Description
Influencer marketing means that one or more people are deployed to influence the behavior of a target group. Well-known influencers usually have many followers on social media, and in particular on the app Instagram. By posting specific content that is aligned with your content strategy they can “influence” their followers.
So, what is an influencer? The definition of an influencer is someone who has the power to influence/affect the purchasing decisions of others. There are several reasons why someone has the power to influence others, amongst them are authority, knowledge or because they are seen as experts. Furthermore, some of them have a strong relationship with their followers, their followers feel as connected to the influencer as to their inner circle. Whenever they recommend a certain product/service they are very open to this recommendation. Note: authenticity is key!
Anyone who thinks millennials don’t do that much and are lazy has probably never met a social media influencer. This actually also applies to anyone who thinks that social doesn’t play a crucial role in a business. Influencers are and will continue to be the future of advertising.
Old-fashioned advertising campaigns via TV, radio, and banners on the internet are making way for the popular millennial that (usually) advertises brands on social media platforms, mainly Instagram. Influencers replace billboards and TV commercials. And this strategy works for businesses where old-fashioned marketing doesn’t, scientists say.
Nowadays they belong to the fixed mix of marketing methods of many major brands. Influencers are a great, new way for businesses to bring brand awareness to people in a more authentic and sincere way.
Before you start, it is important to ask yourself what industry you are interested in. Find something that you are passionate about and enjoy doing in your free time.
Whether it’s makeup, fashion, cooking, etc, this step will help you identify want the audience you’re trying to reach and from there you can now create your brand.
The tricky part of finding a niche is that, well, there isn’t necessarily a lot of them left to grab. Just think back to those 8 million mummy bloggers – and there are probably equally vast numbers of people sharing their views on fashion, beauty, fitness, travel, and food.
But don’t worry. You don’t need to create an entirely new specialism to be a success as a social media influencer. And if you did become a unique social authority on, say, monkey haircuts, then it sort of limits your appeal to most brands.
The reality is that to be an authentic and engaging social media influencer, your subject needs to be something you can speak about in an intelligent and inspiring way. In other words, you don’t really find your niche as a social media influencer – your niche finds you.
The key is to make sure you specialize. If you have a passion for hill running, but you’re also really into omelets and woolly hats, then it’s important to focus on your most influential topic – or at least only supplement it with related and relevant topics.
That’s not to say your Instagram should be filled with post after post of omelets/woolly hats.
It’s just making sure that you are developing a clear identity for yourself in your channels.
Typically, when deciding on how to become an influencer, you can choose one of the following categories:
