How to Become a Social Media Influencer | Start Your Influencer Journey in 12 Steps

How to Become a Social Media Influencer | Start Your Influencer Journey in 12 Steps

Whenever it comes to Social Media Influence or Social Media Influencers In India, I definitely remember that viral clip of Ashneer Grover.

You must have seen that clip in which Ashneer Grover said that as a Social Media Influencer he has earned so much money in a year that he would never have earned from any business or startup.

This is only half the statement, he also said that Social Media Influencing is a profession in which influencers are earning money while enjoying life.

The figures are also telling something similar.

According to a survey by Economic Times, an influencer charges from 5000 to 3 lakhs or even more for just a single post.

From this you can guess how much money these influencers must be earning in a year through their Social Media Following!

Where there are so many attractive results, it is natural that you would want to know who are influencers, what do they do and how to become a social media influencer.

Today’s blog is dedicated to these topics.

In today’s article, we will understand the meaning of social media influencer in Hindi, know how to become a social media influencer, what are its advantages and disadvantages and apart from this, we will discuss many other things related to social media influencers.

If you want to know about social media influencers in depth, then definitely read this article till the end.

So let’s start our social media influence building and first understand who are social media influencers!

Who are Social Media Influencers?

Social Media Influencers are those individuals who create content on their social media platform on a regular basis to engage their followers.

This content can be informative (i.e. through which any information is obtained), entertaining such as funny content, based on jokes or movies, motivational content and promotional content (i.e. content created to promote a product or service).

When we talk about content, here we mean reels, blogs, YouTube videos and shorts

Hope you have understood the meaning of Social Media Influencer in Hindi.

Now let’s talk about Influencers in India.

According to Business Insider, there are approximately 3.5 Million to 4 Million Social Media Influencers in India,

Some of whom are Mega Influencers, some Micro Influencers, some Elite and some Macro Influencers.

On the basis of followers, it is determined which influencer is a Macro Influencer, which is a Micro etc.

For example, followers ranging from 1 Lakh to 1 Million are called Macro Influencers.

On the other hand, influencers with less than this number of followers are called Micro Influencers.

If we talk about popular social media influencers in India, then there are many big influencers in India like Bhuvan Bam, Ranveer Allahbadia, Saloni, Rj Karishma, CA Rachna Ranade, Ankur Warikoo etc. who earn lakhs and crores of rupees annually.

Becoming a social media influencer and creating a social media influence is a complete process in itself which we will discuss in detail but before understanding it, it is important to understand the social media platforms, so let’s talk about it first.

Understanding Social Media Platforms

Social Media Platforms are those websites or applications through which information present on the Internet is spread or circulated to a specific group of followers or target audiences.

Now here are some things to understand:

  • When we talk about information, it can be any important information like – how to fill your Income Tax Return or it can be a post or any entertaining content like memes or dancing videos etc.
  • Apart from this, if you have a private account, then the content shared by you on this platform will be visible only to your followers.
  • On the other hand, if you have a public account, then any kind of content uploaded on it can be seen by people other than your followers as well.
  • Whenever we talk about Social Media Platforms, Apps/Websites like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram come to mind.

Although there are many different categories of Social Media Platforms and all these apps are part of those categories.

Although Social Media Platforms are divided into many categories, we will understand it in five broad categories.

  1. Social Media Sites – The main purpose of Social Media Sites is to connect users with each other.

Such sites or apps are designed for your personal conversations or one to one connect i.e. to connect one person with another person through digital media.

Some common and popular social media sites include Facebook and Instagram.

If you want to learn something new with me every day, then definitely follow me on Instagram.

  1. Image Sharing Sites – Instagram which is a popular application started as an image sharing site.

A website where you can share your photos with each other.

Over time, there have been more developments in Instagram and today Reels has made it even more popular.

It would not be wrong to say that Instagram is known for Reels today.

When it comes to Social Media Influencer Meaning, I think you must know that Instagram is the most favorite platform of influencers.

Apart from Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc. are also part of this category.

  1. Video Hosting Sites – Video Hosting Sites means websites where you can post, share and promote video content, like YouTube.
  2. Blogs – Blogs are a long form of written or text content through which social media influencers can give detailed information to their users on any topic. It is also a good option for marketing or product recommendation because about 84% buyers buy products after reading the information given in blogs.

