The concept of having a viable career as an Influencer hasn’t been around that long. But since its inception it has slowly built up a steady momentum and is now one of the most popular career choices in the realm of marketing.

What Is An Influencer?

An influencer is someone with a vast knowledge of a particular topic or brand who has established themselves as a credible source of information with their digital online audience. Within their niche market they have the ability to influence the choices and opinions of their audience because of their authenticity and reach.

In recent times brands and companies have incorporated influencer marketing into their marketing strategy. They do this by reaching out to influencers to assist them in their marketing efforts in order to subtly promote a product or service.  By acquiring the services of an influencer a brand is able to expand their targeted reach. The social influencer is paid for providing this service which makes their partnership mutually beneficial.

How Do You Become An Influencer?

To become an influencer you need to make people aware of your existence. This is also known as social media marketing and can be learned by signing up for a social media marketing course.

Here are a few tips to help you get started.

• Find Your Specialty

In order to be a successful influencer your first order of business is finding a suitable topic to focus on. Having extensive knowledge of the topic you’ve chosen is also a must because you can’t promote something you know very little about.

• Grow Your Following

Once you have a topic you need grow your audience. By engaging with existing followers on a regular basis you will be able build your reputation in your niche. Once this is established people will feel inclined to share your social media posts. This will increase your exposure thereby increasing your reach and your following will grow organically.

• Content Is Key

As an influencer your audience relies on your content to make decisions. Depending on your area of focus these decisions can be about what movie to watch, what phone to buy or what music to listen to. This is why your content needs to be authentic and reliable as well as engaging and fun.

• Collaborate With Others

As an influencer your main focus should always be on content. But while creating and sharing fabulous content and engaging with your audience is great, don’t be afraid to reach out to fellow influencers. By developing a network of people in the same field as you (even if they aren’t part of your niche) you can increase your exposure. This can be done in fun ways like collaborating on blog posts. This can lead to a variety of new opportunities such as breaking into new markets and increasing your revenue.

• Choose A Social Media Platform

When choosing a social media platform it’s important to make sure the site offers features that are relevant to your content. For example: If you’re promoting a fashion brand, a profile on Instagram will be a better fit than a gaming platform like Twitch.

• Expand Your Reach With A Blog Or  Website

Being a social media influencer doesn’t mean you have to limit your online presence to social media platforms. Creating a personal blog or website can help you increase your exposure, strengthen your personal brand and gives you another outlet to share your content. It can also serve as an online portfolio which holds your entire body of work in one place and shows off your social media marketing skills.

Benefits of Becoming An Influencer

• Flexibility

As an influencer you are own boss. This means have the freedom to set your own work hours, create content about things you love and have the ability to work from anywhere. You are also able to set your own payment rates.

• Getting Paid To Be Yourself

It may not always be easy when you’re just starting out, but once you’re established in your field being an influencer means that you get paid to be yourself. That’s right – you get to make money by writing about the things you love and by working with brands that resonate with your lifestyle.

• Inspiring A Community