What it really means to be an influencer in 2018

Some handy tips on making it.

We’ve seen the growth of influencers skyrocket in the past couple of years. And it’s certainly made a revolutionary mark on our social media behaviours.

Thanks to the ever-growing nature of the digital sphere, anyone can now make a living off their social media profiles.

Whether you want to brand yourself in the realm of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, health or parenting, there’s an intricate strategy behind at all.

Thankfully, there are now panel sessions, programs and short courses catered to those aspiring to take their social influence that one step further. And if there’s anyone who can share all the tricks of the trade, it’s The Influencer. The company offers an online training program, aimed to teach striving entrepreneurs the steps in creating a personal brand and successful business.

We grabbed some handy tips on making it on social media in 2018 from the team. Pens out, we suggest taking notes.

Engagement rate is the new follower count

Yep, the number of followers will not matter as much going forward. Instead, the key factor in making it big is focused on the rate of your engagement.

Essentially, genuine users who are constantly active in using their social media profiles to interact with their audiences – whether it’s through Instagram stories or relatable captions – are predicted to perform better. If you’re a start-up trying to gain traction, we’d put conversing with your followers and being engaging on the top of your goals list.

Education is still important

All millennials would have heard the “get a real job” phrase thrown around. A huge issue for anyone in social media is that some people still don’t take them seriously.

The key to making it in an oversaturated market is taking the time to learn all the ropes.

Having business and communication skills under your belt will sure boost your chances when it comes to potential collaborations. Setting the standards high will also improve the landscape and help towards building a positive industry rep.

Courses like The Influencer can help budding influencers connect with brands, guiding them in developing social media and new-age marketing skills. Modelled on current trend markets, the criteria covers four carefully structured modules focusing on the topics of business, branding, content and growth. You’ll also learn about communication strategies, content creation and networking within the industry.

Learn how to market yourself

For those who may not know much about the industry, it’s easy to slap the ‘influencer’ label on every social account with a mass following. Influencer marketing is all about establishing yourself as a talent in a particular trade or product, in addition to an engaged audience – a speciality, if you will. Rather than just ‘influencers,’ brands will tend to collaborate with stylists, models, designers, photographers. Think about offering a service within the industry, as opposed to just a good looking feed.

Understanding your influence

This covers the ethical issues behind all your content. As an influencer, being responsible for what you promote is a big part of the job. Research and education plays a significant role in avoiding less than ideal situations (read: fake designer clothing saga.)

On top of this, followers also appreciate genuine content and promoting brands which you were paid to advertise doesn’t always translate well to audiences. As a tip, The Influencer suggests swapping sponsored posts to the promotion of products that you bought out of love.

If you’re interested in taking your feed to the next level, The Influencer is welcoming new enrolments.

theinfluencer.com.au