How To Become A Social Media Influencer: My Mummy Secret

What exactly does a social media influencer do and how to become one?

A social media influencer is a person who has a significant following on social media platforms and is able to influence their audience’s purchasing decisions. They create content, engage with their followers, and collaborate with brands to promote products or services to their audience.

Are you good at content creation? If so, then this business opportunity maybe for you! Let’s discover how to become a social media influencer in 2023.

What is an influencer 

Now over millions of people a.k.a influencers make money without ever leaving their bedrooms.

To become a social media influencer and make money means you can use different social media platforms to promote products and services to your followers. This can be in the form of a direct endorsement, review, paid advertising, partnerships and much more. As mentioned in my previous blog posts, this type of business also requires the right quality content and the right target audience.

The meaning is in the name, your “influencing “ your opinion on people.

Different personalities choose to express themselves in different ways depending on their skill set, giving brands and marketing companies a range of options when it comes to using influencer marketing for promotional activities.

If you have a popular blog, video blog or an active presence on social media and don’t yet monetize it, then you could make the jump to become an online influencer.

3 popular ways to become a successful social media influencer and make money?

Instagram influencer

One of the hottest forms of influencer platforms trending in 2023 and will continue doing so is Instagram.

Do you have an eye for photography? Can you take eye-catching pictures?

Instagram is an image sharing site.

It’s visual scenes capture the eye allowing viewers to easily follow along.

Many people typically use Instagram to promote an existing blog/vlog or business.

However, there’s also the potential to create a business on Instagram ITSELF without a blog/vlog organically.

For instance, you could take pictures while you travel, gain a following and then look to travel brands to sponsor you.

Similarly, you could take pictures of your new make up looks, eventually grow a following and look to makeup brands to sponsor your beauty products.

The opportunities are endless.

You can also monetize and earn from brands sponsoring you to show their content. It doesn’t have to be showcased for free!

On this platform you can share beautiful photography and short, snappy video content to engage users. A variety of hashtags can bring in the right audience for your niche, giving your profile a boost of followers.

Many ‘instafluencers’ hold accounts with 1k, 10k, 100k and even 1 Million followers. All depends on your content and what your viewers most engage with.

Using social media influencers is a great way to connect with the “ hard to reach under-25 market” Many young audiences use this platform so it’s a great way to reach out to them.

Instagram also has a lot of influencer marketing campaigns which can help get you out there. With valuable content and the right content strategy you can quickly grow viral on this social channel.

Blogging

This is a form of written content uploaded frequently to a hosting site, a.k.a your website.

Blogging allows you to voice your opinions and views in the form of content writing. This allows your viewers to engage with you by reading your content.

Blog posts are all over the internet.

Searching for a recipe? Just type it in google and guaranteed someone will have posted a blog on how to make it.

Bloggers can focus on a multiple audience by discussing many niches or what we often see is they focus around a single topic and target a particular audience – This can be a useful platform for brands wishing to promote a niche or specialist product or service.

Some of the many ways blogs can be monetized are through showing ads, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing or for selling their own products and services.

Vlogging

Vlogging is blogging in a visual way.

Not crafty on writing? Then you can talk to your viewers instead, via vlogging.

A form of visual content where you upload videos which resonate with your followers/fans. Usually uploaded on YouTube.

YouTube is the second most visited website in the world.

Vlogs have the potential to reach huge audiences and can turn vloggers into hugely influential, and profitable, business men and women.

Brands can partner with vloggers and maximize on their fan base.

The success of YouTube is beyond crazy! Successful youtubers are earning millions monthly.

Being comfortable in front of the camera is key, that way you can keep your audience engaged with exciting and unique visual content.

How to become an influencer?

An influencer doesn’t have to be someone with millions of followers – it can even be someone with a few hundred followers. As long as their audience is engaged, the message will be effective”. Beckii Cruel

Sometimes brands who work with influencers with millions of followers, also reach out to micro influencers as their audience could be more filtered and engaged. The first step is therefore finding your target audience.

The most important part is believing in the content you are making. There’s no point going into an influencer role for the sake of getting brand deals or monetizing the platform. Otherwise your business wont be long lasting.

As influencer marketing relies on word of mouth it has a higher chance of obtaining sales and success.

How to become a social media influencer and what do brands look for in influencers?

Brands will check before offering you the contract. They check 2 main things, your following and engagement. They also look at the type of content you post and if this is relevant content to them, they will reach out to you.

Before you start reaching out to brands, make sure you know how to grow and retain your audience so brands can see if you’ll be a worthwhile partner. You’re social media profile will also play a big part in this, so keep it up to date and specific.

Most importantly, the best way to grow and retain your following is to be original, and be yourself. People will like you for YOU!

Brands look out for what kind of influencer will be the most valuable to their brand and represent it in the best way. Depending on what the brand is looking to promote, they could reach out to a celebrity, a social media star, or a micro-influencer.

It’s best to approach brands in your niche.

If you’re a makeup artist, there is no point reaching out to a pet brand. It has no relevance with your audience. This goes in any field Whether you’re a online influencer, blogger or vlogger.

Make your sales pitch for the brand you wish to go for, a good one. Imagine it’s the only shot you’ll get, so you want to ace it!

Adhering to influencer Rules

Whether you choose to become a blogger, vlogger or an online influencer you have to be transparent with your audience.

Your audience should know if you are advertising a brand or product or whether it’s a NOT-sponsored review.

If you don’t declare it, you are disrespecting your audience which is the fastest way of losing them.

Your online presence is a powerful platform and can give you a great deal of influence with your followers. Followers trust you to provide information that, to the best of your knowledge, is true and useful. Don’t abuse that trust.

How much does it cost to become an online influencer?

To be honest, to be an online influencer and become successful costs a lot of passion. 

Passion and dedication and continuity.

It’s a lean start up opportunity. Main essentials required are a laptop or computer, a creative mind, and access to a good internet connection. Make sure your work space is comfortable too.

Blogging

You’ll need to think about where you want to host your blog. Choose a domain name and produce creative content regularly. (I will make a separate blog post on ALL the things you need to set up your blog successfully from scratch)

Vlogging

If you think vlogging is the business opportunity for you, then are likely to need to invest in some high-quality video and audio recording equipment.

You don’t have to opt for expensive gear when first starting up. You can always start cheap and work your way up. Raw content attracts audience too.

Your personality should shine through your platform no matter what equipment you use.

Online influencer

Similarly, for online influencing you will need a good quality camera to take those amazing photos to capture the eyes of your audience.

So you’re all set up and ready to start producing killer content to become an online influencer – but how much is it worth?

 How much do influencers make a year?

Influencer earnings vary massively. From micro-influencer to mid to large.

Depending on the audience profile, successful influencers can earn from £50,000 to £100,000 annually.

Obviously, if you are going to be marketing luxury goods to high-net worth individuals, you’re likely to be earning significantly more than if you’re working with a niche brand and a small audience. 

The earnings range from 10k (part time influencer) to 100k upwards (full time huge audience influencer) annually.

You can also use ads to monetize your platform – this can be anywhere from £1 a month to the millions.

The more established you are as a public figure, the more deals you attract. However, I personally think, a targeted and loyal audience is the key to attracting brands you like, and audiences they want to connect with.

It can be easy to look at what other niche influencers are doing But always remember, don’t do what everyone else is doing, you should carve your own niche and own it!

Don’t always expect to be paid either, some influencers work with brands in return for a free product, or discount code. These are great opportunities to take if you are just starting out.

Remember: focus on building your audience and the rest will follow. It’s not a quick get rich scheme. Slow and steady wins the race.