Many fantasize about being one of the few who get to live their best life and are able to show it off to the world through beautiful and pleasing photos. Becoming an influencer is certainly not for everyone as it takes time and a lot of effort to keep up with daily posts and come up with engaging content. It includes exposing your personal life to strangers on the internet which is certainly not the most glamorous part of this lifestyle. Even so, there are also those who find great joy through being able to entertain their audience with their posts. There are definitely some additional benefits that come with developing your own brand whether it be fun sponsorships or being a big influence on others. For all those out there who are looking to start this journey, here are some tips to get you on your feet.
1. Choose a niche
An influencer is someone that is omniscient within the niche of their platform. This could be regarding fashion, beauty or technology. As this is the case, it is essential to choose one or two and focus your time and effort into perfecting your content regarding it. As time goes on and your audience starts to grow, your niche may expand as well. This could mean expanding from beauty products to furniture decorations or from reviewing $500 cameras to large gaming set-ups.
Some popular niches include:
- Finance
- Fashion
- Hair
- Family&Home
- Lifestyle
- Foodie
- Fitness
2. Focus on video content
It is no secret that Tiktok has been breaking the internet and social norms of social networks. Short 15 second videos have made it easier for influencers to share their thoughts and perspectives on certain products and even easier for the audience to learn a thing or two from it. Because of this, many other platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat, have gone to add techniques to make adding videos easier. Many influencers say their audience find videos more engaging and more authentic. It allows both them to feel real for their followers and the audience to feel like they are included in the action.
3. “No-edit edit” aesthetic
While back in 2012 oversaturated and bright colours were what got people noticed, the new 2021 trend looks like the “no-edit edit” aesthetic is going to be all the rage. Natural beauty both from influencers themselves and their surroundings is what catches people’s attention. An authentic look into the lives of influencers makes everything they do seem all that more real and not staged. This increases their reliability and makes people wanting to come back for more. While in the past being perfect and polished in pictures was necessary, more people are finding there is more to it than just having pretty colours and perfect nails. This isn’t to say that adding colours and creating a certain vibe with your photos doesn’t get you anywhere. It all depends on the message you want to convey to your followers.
4. Study your analytics
While being an influencer is all fun and games, it is a form of marketing your brand. Retaining your follower’s attention is key when it comes to growing your brand or gaining the attention of other businesses. As this is the case, it is important to study your analytics that comes with an increase in followers. Such numbers to study include what age demographics are most attracted to your account or the details at which attract the most followers. Surprisingly, many analytics have shown that micro-influencers, less than 100,000 followers, have been more sought out by brands due to their higher engagement rates compared to bigger influencers with over a million followers. A smaller following means a greater connection with their followers which are more direct and personal. Especially with many small businesses struggling to stay open with the pandemic on their shoulders, they have been more open to reaching out to micro-influencers.
5. Reach out to brands
When starting out, it is not going to be easy to get noticed by mainstream brands within your niche. Focus on smaller businesses to work with and figure out how it is you want to work with them. Once setting up a proposal, reach out to the team and present it to them. It is going to be difficult and nerve-wracking at first but if done consistently, there will be results. As your own brand starts to grow, surely many businesses will start to reach out to you and who knows, you might even have to start declining some partnerships.