What’s an up-and-coming profession that people seem to be talking about? Social media influencer.
Influencers that have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers online can earn between $40,000 and $100,000 a year.
It’s a viable living that many aspire to. They think that all they have to do is post on social media and they can make a fortune.
What they don’t understand is that it takes a lot of work to make that aspiration a reality. There’s a disconnect between reality and what a social media influencer actually does.
What does an influencer do? Whether you’re a business looking to hire one or you dream of ditching your day job to become one, you’ll want to keep reading.
Find out what influencers do and how they work.
What Does an Influencer Do?
A social media influencer is a referral and recommendation machine for the digital age. These are people that have a broad reach of followers online.
These are people who created quality content, maybe with no intention of becoming an influencer. They connected with people online and built a community.
With that community, they have the trust and engagement of the audience. This gives them the ability to influence their following with recommendations.
There are plenty of examples in the fitness industry. People share their weight loss journeys online. They post content about their workouts, meals, and the ups and downs of the journey.
It’s something that so many people can relate to because they tried to lose weight in the past. They’ll leave comments of encouragement, ask questions, and engage with each post.
Over time, those accounts gain a following of people eager to know the secrets of losing weight. It’s a great opportunity for supplement brands to partner with those accounts.
These new influencers promote the supplements in exchange for payment.
Types of Influencers
There are different types of influencers. They’re categorized by the number of followers they have.
Nano-influencers have 1,000 and 10,000 followers. Micro-influencers are accounts with 10,000 to 50,000 followers.
Mid-tier influencers range from 50,000 to 500,000 followers and macro- influencers have as many as 1 million followers.
At the top of the influencer food chain are the mega-influencers. These are the Cristiano Ronaldos and Kardashians of the internet. They have more than 1 million followers and can command a lot of money for a simple Instagram post.
Most influencer marketing costs are based on the number of followers. A standard formula is to charge $100 per thousand followers.
The level of engagement, type of post, and content are other factors that affect the costs as well.
What Influencers Do for Brands
What makes influencer marketing so valuable? It comes down to trust.
They tend to trust recommendations and reviews more than advertising. When consumers see digital ads, they automatically think they’re being sold to.
When they’re looking at posts from their favorite social media accounts, they don’t have the same guard or walls up. They’re in a space to accept brand messages more than accept a digital ad.
Combining the power of a personal recommendation with that approachability, you have a recipe to get consumers to hear your brand’s message.
Another thing that influencers do is convey the values of a brand. When businesses partner with the right influencer, followers assume that the brand’s values match the influencer’s values.
About 72% of consumers consider brand values before they make a buying decision. Almost as many Millennials consider brand values to be so important, that they’re willing to pay more for products that align with their values.
Businesses improve brand awareness and reach because they get seen by the influencer’s audience.
What types of businesses benefit from influencer marketing? The main businesses that invest heavily in influencer marketing are cosmetics, fashion, and lifestyle brands.
Healthcare and fitness, media, travel, and the food and beverage industries can make connections with new audiences with influencer marketing.
Can B2B brands benefit from social media influencer marketing, too? They sure can. You can leverage industry bloggers and content creators to make a significant impact.
How to Become a Social Media Influencer
Do you want to start a career as a social media influencer? It’s not all about posting selfies in pretty places. There’s a bit of thought and planning that goes into building up your account.
It starts with your niche. This is the area of focus for your brand.
Choose a niche based on the content you plan to post. Building a following is all about adding value. Think about how your content can help others.
Then think about the types of businesses you’d want to work with. You might have an interest in beauty and fashion. List the fashion brands that would make ideal partners.
Create Quality Content
Now it’s time to get to work. Quality content tells a story that connects with people. It’s a chance to be authentic.
That’s one way to gain followers. It’s a long, slow process that could take years. You can buy IG likes to boost engagement and speed up the time it takes to gain followers.
Don’t Accept Any Offer
As your account grows, you’re going to get offers from businesses that want to partner with you. It’s exciting as your first offers come in.
You might want to jump on those opportunities, but you have to think carefully about each offer. Remember you’re promoting a brand to people who trust you.
Pick the wrong partner, and you’ll lose that trust.
Have an evaluation checklist to check the values of the brand, quality of the product, and alignment with your audience.
Take Full Advantage of Influencer Marketing
Whether you’re a business or an influencer, you can take full advantage of influencer marketing. What does an influencer do?
They work hard to build a community of people and then partner with brands to promote products and services. It’s a great way to connect brands with new customers.
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