Chidi Okereke
In simple terms, a Social Media Influencer is a social media user who has established credibility in a specific field. He or she has access to a large audience and can persuade others by virtue of their authenticity and reach. Now the question is, how can one become a successful Social Media Influencer? We have identified 8 steps to make it happen. Enjoy, share, flourish.
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Find a niche
What are you good at? Then, what are you passionate about? Is it football analysis, make up, comedy, reviewing movies? Whatever it is, identify it, and make it your niche. Even if you can do multiple things, make one niche yours and own it.
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Stand out
In a Social Media space where everyone is doing everything, you have to stand out to be different. You have to do something unique, something nobody is doing. Even if people are doing it, yours has to have a distinction, if not you’ll be just like everyone else, and be lost in the pool of the norm.
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Create great and original content
As an influencer, you are a content creator by default. Even if all you do is smile for the cameras, you are creating content. And for people to be influenced, that content has to be great, has to appeal to them. Originality also goes a long way. So, begin with a strategy; ask yourself questions like, “what do I want to do, how do I want to do it, what do I need to do it, when do I do it?” etc, then create timelines and schedules. Invest if you have to – on tools, equipments, etc. Then create great content that will bring people to your page(s)
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Pick your platform
Talking about pages, it is important that you pick a platform that is most important to what you’re doing and make it your base. Put majority of your resources into that channel where you get the most engagement, focus and grow it. If it is Twitter, focus and grow it. If it is Instagram, same. If it is YouTube, keep churning out content. With time, you can spread to other platforms.
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Promote
Imagine spending all these time, energy and resources to get to the point where you have great content but nobody sees it. Chai. In simple words, you have to promote your art. Major platforms have made it easy to promote content via native ads. You can also share with your friends and ask them to reshare for you. All na promotion.
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Collaborate
Have you noticed how certain influencers are seen as a clique? It is strategic. One will chase a thousand, two will chase TEN thousand. Geometric progression. When you collaborate, your chances of being seen more than doubles, because now the audience is not just yours, it is the other person’s and the more people share, the more you grow. So, collaborate with other influencers, whether they are smaller or bigger than you. Grow someone, be grown by someone. Keyword is grow.
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Engage with your audience
Who are you most likely to talk to? Someone who responds, or someone who ignores you? Of course it’s the person who talks back. Influencing is a two-way street, and the smaller you are, the better it is for you to respond to people engaging. When you become very big, you may be unable to respond to everyone who hits you up, but it is important you do not become aloof. Like comments, reply tweets, follow back, etc. Engage
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Analyze
This is one of the most important things, and it is often the most overlooked. Analyzing data is key to knowing how well you’re doing, what is working, who your audience are, how you can get better, etc. Data crunching helps you know what to stop, when to go back to the drawing boards to restrategize, what you should spend more time and resources on, and so on. Do not overlook this; explore the analytics section of your platform, and, when you feel like you’ve grown enough, use paid tools like Sprout Social, Keyhole, etc, to analyze output.
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If you read to this point, you’re a step closer to being an influencer. But before you go, a bonus tip is consistency. Give your audience a reason to turn on notifications, and visit your page as frequently as possible. Now go into the world and flourish.
