How Do Influencers Become Influencers?

One of the biggest appeals of influencers is that anyone can become one. They often have that “everyman” quality. TikTok star Khabane Lame was a factory worker in Italy before his comedy and dancing clips went viral.

Travel influencer Jack Morris was a carpet cleaner with wanderlust before he found fame. Influencers like Khabane and Jack inspire us to follow our passions and fully realize our dreams. Which leads to the inevitable question we ask ourselves: “How to become an influencer?”

Well not to worry, we’ve got the answers for you right here. 

Influencers Top Secrets to Success

We’ve studied tons of successful influencers to give you the roadmap to effective influencer marketing. Here are some easy tips you can add to your content strategy to get you on the path to realizing your dreams.

They Start Small 

Social media influencers didn’t start out with a large audience. They started on a smaller scale by finding their specific niche, or specialized area of the industry they were interested in.

What are you passionate about? What are your strengths? Your niche will be a blend of these areas. Any content you make will only add to the development of your field of expertise, so choose wisely. Try to combine 2 or 3 areas of interest, then give your niche your own unique spin. 

If you have trouble coming up with some, here are a few categories to get your started: 

• Lifestyle
• Entertainment
• Travel
• Food
• Health and fitness
• Technology
• Fashion
• Beauty
• Sports
• Gaming 
• Career coaching
• Financial advice

Believe it or not, sometimes smaller is better. Micro-influencers (between 10,000 and 100,000 number of followers) are more likely to appeal to brands. Since they serve more niche audiences, this will allow brands access to their targeted demographic. They are also more affordable and followers have more trust in them, which means they are more likely to buy from them. 

They Find The Right Platform

There are tons of social media platforms to choose from. And some social networks are better for certain kinds of content than others. Fashion influencers tend to stick to Instagram which is highly image-oriented, allowing followers to easily see and buy the latest styles.

If he or she is a beauty guru that does makeup video tutorials, YouTube is probably the best choice. And LinkedIn might be be the best plaform for a blogger with career counseling tips. In the beginning, try out a few platforms. Then after a while take a look at the analytics data and figure out which social media channels get the best response. Ask yourself these questions:

• What type of content seems to resonate the most with your audience? 
• Where do you have the most reach, highest impressions, and highest engagement rates? 
• What platforms do your target audience hang out on?
• What platforms do your competitors use?

After you’ve answered these questions, you will know which platform works best for your product/service, and what sort of content you should base your content strategy around. Then focus all your energy into that space, rather than spreading yourself thin on multiple platforms. 

They Know Their Audience

If someone has become an influencer, it is because they have dedicated and loyal followers. Followers don’t follow unless they are getting their needs met; whether it be the need to be entertained, to learn, to be inspired, etc. For this to happen, the influencer must know their audience. 

So how do you get to know your audience? The best way to do so is by analyzing your followers. You can find out demographic data and interests just by studying your analytics data. Most of the platforms out there already have these tools built into them.

For instance, Instagram business accounts have free Insights, which allows you to easily find out your audience’s demographics. If you are a Mom-on-a-budget influencer and you know that your audience consists of 95% American millennial women, you can make content involving your favorite diaper brands, the most affordable daycares, and what products to use to clean your toddler’s latest crayon masterpiece off the dining room table.

Another way to get to know your audience is by reading their comments and messages. You will find out why they want to read and watch your content. Also, consider creating polls to figure out what percentages of them feel a certain way. 

Once you have a pretty good idea of how your audience feels, you can focus on creating content that emphasizes what attracted them to you in the first place.

They Are Authentic 

In the world of fake news, being authentic has become a real commodity. These days, consumers are very skeptical of traditional advertising methods that are under the supervision of brand managers trying to control the brand’s image. 

People have begun to flock to influencers whose personal brand revolves around a free flow of information. It proves the fact that users are looking for dialogue instead of a monologue. A good example of this need for authenticity is the growth of podcasts, which have exploded in the past few years.

People put more trust into what they hear on podcasts because they are unscripted and you can really see and hear what people actually think. The audience knows that influencers make their living online through brand sponsorships.

However, they want more authenticity than scripted sponsored posts. Influencers can build the trust of the audience by limiting sponsored posts, sticking to their style, and being creative with branded content.

They Are Relatable and Relevant

Not only do people want authentic content, but they want relevant content. Without this, the algorithm will not recommend it to the user. What influencers create should be useful and relevant to their followers. As a result, they gain a loyal and devoted following.

Their content marketing campaigns are typically a mix of content types but should center on what the target audience likes best. The audience expects the latest trends, news, and other industry information. Look at the news surrounding your chosen niche.

