19 Strategies to Become an Influencer

19 Strategies to Become an Influencer

influencer marketing has increased 90-fold since 2013. And I hesitate to pat myself on the back, but I am recognized as an influencer in the field of digital marketing.

But how? Why? In this article, we will discuss how I became one and how to become an influencer in your field.

1. Start by Becoming an Influencer in Your Field

The reason you need a niche is to start as a micro-influencer in your specific field.

Micro-influencers create strong word-of-mouth awareness for small groups. They don’t have as many followers as the Kardashians, but they are much cheaper and can still reach enough people to influence product sales.

And what’s more: research shows they generate double the sales compared to paid ads and with a 37% higher customer retention rate.

How to become an influencer – influencer marketing success statistics
It’s not enough to just choose an area you want to influence.

Digital marketing is a broad topic and I didn’t reach the top by focusing only on a broad keyword.

I started in the trenches of SEO before I learned about content marketing, conversion rate optimization, influencer marketing, social media marketing, and more. I worked hard to reach nearly 300,000 followers on Twitter.

One day you may reach 300,000 followers too; but to become an influencer, you must start with one. Start as an expert among your friends and colleagues.
Work to become an expert in your city and state.

From there, then become an influencer.

2. Create a Content Strategy

Once you have a niche, it’s time to create a content strategy. Content strategy can be a vague term, but for the purposes of this post, we mean things like publishing cadence, author tone and voice, and content elements (text, graphics, etc.).

Even the Content Marketing Institute admits there is no template for this because each person’s and brand’s needs and goals are different.

How to become an influencer – developing a content strategy
On Usability.gov you will find a practical table to help you get started.

How to become an influencer – table for developing a content strategy on usability.gov.
For my content strategy, I have strict goals that I set, which is to create a certain number of social media posts on each network while maintaining the quality of the blog and working on side projects. I also made sure to use the same conversational tone and voice in my content (you’ll recognize it?).

It’s not terribly difficult, is it?

Once you’re armed with this information, you can choose your channels.

3. Selecting Channels

There is no wrong answer to which social channels to be on and which to avoid.

Facebook is the most popular, used by 94% of marketers globally as of January 2020, followed by LinkedIn at 76%.

Facebook is by far the most popular, with a 61% market share in 2016. However, it has declined from 65% in 2015 and other social channels still have their place.

Although I prefer some channels over others, I don’t play favorites when communicating with my audience.

I try to show up everywhere.

Besides Twitter, I’m on Facebook.

My page has huge traffic and a great conversion rate.

I’m also active on LinkedIn and Pinterest, which I think is even more visually appealing than Instagram. I also think it has greater marketing potential than Instagram.

And last but not least, I have almost a million followers on my YouTube channel.

Each channel has a different audience (and audience size) that expects different content.

These are just my social channels. I’m not counting my blogging and guest blogging efforts.

You don’t need to be this active on so many channels, but pick one or two to start building your influence.

View each social channel as another platform where you can reach your customers (and the general public).

4. Network Within Your Industry

To become an influencer, you need to build real connections.

Everyone wants to sit at home on the couch and connect with influencers on social media.

That’s simply not possible. For example, popular tech influencer iJustine has 1.2 million followers on Twitter.

She’s very active with her followers, but it’s impossible for her to meaningfully engage individually with all 1.2 million.

Where you can connect with Justine Ezarik is at technology trade shows like CES, Webby Awards, Streamys, and several other events. You can follow her social media accounts to find out which events she attends.

Event marketing is a big trend, and the opportunity to boast about hosting influencers is huge.

Why not make it a marketing priority for yourself too?

Get off the couch, leave your house, and attend major events related to your industry. Or even simpler, attend online events that are becoming increasingly popular in the post-pandemic world.

You can start your search on the Trade Show News Network website, where you’ll find lists of trade shows from around the world in all industries.

5. Participate in Forums Outside the Workplace

Becoming popular on one social network has its advantages. For example, in 2020, the most popular YouTubers earned more than a billion dollars a year from advertising and sponsorships.

Not all of us can be that lucky. The rest of us need to go beyond social networks and participate in forums, comment threads, and other online discussions to increase our follower count.

Every discussion you participate in online increases your reputation, influence, and contacts.

6. Create a Website or Blog

The conversation doesn’t end on social media.

