Since we’re on a roll talking about influencer tips to hit all your goals for 2022, I knew it was time to answer my most asked question, “how do I do what you do,” meaning how do you become a social media influencer and start building a life you love?
I got you covered.
Last year I ended the year going viral on Tik Tok and Instagram sharing that I surpassed my goal of making $100k last year as an Influencer in 2021. I was flooded with messages and comments asking how I did it, how to get started, how to become an influencer.
So What Is A Social Media Influencer?
They are creators on Social Media with a following, big or small, able to impact decisions of their followings; whether it be influencing purchases, style influences, or even travel locations. By building a reputation, an influencer can use their relationship with their audience to affect a plethora of decisions and brands take notice. Brands utilize influencers to create promotions to their targeted audience selling a product or experience.
Influencers are often divided into categories by number of followers, nano (>1000), micro (>50,000) and macro (>1 mil) and though numbers can vastly vary, everyone who has a following has the ability to impact decision making. I’ve also explained here the difference between an influencer and a content creator.
So How Do I Get Started On Social Media?
“Just start,” is the best advice I can give you. Dive in, two feet, and start. It seems big and vast, and it is, but you won’t get anywhere until you start posting with the intention of being a social media influencer.
And it won’t happen overnight.
Finding a niche is a great starting point, motherhood, lifestyle, fashion, travel (and it doesn’t mean you can’t post about multiple topics; it just means what is that hook that brings the right audience your way, the one that will care about what you post).
Post consistently. No, you don’t have to post every day. Arguably three times a week is enough to make an impact on the algorithm; but to yield the best results, you want your content to frequently pop up on your audience’s feed as they scroll (especially since they’ll soon be able to see posts chronologically again).
This brings us to quality over quantity. Yes, you want to be making content often, but quality content matters. High quality photos, good lighting, well edited videos, your lip synch matching the sound, etc. People go on social media as an escape, they want to be entertained, to learn something, to feel. This will not only attract the right audience but also brands and partnerships.
This is a job, it will require you to treat it as such.
Okay, I’m Posting. Now What?
Engage, Engage, Engage. And not just to get on some silly algorithms’ good side. To create a long lasting and genuine relationship with your audience. Reply to comments, find other people in your niche, using hashtags that relate to what you’re posting, answer direct messages. Make connections. (This is especially important with Instagram’s newest Subscription services being tested right now).
If you want to sell to someone, influence them, they have to trust you. If they don’t know you, they can’t trust you.
Now, that doesn’t mean you have to share everything, remember we are seeking quality content and maintaining healthy work life boundaries.
Once you have that relationship with your followers, everything else comes naturally. Whether you want them to use your affiliate links, or simply like your pictures and recommend your page to others; it will follow.
Got It. Making Friends. How Do I Make Money?
The top two common promotions on social media are presented as either Affiliate marketing or via Sponsored posts and brand campaigns.
Brands who notice your loyal audience and great content will want to start advertising on your feed. This means creating content for the brand’s product/service and sharing it with the people that follow you.This can happen in a few ways.
Influencer Platforms are a great place to start. I shared my top 5 favorites on Instagram last year including Activate and Social Native. They are middle man services that connect brands to social media influencers. You apply through their service and handle everything there. There are also influencer APPS that you can join, such as Popular Pays, Tribe, and Trend.
You also have the option to pitch and negotiate with brands on your own. Emailing them with the intention of negotiating pay or answering emails you get from brands. (Hot Tip: Make sure your email is written in your bio not just linked or desktop browsers won’t be able to contact you). This can be trickier as brands want to get the most amount of content for the least amount of money, but with practice is a great way to get a big payout.
I have dozens of Reels on negotiating and pitching brands over on my Instagram if you feel ready to start contacting brands and I’ll be re launching my course so we can really get into the nitty gritty of landing brand deals and growing your business.
Now, go. Start. You can do it. It’s not too late to become a social media influencer. I can’t wait to see your content!
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