Influencer marketing is when brands pay people on social media to endorse their products or services. Some influencers may also endorse certain products on their blog or website in addition to their social media channels.
Influencers are known for having a loyal following, which means they are highly effective when it comes to increasing a company’s sales, brand awareness, or social following. In the beginning, traditional celebrities were the ones making product endorsements in magazines and television commercials. These days, just about anyone can become an influencer and start promoting products!
How Influencer Marketing Works
- An influencer partners with a brand.
- The influencer promotes the brand on social media.
- When a follower makes a purchase, the influencer receives a small portion of the sale.
- The brand has higher sales and more followers as a result!
How Do I Become an Influencer in Marketing?
Becoming a social media influencer sounds enticing. You get to promote things you like and get paid for making simple social media posts! However, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Here’s how to become an influencer in marketing:
- Develop a Loyal Following – The most important step in becoming an influencer is to create genuine relationships with your followers. They don’t want to feel like just another number, so try following them back and engaging in their social media posts too.
- Be Authentic – The biggest mistake aspiring influencers make is focusing too much on making a sale or promoting a product and not enough on who they are or other aspects of their life. Your followers don’t want to be constantly bombarded with salesy messaging from you, so you should sprinkle in some tidbits about your life when possible.
- Engage With Brands – If there are brands you’d love to promote in the future, you should start out by engaging with their social media profiles. Comment on their photos, tag them in your Instagram stories. Showing genuine interest in their products or services is a great way to make it clear that you truly love what they do.
- Don’t Fall for Engagement Pods – There’s no magic formula for success when you want to become an influencer. It will take lots of trial and error to see if what you want to promote even resonates with your audience. No matter what, just know that it won’t happen overnight. Stick to your strategy and you might become the next big thing!
bBIG Communications provides an array of marketing and media services/programs that can help you to establish yourself as a trusted influencer. If you’re interested in becoming a social media influencer or if you’re an established influencer looking for new opportunities, contact ehemmings@bbigcommunications.com