Then share your perspective on the topic with your audience in a unique and interesting way. Not only will it hold your users attention, it will also attract new followers who are searching your niche. 

They Provide Quality Content

In this digital marketing world with loads of content to choose from, people have many options to spend their time on. For this reason, successful influencers put a lot of time and resources into developing high-quality content. Nobody will tune into scratchy audio or grainy darkly-lit video. 

To be considered high-quality, content should be:

• Valuable: People want to get a lot in exchange for small chunk of their time. YouTube channels with free podcasts are a good example of this. In the past, you had to pay a pretty penny to see a comedian. Nowadays, you can tune into popular comedy podcasts like Bad Friends or This Past Weekend and get a good chuckle without having to leave your armchair. 
• Comprehensive: Make sure you are giving the audience the full picture. You want to fully answer any questions they have so they will see you as an authority on the subject. 
• Helpful: Figure out how to make people’s lives easier. They show gratitude with a like, follow, or subscribe, and it will further drive your sense of purpose and passion as well. 
• Up-to-date: Things change, so content can age rapidly. Focus on making evergreen content that can be around for years to come. 
• Well-researched: When mistakes are made, your authority diminishes. Focus on providing content people can rely on. 
• Easy to read: Nobody is impressed by big words. Make content that has the feel of talking to a friend, then your audience will have the feeling they know you and can trust you.

They Post Consistently

Influencers didn’t get to where they are overnight. The relationship with followers is like relationships IRL: it takes time to nurture it and build trust. The key to that is consistency. People want to be able to depend on you for the content they followed you for the in first place.

Give ‘em what they want: regular updates and posts. If you aren’t giving it to them, they may forget about you, or even unfollow you if you aren’t holding their interest. If you find yourself to be the disorganized type, consider scheduling your posts rather than posting one at a time.

Get in the mood to create content, create a whole bunch of it at a time, and then schedule the posts. Make sure you have a weekly posting schedule that you stick to, and your followers will be hooked!

They Expand Their Reach

The best way to become known on a larger scale is to expand your outreach. Influencers have mastered the art of getting their content out to scads of people. How does one do this? 

• Collaborations: Find someone in your niche who has a significant following and whose content you genuinely resonate with. Pitch them a collaborative work, or simply ask for a shoutout. Partnerships like these allow you access to a larger fan base, which can then expand your reach. Be sure to offer some value to the other influencer so they can benefit from the collab as well. 
• Hashtags: Pay attention to hashtags. You want a variety, and don’t repeat the same ones in social media posts. We recommend 10-15 hashtags as a good amount to shoot for per post. You don’t want to overdo it. Having a lot of hashtags can overload and muddle the focus of the post. Hashtags will help your content find its intended audience. Start by identifying the most relevant hashtags that are trending in your niche and use the ones that align with your image the best. 
• Best time to post: If you post when there are a lot of active users online, you are likely to have a higher reach. Look up the best time to post on your particular platform, because they tend to vary. 

They Engage with Their Audiences

Another way influencers expand their reach is by engaging with their audiences. This creates  personal connections that keep people invested. To engage with the audience, influencers: 

• Host giveaways
• Go live
• Respond directly to fans
• Ask questions in posts
• Respond to comments with comments or likes
• Create contests
• Host AMA (ask me anything) livestream
• Create polls

When you connect with your audience, you are blowing the engagement rate through the roof, sharing your expertise, establishing your authority on certain subjects, and most importantly, learning about them.

They Have a Website or Blog

Influencers often have a website or blog as a central location for their services. This gives their audience a bigger picture of what they are all about. It also serves as an outlet to showcase other content the influencer specializes in. 

Having a website for your followers to go to allows another step into your sales funnel. You can get them to sign up for your email newsletter, browse your blog posts, and (hopefully) order your book, product, or service. The more they know about you, the more likely they will become a future customer. 

Your website will signal to your followers that you are a credible source of information if it is done in a professional way. They are more likely to trust you and follow you long-term if it is formatted well, clean, and SEO friendly. Make sure you have links to all your social media accounts so your user can discover and follow you on other platforms.

Make Your Influencer Dreams Come True

Most people don’t realize that reaching influencer status isn’t ever an overnight thing. You gotta start small on the right platform, and with a good idea of who your audience is. Your content must be authentic, relatable, high-quality, and consistent.

Expand your reach on broader scale, engage with your audience, and make sure you have a website for your users to explore and buy from you. We hope this article inspires you to realize your social media marketing goals.

Although it takes time, effort, and a reliable way to monetize it (ahem, like Tappie), you too can make your influencer dreams come true!