"People influence people. Nothing influences people more than the recommendation from a trusted friend. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is like the holy grail of advertising."
- Mark Zuckerberg
Social media marketing has been totally revolutionised by influencer marketing today. People no longer trust big celebrities in the manner they did a few years ago when they endorse a product. Instead, they put their faith and their money on recommendations made by peers who are specialists or industry experts in a specific genre or field. Social media influencer marketing was not even in the scene a few years ago and has suddenly bloomed like Jack’s beanstalk to become the talk of the town. By the end of 2022, it is expected that the influencer marketing industry will touch the $15 billion mark. Wow!
Here are 8 expert tips on how YOU can become a successful Instagram influencer.
- Identify your niche and content pillars
- Perfection of short-form video content
- Consistency
- Write meaningful captions
- Focus on building community
- Learn about your audience
- Optimise your bio and profile
- Build your network and nail your brand pitch
1. Identify your niche and content pillars
It is important to stay focused on the job if you wish to grow a community that falls in love with your content. Carving out a niche for yourself that separates you from others is equally important. Specialisation is essential as a jack-of-all-trades is passé in today’s world. But variety is also important when you are posting to boost engagement. When you are trying to find your niche, keep the following considerations in mind:
- What fuels your passion?
- Which are your strong areas in terms of knowledge?
- What type of content would you be happy to create without monetary consideration?
If you are a fashion blogger for example, your content pillars might be fashion tips, styling and social media insights. Once, you set up your content pillars it becomes easier to create content for Instagram.
2. Perfection of short-form video content
Perfection of short videos and posting Reels regularly can drive traffic on Instagram. See what successful creators are making to get an idea first. Remember that each of your videos should be either relatable to your niche area, educational, or inspirational. Establish your point through a visual hook first, like wearing a bright tee shirt if you are a fashion influencer. Then, use text like - 5 ways to design a summer tee!
3. Consistency
You can use movement by waving at the camera or striking a pose with the tee. Keep posting regularly as consistency is the new mantra on Instagram to get on top of the mind recall.
Content batching is also important as you must set aside a day at the end of the week to create Reels, graphics, brand emojis or posts that you wish to post the following week. Preparing well in advance helps.
4. Write meaningful captions
Meaningful and easily-readable captions are important for initiating conversation and active engagement. The first line of your caption should be eye-catching enough to make the viewer stop scrolling. The captions should end with a call-to-action, which could be a question or an invitation.
5. Focus on building a community
Irrespective of the fact that you have a small or large community, the focus should be on the quality of the community. Having a large audience that you can’t influence doesn’t help. So, take time to build your community by active engagement with the members. Have conversations after posting on your feed. Strike up that personal touch and see the difference! Also, cajole your audience to speak to each other in the comments of your post.
6. Learn about your audience
You should know your audience like the back of your hand. Just being aware of stats like the basic demographic information won’t do. You should be in sync with information like the brands your followers like, the professions they are engaged in as well as their daily struggles and goals in life. Knowing your audience personally as an Instagram influencer is the only way to succeed. That’s how you will create content your followers will love. Encourage them to converse more in their comments and learn more about them. Organise polls and surveys to know them better!
7. Optimise your bio and profile
Unless your bio and profile is optimised, brands won’t have proper access to you. To reach out to brands, make a business or creator profile to get access to features like Instagram analytics, branded content tools, and saved replies. You can also use Instagram influencer marketing platforms such as Fohr, Collectively, and Popular Pays.
8. Build your network and nail your brand pitch
Posting content and building your Instagram community without connecting with brands is like looking for water in the desert - difficult! Networking is the secret mantra! Apart from boarding the Instagram influencer marketing platforms like Fohr, Collectively, and Popular Pays, introduce yourself to PR firms to get a place in their campaigns. Make your media kit and send it across to the PR guys. It should contain the following:
- Your social handles and website
- Audience size
- Audience demographics like age, sex, and location
- Popular content posted by you
- List of brands you have worked with (if any)
- Instagram analytics report
Remember the classic tale of the hare and the tortoise? If you do, you will know that success doesn’t arrive overnight and is accompanied by patience, hard work, luck, and effort. A little bit of planning undoubtedly helps the cause, and these 8 actionable tips about how to become a successful Instagram influencer will definitely set the ball rolling! All the best!
