If you’ve spent a lot of time on YouTube, Twitter, or Instagram, you’ve probably wondered how to become a social media influencer. It’s no wonder: social media influencers are often very well compensated, enjoy travel and other lifestyle perks, and may even make a lasting and positive impact on the world.
You can also become your own boss, get free (or discounted) experiences and products, and connect with others who share your interests and increase your visibility in your industry. Becoming a social media influencer can even increase your self-esteem as it boosts your authority and social status.
Whether you’re a fashionista, life coach, marketing consultant, aspiring entertainer, or just want to connect with people within your community, adopting certain strategies on the way to becoming a social media influencer will help you accomplish your goals more quickly.
But any advice on becoming a social media influencer would be disingenuous if it made it seem simple and easy. It certainly is not, nor does it occur overnight. Most influencers you follow and enjoy have spent years getting to where they are through hard work, lessons learned, and consistent posting of valuable, quality content.
The Basics of How to Become a Social Media Influencer
One of the first things to look at when you’re learning how to become a social media influencer is to decide which social media sites you’d like to build your brand on. To accomplish this, think about what you most enjoy creating and sharing. Do you post videos, photos, or text?
For instance: Facebook provides a platform for multiple types of media, YouTube only uploads video but can be very lucrative, and Instagram provides an outlet for both photos and videos.
Of equal importance is understanding your audience. Figure out your niche, and you can start to establish yourself as an authoritative voice within that space. Being completely and thoroughly in the know within your area of focus will ensure that your followers keep coming back for more. And the way to do that is through excellent content, which we’ll expand on below.
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How to Become a Social Media Influencer: Content is King!
Your social media content is what makes up your posts, and can include curated third-party articles with your own added commentary, infographics, original photo and video, user-generated content (reposts from your followers), blog excerpts and other original writing, and more.
You will want to make a strategy for your content. Do you have any informational priorities? Know why people should follow you, and always keep that reason in mind when developing content.
Start publishing what you have planned once you’re a few months out and think you’re prepared. Make your content captivating; it has to bring people in. This is a key point in how to become a social media influencer and can’t be overstated. Only you understand exactly what you’re trying to convey. Stick to your area of focus, but bring in fresh ideas and perspectives.
If Content is King, Community is Queen
Connect with other key influencers within your industry. This is a key step in how to become a social media influencer. Talking to others and getting their comments on your work, opinions, and ideas helps hone your approach and builds community.
And on the topic of community: nurture your following on various social media sites by cross-promoting on other platforms. Invite people on forums, fan pages, or groups in your network.
Show off your brand! Naturally, we don’t mean being braggadocious. Good content doesn’t require excessive swagger, but people need help finding it. When it comes to learning best how to become a social media influencer, sharing your content to every place available (while staying relevant) is important.
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How to Become a Social Media Influencer: The Finer Points
Provide value. Always. Part of this is inherent in the need for quality original content, as mentioned above. The other necessary component? Authenticity. Followers will respond to your genuineness, and a believable, real personality will always rise above contrivance.
Make sure your work shows progression and growth, but that you are still staying true to your audience. If you veer off topic and away from what drew your followers to you in the first place, you may see a decrease in engagement.
When it comes to how to become a social media influencer, keep in mind that it’s a slow, steady process. Encouraging community requires great content and persistent posting. The people following you will trust your voice and tell others about you.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Read our latest article and learn how to become a #SocialMedia #influencer. ” quote=”The more people you have who believe in your content, the more chance you have to grow your brand.”]
Takeaway
In the end, it’s the community that decides if you become a mega social media star. The power, ultimately, is out of your hands. But you can influence the outcome!
The best you can do is to delivery high-quality content and to make sure you’re engaging with your audience. Plann can help you do just that!
Download Plann for iOS and Android today!
