How to Become an Influencer
Influencer: a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.
That is the literal definition of an 'influencer' and did you know that influencers can be dated back to ancient Rome. Fun fact: Influencer marketing has existed in the modern era since the 1930s, but in truth, it could be traced back to ancient Rome when gladiators actually endorsed products.
What Does an Influencer Do? 📱
An influencer works with a brand to "influence" their audience which in this case would be the influencer's followers on any given social media platform such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Brands will collaborate with influencers that have an aligned following with their target persona. 17% of companies spend over half their marketing budget on influencers. The influencer industry is at a steady incline and is projected to grow even more in the next few years.
When brands begin working with an influencer to promote a product, for example, the influencer is expected to offer the brand deliverables in return. Deliverables may vary but some common deliverables are a certain amount of Instagram posts and/or Stories, a TikTok video, or even a YouTube video, for example. This is something that should be discussed beforehand so both parties understand the agreements and therefore avoid any possible confusion.
Oftentimes when working with a brand, influencers will need to become familiarized with the term collaboration. There are two types of collaborations: gifted and paid.
A gifted collaboration is when an influencer is being gifted a product or even products from a brand. Here, the product is the form of payment. The influencer will then create the deliverables that were previously discussed.
A paid collaboration is when a brand will send the influencer products for them to try and review on their social media platforms. And, in turn, the brand will pay the influencer based on the agreed amount. It's important for influencers to discuss payment before accepting any brand deals to ensure that they are being compensated fairly.
How to Become an Influencer ✏️
The journey to becoming an influencer looks different to everyone as some influencers might start their career on YouTube while other start theirs on Instagram. But, other than that, influencers start to get brand deals once they being to get some traction on their profile. The good news is that you can actually be a micro-influencer and do it full-time.
There’s so much to consider when becoming an influencer such as finding your niche (and if you need one), negotiating your rate and contract as a micro-influencer, what to include on a media kit, legal entities, and taxes. These are all important topics to know about in order to have a successful transition to full-time influencing. But, not to worry, we have a recording of our webinar "Micro-Influencer Money Moves” just for you! We run through everything you need to know for you to feel more confident as an influencer.
Can Anyone Become an Influencer? ✨
Now, anyone and everyone can become an influencer, thanks to social media. A common misconception is that the influencer market is overly saturated, but that is far from the truth. Anyone can be an influencer as long as they have a social media account and are willing to show parts of their life.
Requirements to be an Influencer:
enjoys creating content
finds social media to be fun
likes to share parts of their life
has a social media account
likes to be a part of a community
Influencer Industry Expectations ✅
Brands will continue to invest in influencer marketing due to the success and ROI it has brought brands in the past few years. Businesses are making $5.20 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. More and more businesses will start to implement influencer marketing if it is not already a part of their marketing strategy.
Influencers will begin to be recognized as valuable assets to businesses and their marketing strategies, therefore, we can expect influencers to be compensated fairly for their time, effort, and creativity.
If you've been thinking about making social media your job, now is the time!
