Honestly, we are fortunate to live in the age of the internet and mobile phones, which have significantly contributed to an unprecedented communications revolution and unparalleled luxury. This technological revolution has also created a parallel economy worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually, helping millions work from home under the best conditions. In this article, we will discuss the phenomenon of working as an influencer, which is rapidly spreading and becoming a major dream for many young people today.
The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Influencer
I have outlined key practical steps that will help you achieve your dream of becoming a successful and famous influencer in the shortest time, along with valuable tips on marketing yourself and outperforming competitors.
1. Identify Your Niche and Target Audience
The first step to ensuring success is to work in a profitable niche where you have enough expertise. This way, you won’t face any problems creating and marketing content. Studying your audience and their interests also helps generate suitable content ideas, positively impacting engagement rates. Here are the key steps to follow when studying your audience and choosing the right niche:
- Work in a field you are passionate about or have expertise in.
- Check the competition level and profitability of the niche.
- Study competing influencers and learn from their experiences.
2. Establish a Brand
Most beginner influencers overlook this point due to negligence or lack of good entrepreneurial training, which unfortunately costs them a lot in the future. Remember, the first step to any project’s success is having a distinctive brand name. This helps in advertising and standing out in your field. Branding also adds extra value and symbolism compared to other influencers, helping to enhance audience attachment and achieve wider fame at a lower cost.
3. Create Exclusive and Regular Content
Initially, you can share content spontaneously during the first few months to build a loyal and stable audience base. The next step is to plan content creation, which requires considering audience interests and trending topics. It's essential to maintain quality and post regularly, especially since the competition is fierce, and you are not the only influencer in the field. Another important aspect is respecting intellectual property; therefore, you must publish exclusive and fully-owned content to avoid potential issues. For instance, your YouTube channel or Instagram account could be banned for using content owned by others, and sometimes it could even lead to legal action.
4. Open Multiple Accounts
Any influencer initially focuses on one platform, whether Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, but it’s essential to work on all platforms simultaneously if you have a large and targeted audience. This diversification ensures faster spread and secures traffic, so even if you are banned on one app, your audience can find you on another. If you are passionate about following influencers, you’ve likely encountered many instances of account bans.
5. Create a Website
No company or advertiser is willing to sign a contract with a disorganized person, so there is always research on account owners and their lifestyles. Your website is your gateway to the world; therefore, it should be professionally designed, showcasing all your information and previous projects. Having a website helps an influencer maintain a serious and professional presence, enhancing market value and partner trust. You can also use it to publish articles in your field before sharing them with the audience, ensuring additional income by displaying AdSense ads and selling products. Creating a professional website is not financially costly and does not require technical expertise as commonly thought.
6. Analyze Traffic and Engagement
Collecting and analyzing data is the only way to assess any project’s success, and this fact remains true even in the virtual world. The only difference is that online data processing is faster and much simpler, as all social media platforms provide free performance reports on accounts. The role of studying traffic and engagement is to identify the most consumed content and what is in demand, ensuring you meet followers’ desires and maintain their loyalty for the longest time. Engagement reports are also used when negotiating with sponsors and advertisers, being the main factor in determining the value and terms of offers.
7. Build a Team
You can start your dream of becoming a successful influencer alone, but it is impossible to live it for long without the help of a team. Successful influencers realize this truth, though it is often not mentioned during their interviews on TV or podcasts. An arrogant influencer always tries to credit all success to themselves, but the reality is different, and anyone working in social media marketing companies knows this. I’m not suggesting you invest in hiring freelancers from day one, but once you have a clear vision and see results, you should consider it.
8. Build a Unique Network
As an influencer, you will be in high demand, and it's expected that you'll receive numerous invitations to attend conferences and events once you gain some fame. However, this doesn't mean you should naively accept all invitations, as some could tarnish your reputation, such as those from disreputable network marketing companies or unprofessional podcasters. A beginner influencer who quickly rises to fame can be likened to a "San Sebastian" cake, delicious and sought after by many wanting to exploit your popularity directly or indirectly. It's best to stick to your field of expertise and decline invitations outside your niche. Also, focus on networking with other influencers, which will open doors to increasing your followers and connecting with influential people in media and marketing.
9. Invest and Diversify Your Income
What’s the point of fame if it doesn’t positively impact your financial situation? You should quickly leverage your status as a social media influencer to generate a respectable income. It's also wise to learn from the bankruptcy stories of famous influencers, some of whom ended up begging for donations or living on the streets. Personally, I advise against relying solely on social media ad revenue. Consider launching parallel projects.
10. Hire a Manager
Have you heard about influencers facing troubles with authorities? This is common, considering the blend of fame and legal ignorance. Additionally, many influencers lack life experience, quickly becoming arrogant and delusional. For example, some might start addressing taboo topics or expressing strange opinions, causing them to lose followers and sponsors. The best advice for any influencer achieving fame is to hire a manager. This ensures control over your content and professional negotiation before signing advertising contracts. A successful influencer plays the role of a celebrity with all its complexities, and working with a professional manager can double your profits and quickly expand your network.
Questions
Now it's time to answer some key questions briefly and explain some concepts related to the influencer marketing model.
What is an influencer?
The term "influencer" refers to social media influencers, who are account owners with the most followers and interactions on social media platforms. There are no clear or accredited standards for classifying an influencer, but it refers to anyone who enjoys the trust and support of followers in a specific field. Influencers often have keen insight into trends in their field and share this professionally with their audience, making them a credible source compared to others.
How to become famous?
Fame is everyone's dream, but achieving it quickly requires professionalism in a specific field along with the following steps:
- Creating a brand and standing out with a unique identity.
- Having a strong personality and remarkable charisma.
- Focusing on achieving goals.
- Utilizing a talented and creative team.
- Developing a top-level public relations network.
- Hiring a professional manager.
- Living a healthy lifestyle with a busy schedule.
- Handling criticism calmly and smoothly.
What is the difference between a blogger and an influencer?
A blogger focuses more on sharing neutral content filled with advice for followers, while an influencer concentrates more on showcasing their lifestyle and marketing products directly.
Conclusion
There is a significant difference between expressing desires and working to achieve them, so you can't become a famous influencer without sacrificing time and money. Also, achieving results doesn't mean falling into the trap of extravagance and arrogance; instead, present yourself as a professional and ambitious project manager. I hope I've successfully shared the most helpful tips for working as a social media influencer.
