How to become Social Media Influencer and make money from it

Gone are the days when you had to leave the comforts of your home, talk to other people face to face, and work in a physical office to earn money. Because of the advent of technology, you can now make money through the Internet—and a classic and one of the newest examples of doing so is being a social media influencer.

More and more people and businesses are now considering social media as a necessity rather than just a pastime, which makes it easier and faster for you to earn money. But what does a social media influencer do and how can you actually make money from it?

What Really Is A Social Media Influencer?

In case you didn’t know, a social media influencer is a person who has the power to affect another person’s buying decision based on their online presence and their interactions with their followers. They have this effect on people because of their knowledge, life skills, or experience in a particular niche.

Bloggers, celebrities, and industry leaders are considered examples of social media influencers who successfully interact with a follower or followers to promote products or services. More often than not, products or services endorsed by influencers will be patronized by their follower network, should they have a need or desire for it. If a particular blogger swears by the benefits of a certain makeup brand, some members of their audience might have a tendency to follow the recommendation and buy the product. Having these kinds of influence can be powerful influencer marketing tools, especially for new or small businesses.

Being successful social media influencers (even micro – influencers) can be a great way of earning side income in your free time because you can basically work wherever you want, whenever you want. You are not obliged to report in a specific schedule because you’re your own boss, though you are required to maintain your follower network.

How to become a Social Media Influencer

Working as a social media influencer can be very attractive for many. Because most social media platforms are easy to navigate, working as a social media influencer can be a piece of cake. But keep in mind that you’re not the only person who wants to earn from this industry. Usually, a lot of people have been earning money as a social media influencer for years and have been successful in their careers. If you want to experience the same or an even greater amount of success, take note of the following tips on how you can become a social media influencer.

Find your niche

Influencer marketing is a diverse market. You can find people who are experts in fashion, automobiles, and gadgets, among others. They’ve spent most of their lifetimes mastering a specific niche and use their knowledge to educate the online community. If you want to do the same while earning money, find your niche first, and build your follower connections second. The niche you choose is crucial as this makes or breaks your success as a social media influence.

To make sure that you actually have the interest and motivation to work as a social media influencer for the longest time possible, pick a niche that’s up to your alley. The more passionate you are about your niche, the easier it will become to both create great content and consistently publish content over the course of weeks, months, and even years and provide value to your users and followers.

Choose your social media channel

To be a successful social media influencer, you should decide what social media channel to use and build your profile. Because there are a lot of social media channels available today, it’s important to choose the right one. The influencer platform you select can make or break your chances of engaging with your target audience and earning a profit.

It’s hard enough to create content – don’t overstretch yourself. Find the one or maybe two (for A/B testing) social media channels that make sense, bold your profile, and stick to your chosen platforms!

Develop your content strategy

Creating a reputable name as a social media influencer can be challenging at first, but it can always be done. Aside from carefully choosing a niche, you should also learn how to develop a content strategy and identify the types of content you want to produce.

You need to choose a content medium that can educate your target audience about a specific niche while letting your personality and expertise stand out. Usually, social media influencers use articles, pictures, and even videos as part of their content strategy. One rule of thumb to follow during this process is the 5-3-2 principle designed to help with producing certain types of content.

Distribute your content properly

No matter how informative and innovative your content is, if no one actually sees it, all of your efforts will be useless. This is just one of the reasons why you should know how and where to distribute your content properly. Here are some tips to help you out during this process:

Customize your message: Although you’re posting the same basic content in different social media channels, it’s best if you exert time customizing each piece of content. You want your target audience to feel that they’re actually appreciated and valued, and aren’t being bombarded with spam messages having fake news and myths.

Optimize your posts for mobile: If you want to succeed as a social media influencer, you should always consider that not everyone will use a desktop computer when they’re browsing the web. Because of the advent of technology, a lot of people are now surfing the Internet through handheld devices such as smartphones and tablets. For you to reach out to all of your target audience, make sure that all of your content is still accessible regardless of the device used.

Grow your community

Growing your community is vital if you are going to be an influencer, because your followers are actually the factor driving our growth and potential.

Using hashtags, partnering with other brands and influencers, and engaging readily with people are all excellent strategies to help you grow your community. Your engagement rate will also affect how often your posts are delivered and spread around social media channels, so make sure that you are engaging consistently with your followers and the followers of other influencers in your niche. Whether you take some time to engage a follower with questions about your personal life, or you respond to product questions, whether you have 5 followers or thousands of followers, you must consistently work on your engagement with your audience. Influencers are just ordinary people with a platform, and engagement with your followers makes this clear.

Engage and make friends with your followers.

The exact way you go about this will vary. For some, engaging with followers happens entirely on their social channels after they post content. For others, a lot of engagement occurs over email, whether through an email list or private content delivered on sites like Patreon. Your followers continue coming back to your profiles because they enjoy your personality, your writing, your photos, and your approach to influencer marketing. Continue providing them with content and a reason to stay by actually taking the time to forge connections and create friendships.

Although the perks of influencing on social media are often boiled down to the money and freedom involved, the friendships influencers can cultivate as a result of their position is another important reason why this particular vocation is growing in popularity. Genuine connections help foster more genuine and consistent engagement and failing to address this part of your channel will damage your brand and likability.

How to make money as social media influencer

Different people work as social media influencers for different reasons. While some of them are after convenience, others are in it for the money they can make within a short period. Yes, you read that right: social media influencers can make money even if they’re only using their social media profiles.

Here are some ways a social media influencer can easily monetize their online presence:

Sponsorships or sponsored content

One of the easiest ways to make money as a social media influencer is through sponsorships or sponsored content. If you have a million followers, you will get paid simply by posting content representing a particular brand or business. Depending on the product or service being endorsed, the influencer can simply post a picture wearing a product of the brand or visiting the business establishment of the sponsor. Celebrities who have the most number of Instagram followers typically use this strategy to earn money.

Produce high-quality content for brands

Content is king when it comes to social media marketing. Gone are the days when businesses will only market their products and services to their target audience; today, they need to publish content that can help their target audience realize how their lives will improve once they patronize a brand’s offerings. If you think you’re passionate enough to write different content for a specific niche, invest in high-quality content. Once you’re able to gain a strong online following, brands and businesses will soon reach out to you so you’ll write articles or blogs to represent them.