelling in your niche.
This means that you might choose to become a travel influencer who focuses on backpacking and other similar adventures, or you might choose to become a food influencer who presents recipes, cooking equipment and more.
Choosing your topic of influence can be a little tough when there’s so much fun stuff that you can get involved in, but it’s best to think about your background and any preexisting hobbies or passions that you’re already informed about. That way, you don’t have to learn an excessive amount of information before you can get started.
For example, if you have a business degree then you might choose to become an entrepreneurial influencer, or if you have a passion for fashion then you can start a career as a clothing and style influencer.
It’s a good idea to research each of your options to see how much fierce competition is around before you make a final decision, as it might be tricky to try and break into an influencing world that is already crammed to the brim with contenders.
Identify your platform
Although it’s common for influencers to expand their efforts after achieving considerable success, it’s fair to say that most influencers start out their career using one particular social media platform. Identifying your chosen platform should be your next priority when you are attempting to build a career as an influencer, as this can have a dramatic impact on the size of the audience that you can expect to attract.
Some websites or applications are far better suited for specific types of influencers, so you need to bear this in mind when making your decision. Streaming sites like Twitch are the perfect place for gaming influencers to grow their following, whereas a social media platform such as Instagram would be ideal for a clothing store that needs to express its style through photos and other aesthetic measures.
Take the time to research your options so that you can get a better idea of the platform’s typical user. You should also be looking into which kind of influencers currently exist on the platforms so that you can better align your own efforts with those who have already managed to achieve great success.
Start to build your page
So, now you know what you want to post about, and where you’re going to post it, it’s time to build your influencer page so that you can attract a following. One of the biggest features to consider when building a great social media page as an influencer is your aesthetic, as this is the first thing that a potential follower is going to see when they click on your page or profile.
If they are greeted with a mismatched jumble of colours that don’t match and random text fonts, then they’re likely going to click back and find a more attractive influencer page that isn’t going to clutter up their feed. No one wants to see overcomplicated posts that feature garish tones and unreadable text, so focus on building a brilliant theme that you can maintain when you post online.
Develop and refine your personal branding
A good way to do this is to pick no more than two colours and stick with one font. Choose a theme (minimalist, vintage style, modern, etc.) and make sure that this theme is present and obvious in every post that you publish. The content you create should relate directly to your intended topic of influence.
So, if you’re a fashion influencer then you can do outfit posts and clothes shopping hauls, or if you’re a fitness influencer then you can post videos of your workouts or recipes for healthy meals.
Most importantly, make sure these posts are interesting and can keep users entertained, as this is essentially the whole purpose of social media and influencing! You can make videos, take photos, create written content, podcasts, blog posts and so much more, but they need to be fun or insightful to attract attention.
Be sure to use hashtags and utilise marketing opportunities that allow you to project your posts far and wide, as this will help you to generate a good following. Attracting and keeping your followers is potentially the trickiest aspect of being an influencer, but the aforementioned recommendations will certainly be of benefit!
Find sponsorship opportunities
The way that you get paid as an influencer is generally through sponsorship opportunities, as working with brands or organisations will allow you to get paid for your influence as you gain more attention for their products or services. Of course, these sponsorship opportunities should directly relate to the topic of influence that you have chosen.
For example, you should be working with travel companies to build your reputation as a travel and holiday influencer or head to restaurants and give reviews as a food influencer. You can find sponsorship opportunities by approaching brands or organisations directly, as it’s common for them to send out free products and a good payment in return for a positive post that directs your followers towards their website or business.
Are you ready to become an influencer?
There’s definitely a lot to think about if you’re looking to get into the world of influencers. It’s all about personal branding and making sure your output is actually relevant and useful. Hopefully, some of the advice and tips shared here will give you some things to think about before making the leap.
If you’ve found this post useful then please do give it a share. For all things to do with the world of freelancing, check out some of my other posts on getting started as a freelancer or identifying your content themes. They’ll help you get your head around becoming more of an authority in your chosen field.
This is a collaborative post.
