3 Tips for Becoming a Leading Influencer
Want to know a secret? An influencer’s success isn’t determined by numbers, but rather by engagement! People may see growth hacking tools like Boostio and think they're the golden ticket to expanding their marketing reach, but at the end of the day, it's not the total number of followers that makes you influential—it's the likes, shares and comments that show you have a community who listens.
If you're like every other brand on the planet and you want to work on your social media presence, then maybe rather than hiring an influencer, you should become one! It's true that influencers are a dime a dozen. But with marketing and branding strategy and a solid plan, it's not a farfetched goal to become the next leading micro influencer. Here are our top three tips and tricks to make it happen:
- Candid is in. Seriously. Stop taking 50+ pictures to find the “perfect” photo. Nothing is more relatable than imperfection and vulnerability. If you're an influencer, showcase the product without making it look staged. People are more attracted to ads that do not feel like ads. Don’t be fooled by a photo’s good looks and charm… it’s the message that resonates most. If your followers wanted to see Kim Kardashian, then they'd follow her instead. Show them you.
- Grow your engagement. Stop spending time growing your social network followership if you are not increasing your engagement rate at the same time. Engagement is everything. Do you really want to be a person who has 20K followers and only 20 likes on a post? Hell no! Drive growth through interaction. Rather than buying your followers, gain them organically with valuable content that has intrigue and the potential to go viral. The more you converse with your audience, the more they will respond.
- Position yourself purposefully. As an influencer, placement is important—both for the individual and the advertised product or service. Because there are so many "things" out there, and because brands typically aim to partner with multiple influencers for a single marketing campaign, you're not going to be the only person out there talking about the same "thing." You have to take a tip from Burger King and do it your way. As such, don't partner with a brand that doesn't align with your content, personality or values. That's the quickest way to show you're not authentic or an influencer who can be trusted!
Here are some other tips that are on trend right now to support you as you create content:
- Minimize clutter to focus your message.
- Keep it simple and digestible.
- Create a transparent persona.
- Focus on quality visuals (i.e. lighting, sceneries, floral/décor, etc.).
Let your image do the talking and the stories do the networking. Become an influencer; not just another username on the internet telling people what to do or buy.
Do you want to start your influencer career? We're not going to lie to you—it takes a lot of time, content and care. The rise to influencership is difficult, but we can help! Get in touch today and let's chit-chat about the possibilities.