Did you know that social media is one of the fastest growing markets on the planet? Or that the intrinsically related niche of influencer marketing is growing almost as fast? Well, now you know. As of today, the influencer marketing industry is worth an incredible $20 billion dollars, and as you can imagine, this makes it a highly competitive industry.
So if you want to compete with some of Australia’s top social media influencers, you’re gonna have to bring your ‘A game’. And that means getting off to the best possible start. With this in mind, we’ve created this simple step-by-step guide that includes our top social media influencer tips for getting started in the industry.
Trust us, if you want to know how to become a social media influencer, you’re in the right place.
Introduction
Becoming a social media influencer is a dream shared by many, but achieved by few. With the rise of social media, the influencer marketing industry has grown exponentially, offering a lucrative career path for those who can build a loyal following and create engaging content.
In this article, we will explore the world of social media influencers, their benefits, and provide a step-by-step guide on how to become a successful social media influencer.
What is a Social Media Influencer?
A social media influencer is an individual who has built a significant following on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or X(Twitter). They have the power to influence their audience’s purchasing decisions, opinions, and behaviors through their content. Social media influencers can be categorized into different types, including nano influencers, micro influencers, and macro influencers, based on their follower count and engagement.
Benefits of Being a Social Media Influencer
Being a social media influencer comes with numerous benefits, including:
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Earning money through sponsored posts, brand partnerships, and affiliate marketing
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Building a loyal community of followers who share similar interests
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Increasing brand awareness and credibility
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Having the opportunity to work with brands and businesses in your niche
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Creating content that inspires and educates your audience
1. Choose the Right Niche for Becoming a Successful Social Media Influencer
People dream of becoming an influencer that reaches millions of people across the globe in just a few short months. But let’s be realistic — that kind of career trajectory happens to the very few and the very lucky.
So instead of trying to pick a niche that you think will be super popular and pull in followers by the thousands, instead think of a niche that you are passionate about. It could be fitness, pet care, cooking, or even DIY. Of course, those particular niches are incredibly popular and so extremely competitive.
So you might want to narrow it down even further to one specific aspect of a general niche. For example, you could focus on baking with fruit or DIY with wood. Then again you might go for something that is completely off the radar such as massage for pets.
Whatever it is that you choose, try to make it something that you are either passionate about or have a lot of experience with. That way, you can speak with authority on the topic. Optimizing your social media accounts for the chosen niche is also crucial to enhance your online presence and make relevant information accessible to your followers.
Just remember that you do not need to be afraid of choosing the wrong niche. If you get into a niche and it is not working for you, just go ahead and choose something else.
2. Experiment With Social Media Platforms
Once you have decided on your first niche, you’ll need to figure out which platform to work with. Facebook may be the largest social media platform, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the right choice for you. Same goes for TikTok or Instagram.
Now, your choice of niche could have a significant impact on your choice of platform. If you’re targeting an older demographic then Facebook might be a better option. However, if your target audience is quite young, then TikTok could be the right choice. So take a look at people who are doing something similar in your niche and see which platform they get the most engagement on. Chances are, that will be your best bet.
And don’t be afraid to work on multiple platforms. Most influencers will focus on one main platform but then share their content on other platforms. This is why you often see a ton of TikTok videos shared as Reels on Facebook. Maintaining a strong social media presence across different platforms is crucial for nurturing engagement and building a community.
3. Target a Specific Audience
Remember it’s quality over quantity in everything you do as an influencer. And that even extends to your followers. While having a following that numbers in the hundreds of thousands or even millions might look impressive, it’s all about how those followers engage with content.
So this is why we suggest that you narrow your focus to a specific target audience. Instead of trying to please everyone with content that appeals to a general audience, laser target your content to the audience that you know is most likely to engage. That’s because these are the people that will punch in those credit card details when eventually have something to promote in the future.
Think through the demographics of your ideal audience. Think through what they pay attention to and what their challenges are. Keep learning about them and create content that speaks directly to them. Understanding social media users and their preferences is crucial for effectively targeting and engaging them in your marketing strategies.
