Consumers these days are more likely to seek advice from those they perceive as credible peers than from the wealthy and famous. That’s where social media influencers come in. These low-key marketers are often ordinary people who promote brands to their followers. While many have large audiences on one or more platforms, that’s not necessarily a prerequisite. What’s most important is that influencers provide know-how and transparency. When they share information, their followers’ value and trust what they have to say. This can make them highly effective at driving conversions when they make recommendations.

If you are one of those people who want to become an influencer, then you have reached the right place. In this post, we will discuss the step-by-step process of how to become an influencer

1. Select your niche: Before you start on your path to becoming an influencer, you need to first select your niche. You need to choose a niche that you are interested in and can consistently create content about. You should also have some level of expertise in the field to be able to establish yourself as an influencer. As an influencer, you will have to research and post content in your chosen interest area. So, it is important to choose something you’re passionate about and will enjoy spending your time on. Whether you love cooking and trying new recipes or are interested in DIY crafts, you need to find your calling. You could also select a combination of 2-3 interests, but don’t make it too broad.
2. Choose your preferred social media platform(s): When launching your influencer career, the first thing you’ll need to do is develop a strong presence on the internet. The best way to start this task is to decide which social media channels are best for your kind of content. Depending on your niche, certain platforms may be better than others. For example, millennials prefer Instagram and Snapchat over most other networks. If your topics are more business-oriented, however, LinkedIn may be a more effective choice. The important thing is that you pick a platform your audience uses regularly. You may also want to keep in mind the type of content you’re most capable of producing. Facebook supports multiple media types including text, images, and video, while other platforms are more specialized. For instance, Instagram is image-based and YouTube focuses on videos.
3. Create and post relevant content: The next step in becoming an influencer is to post useful and relevant content for your followers. The more you are able to engage with your audience, the more people will be influenced by your opinions and recommendations. That’s the most important requirement for being an influencer, the fact that your followers actually listen to you. Some influencers keep their feeds all about their chosen field of interest like food, travel, fashion, beauty, etc. Such influencers don’t mix posts about their personal lives in with their niche posts and keep their content focused only on their niche. This means that a food influencer might post recipes, photos of restaurant visits, reviews, and even brand promotions. No matter what content strategy you choose, make sure that you make it broad enough to accommodate future brand collaborations. Your sponsored posts should be able to fit naturally along with the rest of the content you post. You can add reviews as a regular feature in your feed, to make way for paid review opportunities that you may get later. Overall, keep your content strategy focused on your niche, but not too narrow. Think from a long-term perspective and start preparing to be an influencer right from the start.
4. Be consistent: After you have decided what types of content you will post, you need to finalise a posting frequency and schedule. Most social media platforms’ algorithms give preference to accounts that post regularly. This is especially true for Instagram, which requires a regular posting frequency for increased visibility. It is also the biggest influencer marketing platform. You can choose to post daily, weekly, or at any frequency that you’re comfortable with. You should also consider the platform before deciding on that. Some platforms, like Twitter, are more dynamic in nature and require a higher posting frequency if you want to become an influencer on that platform.
5. Engage with your audience: Once you start posting content on social media, you will often get likes and comments on your posts. For an influencer, it is important to connect with their followers; therefore, you cannot ignore these comments. It is a good practice to reply to comments and answer any questions that your followers ask you. You can also just “like” their comments to show your appreciation. Another way to engage with your audience is to ask them a question and start a conversation about a topic of mutual interest. Interactions like these help build personal connections with your audience and solidify your position as an influencer.