Apart from this, statistics also show that due to the information given in blogs, 1 out of 4 people definitely buys something every month.

If you are looking for an answer to the question how to build social media influence, then blogging can be a good option for you.

  1. Discussion Forums – Discussion Forums are those websites or blogs where you can ask any person a question on any topic and that person can answer that question without knowing you.

Have you ever heard the name of Quora or have you used that platform?

In Quora, any person can ask a question on any topic and any person registered on Quora can answer it.

Quora is an example of Discussion Forums.

I hope you have understood about Social Media Platforms.

Here you have been given this information so that before starting your Influencing Journey, you can find a right platform for yourself.

Now let’s move ahead and talk about our main topic, which is Social Media Influencer Kaise Bane.

How to become a social media influencer

1.Select a Niche

If you want to become a social media influencer, then you have to select a subject or category on which you will create content, this subject is called niche.

Now the question is how to grow social media influence by selecting the right niche?

The answer to this is my 5P formula of niche selection, let’s talk about what is this 5P formula.

The 5 Ps are – Passion, Problem, Persona, Potential and Payment.

  1. Passion – Whatever subject or niche you select, it is important that you have interest in it so that you enjoy doing the thing from which you are earning money, your work gives you happiness and after a while you do not get bored of it.
  2. Problem – Can you solve someone’s problem with your passion? If yes, then you have to identify which problem you want to solve through your passion.
  3. Person – Identify which set of audience’s problems you will solve. Decide your target audience.
  4. Potential – How much potential is there in the problem you want to solve and how many people’s lives can it add value to; this has to be understood because the market size of your niche is decided through this.
  5. Payment – ​​Whatever problem you want to solve, it is not necessary that the market will pay you for it. Therefore, do not forget to check the market accessibility of the problems along with them.

I understand and know that it is not easy to decide niche and target audience, so let me tell you some statistics which may help you in niche selection!

According to a report published in 2021, Lifestyle and Beauty are the two most popular niches for influencers globally.

On the other hand, if we talk about 2023 Most Popular Niches On Youtube, then Making Money Online,

Digital Marketing, Personal Finance And Investments were the most popular niches.

2.Choose the right platform to become a social media influencer

Which will be the right influencing platform for you depends on your content type and content strategy.

If you want to create long form video content then Youtube can be the right platform for you.

On the other hand, if you want to create short form video content then what can be a better platform than Instagram?

According to a survey, Instagram provides the highest ROI i.e. Return on Investment to influencers, followed by Youtube and then Facebook.

Now even Threads has been launched. Only time will tell how popular it will be among influencers.

Start Doing Regularly Engaging Content

3.Start Doing Regularly Engaging Content

After niche selection, the next step is content creation. You can also consider it the most important step.

For social media influence building, it is very important that you create regular and engaging content.

For effective content generation, you can follow the 5-3-2 principle.

As an influencer, there should be 5 posts on your profile that are relevant to your audience but are not your original content but are created from some other source and are related to your subject or niche. This is also called curation.

For example, if you are a fashion influencer, then you can create content on the haul of different clothing websites.

There should be 2 posts that tell people about you, establish a connection, for example, if you have visited a new place, then you can share your experience related to it.

The remaining 3 posts should be based on your original content. You can share anything that you have created, such as a DIY.

You can also accommodate promotional posts in it.

For those who are already influencers, want to grow and want to know how to increase social media influence, this is the golden rule.

I want to share a quick tip with you here, do not change your content strategy again and again.

A uniform content strategy will help you in influence building.

4.Optimize your social media profile

The most important thing for an influencer is his digital presence and the best way to improve digital presence is profile optimization.

Profile optimization is also necessary to build social media influence.

Profile optimization means designing your profile in such a way that it attracts prospects or leads.

For this, you can choose a color theme, write an interesting bio, write a personalized message on your profile and if you are involved in any kind of social work, you can also highlight it.

Remember, your profile will create your first impression, not you.

5.Keep consistency in your work

Statistics show that in 2023, an average viewer spends the most time on social media, which is 151 minutes, that is, on an average, a common person spends more than 2 hours on social media these days.