4. Create Your Unique Visual Identity
Creating a unique visual identity is crucial for standing out in a crowded social media landscape. Your visual identity should reflect your personality, values, and brand aesthetic. Here are some tips to help you create a unique visual identity:
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Develop a consistent color palette and typography
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Use high-quality images and graphics that reflect your brand aesthetic
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Create a logo that represents your brand and is recognizable
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Use a consistent tone and language in your captions and comments
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Experiment with different formats, such as videos, stories, and IGTV
5. Optimize Your Online Presence
Optimizing your online presence is essential for becoming a successful social media influencer. Here are some tips to help you optimize your online presence:
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Use keywords relevant to your niche in your bio and captions
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Ensure your social media profiles are complete and up-to-date
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Use high-quality profile pictures and banners that reflect your brand aesthetic
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Engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages
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Use social media analytics tools to track your performance and adjust your strategy accordingly
By following these steps and tips, you can create a strong foundation for becoming a successful social media influencer. Remember to stay consistent, engage with your audience, and continuously adapt to changes in the social media landscape.
6. Put Together a Publishing Schedule
Once you have ideas for that high-value content you know your audience is going to love, it’s time to decide when to publish it. If you publish your stuff haphazardly, you’ll minimize its potential impact and that’s the last thing you want to do. Consistent social media posts are crucial to engage your audience and take advantage of social media algorithms.
Learn about your niche and audience. Put together some ideas about the times that they are most active on social media. For example, if you’re targeting stay-at-home parents, then the middle of the day when kids are taking a nap might be your golden hour to hit publish.
It will take time to nail this down so don’t be afraid to experiment and see which times get the most traction for your content. Within a few short weeks you’ll know exactly when to share and at that point you can automate your publishing schedule.
7. Use Social Media Influencer Strategies
Once you have all the basics that we mentioned above sorted, you’ll need to focus on generating traffic. As you may have guessed, influencers have developed many strategies to make this happen. Social media influencing offers flexibility and requires choosing a niche, creating engaging content, being authentic and responsive to the audience, and consistent posting and networking to establish a successful career.
You can follow the latest hashtags and use them to increase your visibility. You can set up a chatbot to engage with your audience. And as we mentioned above, you can figure out what time of day people are most likely to view your content.
Keep trying different strategies and in time you’ll be able to focus on the ones that bring you the most success.
8. Consider Collaborating
Once you have a reasonably-sized following, consider connecting with collaborators. After all, it’s better to view others in your niche as collaborators rather than competitors. This is because combining your audiences can help both of you to achieve your respective goals. Of course, you may not want to collaborate with someone who is doing exactly the same thing as you, but it would certainly be a good idea to create some content with someone who is in your general niche. Collaborating with other influencers can significantly increase your audience exposure and drive more traffic to your profiles.
Ideally, you’ll be collaborating with businesses (and getting paid to do so) in the not too distant future, but you’ll need to build up that following before a business will take a punt on working with you.
9. Invite Your Audience to Engage
Social media is already designed for audiences to engage in certain ways — it’s what the entire industry is built on. So ask your audience to engage. Ask them questions or ask for suggestions for content. Do whatever it takes to get them commenting or sharing your content. These engagement metrics are what businesses will want to see when they’re looking to collaborate with you. The relevance and engagement of an influencer’s audience are crucial in attracting brands for collaborations.
As you can see from the tips listed above, knowing how to become a social media influencer and get paid requires quite a bit of experimentation. So don’t be afraid to try different things aside from our suggestions above. Eventually you’ll find your groove and what works for you best in terms of your brand and engagement with your audience. Once you’ve got that nailed down, it’s just a matter of keep on keepin’ on.
Stick with it, and when you’re at a point where you feel like you’ve got an active and engaged following, get in touch with the team here at Hunter and we’ll see if we can connect you with some of our amazing clients.
