Challenges and Solutions to becoming an Influencer
In the day and age that the use of social media is everywhere, starting out is extremely difficult for new social media influencers. The history behind social media today is just as complicated and difficult to create new things and ideas as it would be to create a new song or painting. Never fear though, I’ve got you covered super-star.
Here is the basic overview of starting to be an influencer all the way to when you know you’ve made it.
Becoming an Influencer
Now some of you might be slightly confused on what or who an influencer is. The answer is pretty simple. Social media influencers are people that have built up a reputation for their insights and knowledge on specific topics. A few examples of influencers are Addison Rae, Khaby Lame, Kayla Itsines, Kylie Jenner and Cristiano Ronaldo. There are all big fish that are widely know on many different platforms.
The steps to become an influencer at the very base level is simple. Select a general idea for your content, polish up your account a little, find your target audience, be friendly and open with anyone interested, and make sure to let brands know you are open to collaborations. It will undeniably be difficult and seem impossible to make it at the beginning, just don’t give up.
Challenges
Being creative in general for any large platform can be extremely difficult. There are loads of factors to consider such as color appeal or even the tone that is felt from viewing the work. Even when you are going to post is important according to Menghani (2022) “Always ensure that your postings are scheduled during the peak hours of your audience on social media. This will help boost your engagement rate.”
When it comes to owning multiple accounts, problems can skyrocket quickly. Work piles up quickly and as said by Institute (2022), “Brand management may also suffer through the use of multiple accounts, especially if different departments are left to run their own social media channels.”
Spreading your name so that people know who you are is also big for the later stages of being an influencer. It is all about building up momentum. Even if someone only hears your name once, that is better than them never hearing it at all. Be warned though, you do not want your name spread in a negative manner, go for neutral at the worst and good of course as your aim.
Getting brands to connect and reach out to you is vitally important. If you want to continue in the business of being an influencer, being paid for your work is one of if not the most important goals. You of course have to build a name for yourself or the many brands that would be seeking an influencer to help them spread their product won’t pay attention to you at all.
This of course loops back to the problem of being one among tens of thousands in America alone that are trying to make themselves stand out.
Solutions
When creating content, stick with a small niche interest as your base. Pulling from Galbato (2021), “The more focused and niched you are in the beginning, the easier you’ll be able to grow a community who trusts and loves your content”. An easy way to start thinking about something is to consider your hobbies and interests. Maybe a unique skill that you have or just something that makes you happy to do regardless of whether or not you get paid for doing it, like drawing.
Otherwise try to get better at working with your platforms’ available ways to put out content. Whether they use mostly pictures or videos like TikTok or Instagram. They could also be similar to Reddit where the majority of creations are paragraphs of text.
When it comes to overworking yourself on multiple accounts, consider asking a friend at the very early stages to help you a little while also shouting out their account. Having a solid base of people you can trust will make your life much easier. It can also endear you to other small creators who are also starting out. Such a grouping would be something to give you peace of mind that you are not the only one just starting out.
You can additionally ask supporters of your content if they would like to create something with you to create a community that makes people feel included. This positive relation will serve wonders later on when others are researching you as an influencer.
If you start out with no brands reaching out to you, don’t panic! This is normal and you shouldn’t expect a lot of interest at the beginning. Don’t worry about trying to get a brand sponsor until you have a couple thousand followers and even at that level, they would be the ones to contact you.
Later on you can contact the brand yourself but at the beginning stages, just worry about expanding who your content reaches to to have a foundation for later.
Summary
So, short recap. Find something you love, start compounding on it. Get other people involved in whatever you create and create a welcoming community that makes everyone happy and engaged with everything you make. Don’t sweat the small stuff and just keep moving forward. As long as you keep your content interesting and consistent, then you will eventually make it. Don’t forget, it’s not a race and keep your head up.
References
The Marcom avenue. (2022). 4 Challenges That Influencers Face While Engaging With Audience. Tushar Menghani. Retrieved February 10, 2022 from
Digital Marketing Institute. (2022). How to Effectively Manage Multiple Social Media Accounts. Retrieved February 9, 2022 from
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-effectively-manage-multiple-social-media-accounts
Later Blog. (2021). 8 Expert Tips on How to Become a Successful Instagram Influencer. Christina Galbato. Retrieved February 12, 2022 from