In such a situation, if you do not upload content consistently, with the desired frequency, then your viewers will switch to another influencer.

Let’s recall the basics again!

Your viewers come to your social media handles to consume content.

If you cannot provide them engaging content regularly, then they will not stay connected with you for a long time and will switch to other influencers from where they are consistently engaging.

6.Build a genuine community or tribe for yourself

As a social media influencer, your community is your super power.

You will generate revenue through them and this will help you establish yourself as a brand.

So build a genuine community for yourself that connects with you, likes your work and stays associated with you for a long time.

Once you establish that connection with your community, they keep connecting more people to you through word of mouth and your followers keep increasing continuously.

When it comes to increasing followers, many times influencers make some such mistakes due to which their account gets flagged.

7.Study Analytics and Insights

Data Never Lies!

As a Social Media Influencer, it is very important for you to pay attention to data and numbers.

What is your content consumption, how many followers do you have, how many consumers buy your recommended products and how much engagement is there on your content.

At the end of the day, all these factors will decide your revenue and profits.

That is why it is very important to pay attention to Analytics.

8.Design your monetization strategy

The ultimate goal of becoming a social media influencer is to generate revenue.

Money Matters!

Influencers monetize their content in many different ways.

As an influencer you can collaborate with brands, promote their products and even charge them fees for brand promotion.

Apart from this, you can also earn money through affiliate marketing and merchandise selling.

If you have a lot of followers and a good social media following, then you can also generate revenue through celebrity appearances, inaugurations, live chats, etc.

Remember, as an influencer you have to sell yourself, in which Media Kit will help you.

Media Kit is like a portfolio for influencers which contains all the details like influencers’ names, photos,

details of their social profiles and handles, engagement rate, followers count etc.

Media Kit is a better option to present your pitch with data and figures, which is more professional and structured.

It also improves client experience and client engagement.

9.Maintain your authenticity

“Be Yourself Everybody Else Is Already Taken”

This quote by Oscar Wilde is like a competitive strategy for influencers.

To become a successful influencer, you have to stand out from others and that can only happen when you appear in the digital world as you are.

You are unique in your self and unique personality can make you a successful influencer.

Statistics also say the same!

70% marketers believe that authenticity and transparency are very important for successful influencer marketing.

Apart from this, 61% consumers prefer influencers who create authentic and engaging content.

10.Learn to face challenges

Success is not a straight path.

If you want to become a social media influencer, then keep yourself ready for challenges and setbacks.

No one becomes an influencer overnight. You have to create content for a long time, engage with your audience, stay updated with the latest trends and do a lot more.

It is possible that you may have to face a lot of negative comments and hatred. Sometimes a big clash can also happen.

Influence building is a long journey, setbacks are bound to come.

Only those who overcome these setbacks and work consistently will be able to become a successful influencer.

11.Keep Legal And Ethical Consideration in Mind

It is important for influencers that the content and promotional strategies are drafted after considering ethical and legal grounds.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your content does not hurt religious sentiments in any way and does not violate any law.

You can promote products that are completely safe or those that you use personally, this will keep your followers’ trust in you intact.

12.Set goals and keep measuring success

If you are starting your Influencing Journey or are already on this journey and are often worried about how to grow Social Media Influence, then you need to set realistic goals for yourself.

1000 followers, 2000 followers, 3000 etc., and as you grow, keep improving your goals.

Also celebrate each of your small achievements, only then will you be able to understand where you started from and how much you have achieved today.

Many times while waiting for big achievements, we are not able to analyze that we are growing at our pace, we need to increase efforts, not stress!!

Here we are giving you a small but important information to give you a boost.

According to Hubspot’s 2023 Social Media Marketing Report, 80% of marketers want to work with small creators.

Here is a great opportunity for you, to become a social media influencer!

Set your goals, achieve them; celebrate them, work on yourself so that your productivity can improve.

Conclusion

The world of Social Media Influencers seems to be full of glamour and glitz but we should not forget that Social Media Influence has both Pros and Cons.

Becoming a Social Media Influencer and Sustaining it Is Not Everybody’s Cup of Tea.

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