Want To Become A Social Media Influencer? Start Doing These 10 Things

Entrepreneur Dhar Mann is an influencer who's also hired influencers to work with his brand. Follow these 10 tips to get started as an influencer today!

How to get started

Did you know that a whopping 74% of consumers make purchasing decisions based on what they see on social media? That’s why brands are increasingly partnering with influencers to share, discuss and review their products.

Successful influencers don’t have to be celebrities, entrepreneurs, business leaders or people with extraordinary talents. In fact, they’re usually just everyday people who others can relate to.

I’ve been both a social media influencer myself, having amassed almost 1M followers combined on Instagram and Facebook, and have also been the one hiring influencers to promote my brand. I understand what it takes to be an influencer and what brands are looking for. In this post I’ll describe how you can be the next sought-after social media influencer.

1. FOCUS on one core area of expertise

The first thing to do is decide what you want to be known for as an influencer. The best choice is whatever you’re most passionate about or what can help set you apart from others. It’s important to have a clear focus for your page so when people come to it they know at a quick glance exactly what kind of content they can expect from you and benefit from.

If you think of your favorite social media influencers, they’re probably most known for doing one thing really well. Maybe they have great fashion, a rock hard body or give great advice. Or perhaps they’ve got great dance moves, are really good at makeup or just ridiculously funny. That’s because the best influencers appeal to a niche audience, which allows them to engage deeper with a targeted group.

Once you get established you can broaden the type of content you create, but in the beginning stay focused on one core area of expertise.

2. DECIDE on a platform

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Each platform requires native content. And if you try to do too many things at once you’re not going to succeed at any one. Don’t try to be an influencer on every platform early on, choose just one to start. Once you break out on that platform you can expand to others.

Can you produce long-form edited videos? Become a YouTuber. Are you overflowing with personality and feel more comfortable raw in your own skin? Go all in on Facebook Live. Do you take awesome photos? Do it for the Gram. Are you an amazing writer? Become a blogger or start Tweeting.

Decide on a platform that is complimentary towards your natural strengths. It’s okay to build the others simultaneously, but your initial focus should be on one.

3. GET HELP with creating content

Do you really want to be an influencer but struggle with creating the best content? Get help. It’s important to know your own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I’m great at recording videos, but I’m terrible at editing them. So I hired an editor who does all that work far better than I ever could. The best influencers all have content teams that help them.

Most people think hiring people is outside of their reach, but you can find talented people to work remotely at really cheap rates, especially if they believe in you. There’s lots great people out there to help edit photos, write captions, create videos and more. And you’ll learn a lot from the team you build to make you a better content creator over time.

4. PLAN your content

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Social media doesn’t take a break. For most followers, it’s out of sight, out of mind. So make sure to plan for a consistent stream of content. If you don’t plan content ahead of time, you can easily fall behind schedule and struggle with keeping up. If you plan to use videos, have at least five ready at all times. Pictures? Shoot for ten. The further you plan your content, the more organized and consistent you’ll be.

5. COMMIT to a consistent schedule

Consistency is key when it comes to gaining a following on social media. Even if your content is amazing, post once, drop off for three weeks and you aren’t going to gain any momentum. Over time your followers will come to expect and look for your content. Maybe you shoot for two videos a week, or posting blog posts. Set your goals and commit to a consistent schedule.

6. WRITE awesome captions

All posts are not created equal and sometimes the caption for your video or picture can make or break your content. If you look at some of the most engaging posts in the world, they usually have sentimental captions. A caption is a way to take your followers on your journey with you and let your personality shine. It’s what will make your followers feel like they know you and sets your content apart from others.

7. ENGAGE with your followers

Remember to consistently engage with your community. Respond to every single comment you get and learn from the feedback you receive. Don’t get hung up if you only got a few comments. Focus on how you can show those few commenters a lot of love and the numbers will grow over time. Engage with your followers and they will help you learn what is working and what isn’t so you can continuously get better. You’ll also build loyal, lifelong followers that supported you from day one.

8. BUILD relationships with other content creators

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Once you have established your social media presence, it’s time to build relationships with other content creators. Think of it as a virtual cocktail party. Networking will help you find connections that will further solidify your brand and expand your reach within your area of expertise.

It’s not uncommon for popular influencers to mention one another to their followers, schedule guest posts or share a post they found insightful. Remember, relationships are built on give and take. If someone helps you, thank them and do the same for them.

9. PROMOTE your content

If you’ve invested the time and energy in creating awesome content, it’s time to take it one step further and promote your content. How? There are a number of ways to market your content for a broader reach. You can use searchable hashtags in your posts, boost your posts if you have a budget, use social bookmarking pages or even join or create Facebook groups to share your content with. It’s the modern day equivalent of artists passing out their CD’s from their vans, except you’re laying in your bed behind a computer. Whatever you do, make your presence known. Keep getting yourself out there to promote your content.

10. KEEP GOING

Rome was not built in a day. And you will not become a successful social media influencer overnight. Even if you do everything right, there will be ups and downs and it will take lots of time to build your platform.

For every influencer that strikes gold and goes viral early on, there are many hard-working influencers that spend years building their platform and brand. You don’t want to be a one-hit wonder or have quick flash-in-the-pan success. Stay the course, create quality content and keep going. You will get there.