Every industry has influencers, and we look up to these people to be our trendsetters and advice-givers. Now, more people are making the jump to become an influencer.
An influencer is someone who is transparent and loyal on their social media and is willing to endorse certain products for brands. In return, they receive a commission, invites to brand events, or even paid vacations.
Some industries that benefit most from influencers include…
- Healthcare
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Travel
- Lifestyle
If any of these align with your profile or if one of these niches is something you’re interested in, follow along for a step-by-step guide to becoming an influencer in your industry.
1. Find your niche
The first thing you’ll want to do is find which industry is of the most interest to you and is most profitable.
Here are 12 of the most profitable niches.
- Fitness and weight loss
- Health
- Dating and relationships
- Pets
- Self-improvement
- Making money online
- Beauty
- Gadgets and tech
- Personal finance
- Fashion
- Travel
- Lifestyle
This niche is what you’ll be known for, so it’s very important to find something that you’re passionate about and enjoy.
2. Be everywhere
Find where you can get your name out there and BE THERE!
Writing guest blog posts, being a guest on a podcast, going to conferences for your industry, doing video interviews, etc.
Take any opportunity you can find to put your name and profile on different websites or channels.
3. Create quality content with an appealing format
Before you can develop a content strategy, you need to develop content. As an influencer, your content needs to be high resolution AND appealing.
I suggest finding a filter that you can use across all of your photos.
On Instagram in particular, this will make it easier for your audience to move continuously from one post to another.
If needed, there is a variety of apps you can use to edit your pictures.
4. Develop a content strategy
The format and quality of the content that you produce is arguably the most important part of becoming an influencer in your industry.
You want to be sure that there is a balance between personal and informational content.
Too much personal content can make you seem like that friend who brags about herself on her status every day and too much informational content can be boring!
There’s a 5:3:2 principle for social media which helps you provide the perfect amount of balance between your content.
As an influencer, your audience needs to be your #1 priority.
By using the 5:3:2 principle, it helps you to separate the kinds of content that you post.
- 5 posts from other sources that are relevant to your audience
- 3 posts of content you’ve created
- 2 posts of personal content that makes you and your brand more human to your audience
5. Get into interviews
Interviews are a great way to get your name out there and make you seem more personable to your audience.
Interviews can get you to open up about your personal life as well as endorse the brand you’re influencing for.
Your audience is more likely to engage with you more if they can relate to you!
6. Engage with your audience
Do your best to respond to as many of your audience members as you can.
It makes them feel closer to you if you answer their questions or respond to their opinions or comments.
If your audience becomes large enough that it is difficult to respond to every comment, focus mostly on responding to questions asked.
That way, it will clear up questions that others may have and will help develop a closer relationship with you and your audience.
7. Discover other influencers in your niche
Finding other influencers who share the same niche as you can help grow your network.
It’s a great idea to reach out to them and see if they’d be interested in a shoutout for a shoutout on your Instagram story or a giveaway collaboration!
This will increase your audience as well as gain respect and relationships with other influencers who can help you find your way in the influencing world.
8. Grow your network
This relates closely to finding other influencers in your niche.
Some ways to grow your network include:
-
Offering guest posts
- See if other influencers in your niche would be interested in writing a guest post for your blog or Instagram.
- This can help you establish credibility and gain the attention of other influencers who would also like to guest post!
-
Create sponsored content
- You can promote your posts as a sponsored post and have offers made in them.
- This will introduce yourself to an audience that might not normally look at your page.
9. Stay up to date and consistent
Continue to update your audience with personal content as well as content from others (5:3:2 rule!).
Make a schedule for posting and stick to that because your audience will look forward to seeing the posts if you have a schedule.
Some tools that can help you stay on a schedule are…
Also, stay up to date with social media’s updates as well as their terms and conditions.
By being an influencer and promoting other brands and services, there are rules that you need to abide by depending on what kind of social platform you are using.
10. Evaluate your progress as an influencer
As an influencer, brands decide if they want to work with you based on your progress.
Have you increased engagement with your followers? Have you increased your number of followers?
You can find out all of this information by looking at the analytics for whichever social media outlet you have.
The most important steps to keep in mind are staying consistent, growing your network, and evaluating your progress.
Now, go become an influencer in your industry!
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- How To Post Consistent Quality Pictures On Instagram
- How To Get Interviewed
- 8 Reasons Why Becoming An Influencer May Not Be For You
- How To Write High Quality Guest Posts
- How To Start A Podcast
- 12 Most Profitable Niches For Making Money Online
- How To Build A Credible Instagram Account
- How To Create A Killer Content Marketing Strategy
- The Best Free Apps For Editing Instagram Photos
- How To Become An Industry Leader
- How To Overcome The Fear Of Sharing Your Personal Life On Social Media
- 13 Ways To Increase Your Instagram Engagement
- 5 Ways To Network As A Micro-Influencer
- How To Guest Post
- How To Schedule Your Content For The Next 12 Months
- 7 Ways To Gain More Instagram Followers This Week
- How To Get More Engagement On Instagram
Carly Hancock is a blogging and social media intern at LadyBossBlogger. She is looking forward to having a future in writing or social media. She enjoys learning new things about beauty products and fashion, and Instagram is her favorite social network!
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