You’ll always have more to say than fits in a tweet or Instagram post.

With a website or blog, you have a place to direct your social media followers once you’ve gained them.

I’m personally a big advocate of blogging.

One of the best content management systems for creating a website or blog is WordPress.

Don’t be an influencer without a purpose.

Be prepared to lead your followers into a well-designed conversion funnel, starting by including a link to your blog in your social media posts. A link to your website or blog can really increase your social media audience engagement.

And of course, longer blog content must provide even greater value than a social media post for you to get clicks.

7. Provide Conversation Value

If you don’t provide value to the conversation, you’ll never reach the ears of anyone influential.

To become influential, you need to be someone people talk about among themselves.

Word of mouth is today’s most influential element driving purchasing decisions.

How to Become an Influencer – Word of Mouth
If you can impress people enough with your knowledge and conversation value, they’ll sell you to everyone else.

Then they’ll tell two friends and so on… until you become an influencer!

8. Stay On Top of Current Events

There are two types of content: evergreen and timely.

Evergreen content stays relevant forever, for example an article about a historical event.

Timely content is hot right now, but will soon be forgotten. Essentially, it’s anything happening today.

When writing a blog post, I’d stick to being as evergreen as possible because you don’t want to have to constantly update the content. But on social media, the key to staying relevant and getting shared is staying informed about current events.

For example, Ellen Carmichael’s biggest tweet for Lafayette Company in 2017 connected the 2016 presidential election with Super Bowl 2017.

How to Become an Influencer – Hillary Clinton’s Tweet
Using these timely images created a win for Carmichael’s brand because it reached Super Bowl fans who remembered the election.

Staying current is a way to go viral on social media.

To stay on top of social media trends, you can use tools. You can also set up Google News alerts and monitor the entire internet for specific keywords and phrases.

Do what you need to do to stay current.

9. Understand All Channels

Even if you don’t use a particular social media channel, if you want to become an influencer, it’s still important to understand who uses it.

For example, I’m not a heavy Snapchat user, but I understand that its more than 250 million (mostly younger) users cannot be ignored.

Since the demographics of who uses each channel vary widely, each social network requires a different strategy.

Here, for example, is a table showing best practices for posts you can share on individual channels during the holiday period:

Holiday Content Ideas2
While these differences are subtle, they determine whether you’re a hero or a zero in your field.

This type of chart will help you prepare posts for planning ahead.

10. Stay Authentic and True to Your Brand

When we return to the Super Bowl, it’s an interesting event. Why? Because brands have made the ads just as anticipated as the game itself. Many of them come with epic TV spots that tell their brand’s story.

The bottom line: To become an influencer, it’s important to be authentic and stick to your brand voice.

Digital advertising spending increased by 18% in February 2021 compared to the previous year. Television advertising spending in the same period fell by nearly 27%.

This means that an authentic voice on social media is more important than expensive Super Bowl advertising.

It’s free and will help you climb the ladder from nobody through micro-influencer to major influencer.

11. Respond to Comments

If you’ve ever visited my blog or social media profiles, you know that I actively respond to comments.

Here’s an example from a recent blog post that I promoted on Facebook a few years ago.

How to become an influencer – respond to comments
My followers like to ask me questions and comment, and I enjoy responding to them.

This is how I’ve built a social community that participates and engages with my content.

When responding, make sure you are consistent and friendly.

Don’t respond to trolls and other haters unless you have a great pitch that will help your brand image.

12. Engage with the Community

Just responding isn’t enough.

To become an influencer, you need to start conversations.

When Procter and Gamble was preparing a Super Bowl commercial called Mr. Clean, the company took to social media.

Within a minute of the Mr. Clean Super Bowl ad airing, it had 11,700 mentions across social media.

And people continue to engage on these platforms.

Here’s a practical chart showing social media engagement broken down by platform and industry.

How to become an influencer – social media engagement by industry and platform
The more you engage with the community outside your own channel, the more you’ll expand your influence.

Don’t just respond to comments on your Facebook page.

Post in groups, on friends’ pages, and tag other influencers to engage the community.

Don’t be afraid to start your own Facebook group to attract even more followers.

13. Consistently Publish Fresh Content

I’ve been publishing at least one blog post daily on this page for a long time.

How to become an influencer – neil patel blog
It’s not easy, but I manage it. Why? I want to keep fresh content online for my readers.

