(Newswire.net — July 24, 2019) — It seems like everyone these days wants to count themselves as a social media influencer, especially when using Instagram. Obviously, the term “influencer” is a bit dubious; anyone can call themselves an influencer without criticism. After all, there isn’t a formal definition of what an influencer actually is, and you don’t need a diploma or any kind of certification to become one.
How exactly did influencers become so commonplace, and is it possible to become one this late in the game?
The Rise of the Instagram Influencer
Everything has roots in the rise of social media marketing as a viable marketing and advertising strategy. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter rose to prominence in the late 2000s, but the concept of social media marketing was relatively new, and brands were still experimenting with the possibilities. Direct advertisements, similar to ads of the past, were common, but innovative brands realized that it was even better to capitalize on already-popular social media stars, getting name-dropped, reviewed, or endorsed by existing celebrities that people already trusted.
This was the dawn of influencer marketing. Brands started paying or persuading people to low-key market their products, and both celebrities and ordinary people started working harder to generate a following that could attract them this kind of attention. Over the past several years, “influencer” status has become commoditized, and the term has become extraordinarily popular, prompting even ordinary people with marginal followings to use the term to describe themselves. On top of that, it’s now easy to buy Instagram followers, allowing more people to pretend they have thousands of followers, when in reality, most of these are fabricated, or at the very least couldn’t be “influenced” by what the individual is posting.
Becoming an Influencer
If you want to become an influencer in the truest sense, you need to have not only a sizable following, but also the potential to influence those followers’ buying choices and/or political decisions. It’s certainly possible to get to that point, but you’ll face lots of stiff competition along the way. If you want to be successful, you’ll need to follow these tips at a minimum:
- Get a distinctive look. You’ll need to be different than everyone else on social media, in at least one key way, if you want to succeed. If you simply copy someone else’s style, approach, or niche, you won’t stand a chance—they’re already doing it better than you can. Instead, invest in some accessories that can give you a distinctive look, like custom gold grillz, and develop a personal style that’s all your own. After all, you can’t be an influencer if you’re the one being influenced by other people.
- Capitalize on a niche. People look at the followings of actual Instagram influencers and assume the right way to get to that level is to appeal to the widest possible base of followers. However, this isn’t the case. If you’re too generic and appealing to everyone, you’re going to be boring, and you’ll easily get lost in the crowd. Instead, it’s much better to find a niche and capitalize on it. What do you want to be known for? What’s your area of expertise or interest? The more specific you can get here, the better; you’ll have less competition and more relevance to people if you exclusively focus on restoring antique hand tools than if you shoot for something generic like “how to live your best life.”
- Build a loyal, engaged following. Don’t worry about numbers right away. Eventually, you’ll want to have tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of followers, but for long-term success, it’s much better to have a small, but loyal following. You need to keep your followers engaged with your brand by interacting with them on a regular basis, and making sure they stay interested in you. Even if it’s only a few dozen people to start with, this loyalty can carry you to great heights.
- Be consistent. If you’re serious about becoming an influencer, you can’t half-ass the strategy. Too many wannabes only post when they feel like it, or post on an inconsistent schedule. Try to post something at least once a day, and check in for new comments and interactions regularly.
- Slowly expand your territory. Once you get a foothold with a small, loyal audience in a dedicated niche, you can slowly expand your territory. Reach out to new potential followers, and consider expanding your range of interests as you grow.
Instagram influencers and other social media influencers are likely to remain both popular and important for the next several years—even if there are thousands of imposters masquerading as influencers along the way. If you want to capitalize on it, now’s the time to act.