Introduction
My line of work as a publisher and social media person has led me to work with many people over the year and one of the questions that keep coming to me constantly me is ‘how do I become a Social Media Influencer?’, or ‘I want to be a brand ambassador, how do I do it?’.
Sometimes you could see the burning desire in the eyes of some as if they could jump out there and make followers for themselves within a few weeks.
One thing I keep mentioning is, it takes a lot of work especially if you are not known in any field in the public space and you’re to rise from the very bottom. This is not to scare you if you are interested in garnering followers for yourself and hence becoming an influencer in that field.
This article will be a guide or what to keep in mind should you decide to toe the line of social media influencing in any field. Remember this is not a one size fits all affair, but it would work in most cases.
-
Consider Your Niche First
Niche, Niche, Niche. Well, this could be the most important part of the article, and the very first thing you need to clearly define once you’re convinced you want to do this. You cannot start posting from every field or subject, you will definitely get your audience confused. So sit down, and clearly define the niche or subject you would like to engage your in. This should something that you love, an area of specialty or passion. May be football or Music, Celebrity Buzz, Gossips, Fashion, Cooking, Building or Architecture, Current Affairs. Carefully consider the field that is easier for you to engage your audience without difficulty on your part. This makes things easier and you are able to get constant content because perhaps you clearly know your way out when it comes to that specific field.
2. Brand Yourself From The Start
Perhaps you’re done with step one, you are ready with your perfect niche and you are ready to roll. Right from the word go, you need to let your prospecting followers know you are in for business and very serious. How do you do this? Create and optimize your social media pages instantly. Carefully fill out all the columns on your social pages (mostly Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Consider your bio which should in most cases be a brief version of your mission of what you intend to achieve. Do not forget, people will surely remember you for your name and logo or profile picture. So here is the trick, if possible choose a name for which people can remember you for easily and could run across all the social media platforms (this could be your name or a nickname but not too long).
Building a brand goes with acquiring a well-designed logo with the colors of your choice (That’s if you’re using a brand name instead of your personal name). If you are using your personal name, make sure to use the cleanest and clearest image possible. Again remember people will remember you for your profile picture as well. Let your page banners also speak on your behalf. Let everything in your social pages show you are serious and into business, that how you will get your few starting followers.
3. Content & Engagement
Now that everything else is set, you are ready to post or already posting your content. Do not make your followers feel as if you are a robot. What do I mean by that? Some people just throw content at their audience without requesting feedback. One reason why it is called social media is the power of engagement. Try as much as possible to seek their opinions, and make every post as lively and interactive as possible.
Check For Engaging Content: Sometimes, not all content will derive the same response at the end of the day, keep checking and tracking content that comes with a very high response (likes and comments). This is your kicker. Make sure to stay focused on this kind of content more frequently. This is the sure way to grow your pages very fast.
Avoid retardation at all costs. Let me explain that;
Social Media platforms work with an algorithm or automatic system they’ve created that track and rank pages based on interactions with other platform users. So in simple terms, once you keep posting great and interactive content, your audience with appreciate it, and your ranking will keep growing automatically. It will come smoothly and your followership will start to grow.
Comment Reply: Never miss out on the opportunity to interact with your fans by replying to their comment or liking their comments. Any comment no matter how weird it may seem, try to reply or like at least. This creates a certain buzz around your brand.
4. Consistency
One of the key factors for rapid growth as a social media influencer is consistency. Make it a point to post everyday. I know some platforms or articles will tell you a few times a week. But forget ‘a few times in week theory’. If you want to make huge impact in an already clustered social platform where everyone is seeking attention one way or the other, you would have to put in the hard work. This is the sure way to get noticed. Remember this is all you want to do by top brands for products and services and opportunities for collaboration with other platforms or influencers. If you ask me, for starters, you would need to post at least three (3) times a day. Make it a point to grow at this; consistently posting relevant content many times in a single day. Just keep at it, before you realize you will get noticed one way or the other.
Do not forget to share the same engaging content consistently on all your social media handles. One of the improvements that have come on social media is the ability to link all your pages from one source. Instagram is very efficient at this. Make sure to link all your social pages on Instagram for automatic post sharing to other platforms. Then again, beware of ‘robotic’ posting. Do not make your audience feel you are just throwing content at them, if possible try and post manually some content on the other content because platforms and audience are different and your re-caption your post differently to suit every platform.
5. Brand Collaborations
Believe me, this is where your target should be. Once brands are taking notice of you, they will start coming for collaborations and brand ambassadorship in one way or the other. This is where the money is. At this point, you would have been more organized and business-oriented. It is a growth process, you don’t start with this point in mind, all that you should think about is building an audience, pleasing your audience, and building a community around what you have to offer. This part will come automatically.
Conclusion
The truth is everyone wants to be heard or paid attention to. It is one of the basic human instincts or needs that has to be satisfied. The same goes with Social Media, everyone wants to have that superior voice in any field. This article is to give you a heads-up on what to expect and do to arrive at your desired destination. Trust me, this is never going to be an easy road with a few weeks or months. This could take weeks, but trust me, if you keep working, learning, paying attention to your audience, and statistics from platform insights, you will surely get there.
