If you’re enticed by a career as a social media influencer, you aren’t alone. Becoming one may seem like a long shot, but it isn’t. In fact, all it really takes is a solid social media presence, commitment, and consistency.
Globally, there are between 3.2 million and 37.8 million influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. So if you want to stand out and grow your reputation as one, it’s best to get started now.
These tips can help you grow your presence on social media and become a respected influencer over time.
Learn About Branding and Define Yours
One thing successful influencers have in common is a definitive brand. They know who they are, what their values are, and what their mission is. They also know their audience, what they’re trying to provide them, and how to best connect with them.
You must learn as much as you can about branding and define your own because that will ultimately differentiate you from the millions of influencers out there.
You can start with your visual branding elements, like your logo, color themes, and fonts. After that, dig into how you’ll let your personality shine in your brand.
As they say, “Your brand is your bread and butter.” So, put in the effort to build it like it is.
Create an Intentional Social Media Marketing Strategy
Taking off as an influencer is nearly impossible without an intentional social media marketing strategy. Posting whatever you want here and there isn’t going to cut it.
You can write down or digitally document your social media marketing strategy. Your strategy should answer the overall question, “How will I grow my social media presence to establish myself as an influencer?”
Detail the following in your strategy:
- Relevant and attainable goals;
- Metrics you will track to mark when you meet your goals;
- The social media platforms you want to establish a presence on;
- Who your social media audience is on each of your platforms;
- The type of content and how often you’ll post on each platform;
- How you’ll fill out each social media profile;
- How you’ll execute your entire social media strategy.
Your social media marketing strategy will help ensure your taking the proper steps to achieve your overall goal of growing a robust presence on your platforms.
Come Up With Original Content Ideas
The content you post is one of the most important aspects of growing your social media presence. Successful influencers are constantly churning out unique, engaging content their followers love, and brands will be impressed with.
It will take a lot more effort and time, but you must come up with original content ideas. Of course, you can repost content from thought leaders and industry experts and throw in some user-generated content. But the majority of what you post needs to come from you.
First, brainstorm content ideas and themes. For example, lifestyle content is incredibly popular on social media. People love seeing how others create and decorate their homes, particularly.
If you’re set on becoming a lifestyle influencer, publishing interior design posts is a good idea. Think about the styles, statement pieces, themes, and color palettes you want to share and what you could discuss in your captions to capture your followers’ attention.
Next, detail how you will spread your content ideas across different content types and mediums. For example, will you create primarily videos? Will you work in live streaming and posting via the story feature? Will you create infographics, graphs, and interactive content? What about taking high-quality photos?
When you’re ready to create your content, map out how long it will take to make and how often you need to do so to keep up with your publishing schedule. Then, block off this time and get to creating.
It might also be a good idea to brush up on different skills to ensure your posting high-quality content. For example, consider taking a few photoshop classes so that your photos look like they’re edited by a professional. Or, teach yourself how to shoot and edit videos via YouTube.
Also, be sure to share all of your videos and other content consistently.
Share Your Content Consistently
You’ve heard it time and time again, “Consistency is key.” And it definitely applies to developing a social media presence. You won’t be able to grow your presence on social media and become a respected influencer without sharing your content consistently.
Create a publishing schedule for each social media platform you’re on and put the information on a content calendar. Each content calendar should include the following on each day:
- What you’re posting;
- What time you’re posting it;
- The goal for the post;
- Any additional notes.
Use automation tools to help you keep up with your content calendar. You can schedule your posts ahead of time, and they’ll automatically post with these tools. In addition to posting consistently, engage with your audience regularly.
Engage With Your Audience
Creating and posting content significantly impacts how fast your social media presence grows. But engaging with your audience is just as crucial. People are likelier to become loyal fans and followers when they trust you.
How do you build that trust? Talk to the people in your audience and genuinely build a relationship with them. Answer their direct messages and comments. Interact with your audience via live stream. Shout them out on your page and story feed. Direct them to your other platforms to connect with you further.
The more you engage with your audience, the deeper your connection with them will be and the greater your influence.
Conclusion
Growing your social media presence and becoming an influencer doesn’t have to be as complex as people make it out to be. It takes real commitment and consistency more than anything. With these things and the tips above, achieving the influence you want on social media will be much more manageable.