As you question yourself on why and how you will become an influencer, the steps will become clearer.
While some things are common sense, others are industry best practices. It’s important to leave yourself some space for individuality, originality and quirkiness to appeal to your followers in your own unique way. Whether you're part of an online magazine, a lifestyle blogger, a hobbyist, Youtuber or Instagrammer, you can become a ShareASale affiliate and earn money by promoting our brands to your followers.
So, here are some tips to consider on your path to becoming an influencer.
- Find what connects you with the people you are trying to reach, and create a sense of community around the same interests.
- Create a content strategy. This doesn’t need to be too extensive, but planning out which topics you might like to cover each month or week will help you see the bigger picture and ensure you aren’t losing track of your ideas when making content. Then you can add in ad-hoc content if topics come up.
- Create relevant content for the community, adding value to the discussion, making yourself a trusted opinion-maker. Don’t share an opinion or product just because you think it’s popular or could be good for your image. People online are critical and scrutinize deeply; if they feel you are being inauthentic you will lose their trust.
- Schedule ahead of time. There are lots of apps and programs (some built within the platforms themselves) to assist you in scheduling your content in advance. If you have already planned out your content in a strategy, you can create when you’re feeling the most inspired and schedule it for whenever you like.
- Share lots of relevant content. Be present as often as you can. Ensure you’re up-to-date on the latest news around your niche and proactively share your thoughts. If you already have a content plan in place this will be much easier to find the time to do.
- Interact with other influencers and platforms larger than you. Find a connection and establish an authentic relationship so you can increase your audience and engagement while giving the other user outlets that may interest them.
- Engage! Be open to feedback, even if it isn’t always positive, and encourage it within your community. Bring the audience into the discussion so they can feel a part of it. Always remain respectful when inviting the opinions of others as they might not match yours, and that’s completely ok.
- Connect with brands. Once you have an engaged following you can begin to connect with brands who align with your niche.
Along the way, you will certainly find what works best for you. These are general guidelines to get you going and start your career in influencer marketing.