How to become an influencer?

What does the word 'influencer' mean?

The word influencer is from the root word ‘influence’. To influence is to inspire or encourage.

In other words, being an influencer means you get to inspire or encourage people to do something they normally may not have done.

Being an influencer means you have an audience that wants to listen to what you have to say whenever you want to say it. As an influencer, you need to have a voice that is heard.

Social media influencers began to rise into fame in the last 10 years or so and brands are beginning to use them to promote their products in favour of traditional advertising. The more authentic the content of an influencer as well as their range and number of followers, the more likely it is for brands to seek them out. This is one of the ways by which social media influencers get paid.

What are the different types of influencers?

There are 2 categorizations for influencers. One is based on the number of followers they have online and the second is based on the means by which they influence. We will take a look at both here so that you can decide which group you would like to fall into.

Types of influencers based on their follower size

There are about 5 in this category:

• Nano-Influencers – these are the lowest on the rung of the influencer ladder. They have between 1 to 10 thousand followers. These are less likely to charge high rates for their services but they do have a narrower reach than the other types of influencers. However, what they lack in reach, they could make up for in authenticity and unique content creations.
   
• Micro-Influencers – with about 10 – 50 thousand followers, these have a wider range of reach than the nano-influencers. While their content may be less unique to that of the nano-influencers, they are much preferred by brands because of the kind of audience they control.
   
• Mid-Tier Influencers – the mid-tier influencers have about 50 to 500 thousand followers, hence a wider range than the nano or micro-influencers. Since it is more likely that they have climbed the influencing ladder from the nano rung rather than building their follower-base on celebrity status, they are more likely to have a little bit of authenticity to their content.
   
• Macro-Influencers – these are nearing celebrity status as they have between 500 thousand to 1 million followers. These are TV celebrities, writers, reality show stars, etc. As they are less likely to have personal knowledge of more than 95% of their followers, creating unique content that appeals to their followers may be minimal. However, because of their status and voice, they can still influence more people.
   
• Mega-Influencers – with more than a million followers, these influencers reach the largest range of audiences from all walks of life. These are celebrities and public figures. They attract a wide range of followers and get paid higher for their influencer services.

Types of influencers based on their content or range of influence

• Celebrities – these are popular in their own rights based on their line of work. For example, TV show stars, movie stars, reality TV show stars, musicians, comedians, or even models. Some public figures can also be influencers.
   
• Bloggers and vloggers – these two are very important as they tend to create contents that are relevant as well as use the right keywords for SEO optimization. With this group, there is a higher likelihood for your content to be visible to the right audience.
   
• Subject matter experts – these include doctors, gamers, politicians, experts on beauty regimens and products, pharmacists, instructors, religious leaders, hair stylists, etc. So far you are an expert on something, you can create a niche for yourself and influence them based on your content.
   
• Photographers – ranging from wildlife to model photographers, these can be influencers too if they have good content. Sticking to a specific subject of photography goes a long way in building followers for this group.
   
• Writers – these can also be bloggers but established writers of all genres fall into this group. A genre like travels, beauty tips, fashion, romance, thrillers have writers with faithful followers whom they can influence for a brand.
   
• Activists – these groups are fighting for a course and thus tend to have some faithful and ardent followers. Whatever you are planning to brand through these groups must align with whatever course they are fighting for.
   
• Opinion leaders – these are entrepreneurs, academics, CEOs, businessmen, etc.

How do influencers make money?

Do you want to start a business? Influencers make money either through selling their content as is done on TikTok or through advertisements and social media campaigns for brands. Here are a few ways by which influencers make money:

• Revenue from promoting ads on their blogs and videos. Do you remember all those 30 seconds or more ads that keep disrupting you when you are reading an article or watching a YouTube video for example?
   
• Offering services such as coaching, web design, photography, video editing, all at reduced prices. Sometimes they give the first few people a free registration or bonus.
   
• Helping brands to promote and advertise their products. Depending on where they are on the influencer ladder rung and content they give, they get paid a lot for this.
   
• Creating and selling courses and books on specific subject matter like beauty tips, marriage counselling, cooking tips and recipes, etc.
   
• Branding their own labels and selling physical products such as t-shirts, juice, herbal products, etc.
   
• Speaking at engagements and hosting events. The comedians enjoy this benefit. After all, they are the best event hosts and emcees because they keep people entertained.
   
• Promoting products from other more established influencers. This is called affiliate marketing.

How to become an influencer?

1. Choose a niche – this should be something you are passionate about as it will lend to your contents’ authenticity.
    
2. Learn and hone your craft – know the best tricks in the craft you have chosen. For example, if you are a chef, you’ll have some of those tricks to distinguish you from others.
    
3. Develop your brand. This will be what you want to be known for. It could be a catchphrase or an action. Make sure it is unique and memorable.
    
4. Choose a platform. There are so many social media platforms to choose from. Which you choose to depend on who your target audience is.
    
5. Create a catchy bio. Describing yourself on a social media platform like Instagram should not be boring.
    
6. Plan the content you would like to share. Don’t just post anything. If your content involves photos or videos, get a good camera and lighting. Choose good outfits and the right makeup.
    
7. Share the content and be consistent with it. You cannot share a post today and the next time your followers are seeing your post is in another week or month. You need an online presence if you want your followers to grow.
    
8. Choose the right hashtags. Where necessary like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, choose the right hashtag. Don’t overuse the hashtags. A maximum of 4 at a time is enough.
    
9. Network with other influencers. You can do this by promoting some of their products or working together with them to create content sometimes.
    
10. Study your followers. Don’t just post anything you wish without studying or getting a feel of your followers. While some people’s comments are downright rude, some will help you grow. So, take your time to analyse their thoughts before you post your next content.
     
11. Reach out to brands. You can reach out to brands that you would like to promote. Offer them juicy deals so they can partner with you. This is just for the beginning because as you grow, others will seek you out.
     
12. Do not buy followers. There are some apps that allow you to buy followers. Others just give you followers that are bots. The thing is, good brands do their study and they know how to spot fake influencers.
     

How to identify fake influencers?

With the rise in the fame of influencers, many fake ones are coming up and spotting those are becoming more and more difficult.

Nowadays, with some amount of money, you can get as many bot followers as you want or just buy an already established account with a large follower size. While there are no clearly defined means of finding out if an influencer is fake or not, you should check for the following anyway –

• Whom they follow and who is following them
• The authenticity of their followers’ comments
• How they react to comments and how they engage with their followers.