I also have a content-driven online marketing strategy that is powered by my blog.

It’s the heart of my Facebook page content and my Twitter content.

How to become an influencer – Facebook post with a link to blog
It’s also the heart of my Twitter content.

I can broadcast my blog to my other social channels as well.

Focusing on the blog gives me rich content that I can share across all my other channels.

It’s the centerpiece of my long-term digital marketing strategy.

My blog is the foundation of how I got to where I am today!

14. Listen to Criticism

Being a creator of any kind or being in the public eye for any reason means handling a lot of criticism.

Even the President of the United States or the richest person in the world doesn’t escape criticism.

No amount of money or power can prevent it!

Yet few of us can handle it.

Here’s a Venn diagram of people who need and can handle constructive criticism.

How to Become an Influencer – Venn Diagram of Criticism
If you become someone who can truly handle constructive criticism, criticism will shape you into a more perfect influencer.

Being an influencer does not mean dictating to people what they should do. It’s about creating a movement, and constructive criticism is essential for that.

No one wants to be surrounded by “yes” men.

Which reminds me…

15. Stay Accessible

Phil DeFranco is one of the most influential YouTube users with his SXEPhil account.

The reason is partly due to production values and length of tenure.

More importantly, however, is that Phil remains accessible despite his success.

When addressing diverse topics such as politics, social media, pop culture, and the nuances of the YouTube platform itself, Phil maintains an approachable demeanor.

Never let yourself get so caught up in social media fame that you become a diva detached from reality in your ivory tower. If that happens, it can have consequences.

The more accessible you are, the more influential you will be.

16. Explore New Topics Daily

I cannot overemphasize how important it is to continually generate new topic ideas.

In the long run, it’s harder than it seems. That’s why I use Google Alerts

I can set up alerts that will be delivered to my email whenever my name is mentioned at any frequency.

There are many other customization features.

In addition to setting up Google News alerts, select a few publications you want to stay informed about.

I check blogs like Moz, Entrepreneur, and HubSpot daily to keep new topic ideas in mind.

The more knowledge and insight you have, the easier it is to gain influence.

17. Automate Your Posts

Automation is the latest marketing trend and it’s easy to see why.

You get efficiency and speed along with valuable data.

How to Become an Influencer – Automate Your Posts
There are many free tools that automate social media posts and allow you to schedule content in advance using content calendars.

This is how professional publishing and social media agencies work.

For example, PowerPost can create a powerful content calendar across social networks, blogging platforms CMS, and more.

Whatever you use, remember to automate your posts so you have a steady stream of content.

Also keep in mind that blog posts can be automatically set through the blog CMS to be promoted on social media channels.

Whatever you use, remember to automate your posts so you have a steady stream of content.

Also remember that blog posts can be automatically set through your CMS system to be promoted on social media channels.

18. Follow Influential Figures and Propose Collaboration Ideas to Them

To be an influencer, you need to know other influencers.

Who you follow is almost as important as who follows you.

To expand your influence, you need to show people that they also have an influence on you.

On Twitter, there is a group with the hashtag #Teamfollowback, which believes in following back every follower.

I don’t go that far, but I try to follow other influencers to engage their audience alongside my own.

Many influencers also like to give shout outs to their followers, fans and subscribers.

Through shout outs, people feel like they are personally contributing to the community. This motivates them to participate.

And last but not least, it is the data that we will need to quantify all of this work.

19. Quantify your efforts using data

Every social media page will display the numbers of your impressions and audience engagement.

Usually this is on the home page.

However, this only shows half the picture of your true influence.

With a website and Google Analytics service, you will see the rest.

We can find out which social channels are driving clicks to our website and how many people are converting from there.

Once you understand how many posts are needed to create a conversion, you will be able to calculate the return on investment of your social media activities.

That’s not the only benefit of being an influencer.

As I said at the beginning, you can influence other influencers and drive the conversation.

Just make sure you use your power for good.

How to become an influencer Conclusion

Influencer marketing is the newest trend in digital marketing because social media influencers are now able to quantify their audience.

What started as a hobby for many has become a big business, and influencers like PewDiePie often outperform celebrities, politicians and other prominent professions.

Today I am an influencer, but I was not always one.

Everyone starts from scratch, with no followers and without anyone knowing who they are.

If you want results right away, you can get the Instagram followers and likes package right now.

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