Influencers have taken over the Internet and has become a hot topic for many. One question that gets asked of us quite a bit is how to become an influencer and what steps you need to take to make happen. This post is meant to shed some light on the influencer trend and things to consider in your pursuit.
Why do you want to become an influencer?
This is the first question we ask when someone asked the question of becoming an influencer. While many may have reasons of why they think they can become an influencer, most of the time it is based in wanting to get away from one’s current employment. If this is the root reason, this is a poor reason. It is usually grounded in the misunderstanding that being a social media influencer is easy. To be successful as an influencer, you will have to put long hours and work incredibly hard to achieve something that you could live off.
Is Being an influencer a viable job?
We personally know several influencers with over 10,000 followers on their social media profiles and know some that make over six figures. For them, it’s a viable alternative to a full-time position in a traditional corporate setting. However, we also know several professional athletes, musicians and artists that also can make a good living. Being an influencer is like those professions in that there are extreme highs and extreme lows with an unpredictable career lifespan.
Where should I start if I want to become an influencer?
One of the important things too be thinking about in your pursuit of becoming an influencer is having a clear understanding of what benefit you bring to audience. Do you make people laugh? Do people value your opinion? Understanding your intent will help you better traverse the difficulties of an influencer career. It’s also important to understand that being an influencer can mean a lot of different things. Being a social media influencer could be part of a consultant role and how that consultant approaches social media. Comedians have successfully used social media to promote their upcoming comedy shows but are seen as “influencers” by their followers. If the goal is to make a living as an influencer, it’s far wiser to approach becoming an influencer like starting a busines.
Aren’t brands desperate for endorsements from influencers?
Yes and no. Many brands do use influencers to gain exposure for their products. However, we have worked with brands they have done extensive work with influencers with hundreds of thousands of relevant followers and have achieved lackluster results. We have been able to show these brands that more tried and true methods like search engine optimization and social media marketing are more effective than endorsement deals. The reason for this is that the influencers that are most willing to promote smaller brands tend to be nothing more than salespeople masquerading as content creators. You’ll also see that many social media influencers release their own products or merchandise. That’s because that’s one of the more effective ways influencers can make a viable living. Simply thinking that you can rely on brand endorsements to make a living is unrealistic.
Is there a Social Media platform that is better than others to Monetize?
This all depends on your audience and the kinds of content you’re creating. Depending on the platform, monetization can look vastly different. It’s important to understand that questions about your overall intent, what kinds of content are you going to be creating, how you are going to grow your audience, another important questions are far more pressing than monetization plans. Going back to the athlete comparison, it’s important for an athlete to focus on their skills as an athlete before thinking about endorsement deals and what their overall income strategy is going to look like. They focus exclusively on being the best athlete they can be first. You must have the same desire and focus if you desire to become an influencer.
thousands of followers and still nothing! What’s wrong?
This is a common feeling amongst pursuers of an influencer lifestyle. What we have seen in analyzing the social media accounts of upcoming influencers is that clear direction is lacking. Successful influencers need to have a clear intent and a clear voice. When they have this level of clarity, brands have a better understanding of whether their product/service would benefit from exposure to the influencer’s followers, and the influencer will have a better understanding of how to monetize that audience.
