The world of a social media influencer can be a paradoxically lonely one. You’re simultaneously just a few keystrokes away from a huge number of people, but also, the work can feel alienating, as you may need to keep up a persona or spend unsociable hours creating content. We’ve put together a guide to help new social media influencers navigate this difficult, prickly, and hugely exciting world. Here are 10 things that we think every new social media influencer should keep in mind, no matter which platform they happen to be working with.
Every New Social Media Influencer should Keep in Mind
1. Always be trying to gain followers and likes
Followers and likes are effectively the currency with which social media influencers can judge their prevalence. As such, if you’re a social media influencer, it’s important to always be on the grind when it comes to trying to amass as many followers and likes as possible. Platforms like SocialFollowersFree can help you to achieve this; they’ll allow you to amass real, organic followers without having to work beyond your energy levels to achieve it.
2. Use every platform if you can
A true social media influencer has a presence on every single platform. It might feel exhausting to keep switching between different platforms, but by doing this, you’re maximizing your reach across different audiences. You can speak to a completely different demographic via Twitter than you would via TikTok, so you need to make sure that you’re available to followers on various platforms. It’s also important to stay abreast of new developments in the world of social media.
3. Trending, trending, trending
Every social media platform has trends that its followers pay more attention to. These trends aren’t possible to predict on a large scale, but you should be across them as soon as they rear their heads. Making content that hits those trends is how you’re going to build a following. You shouldn’t sacrifice your individuality to simply become a trend-bot, but you should be hitting those topics while maintaining your sense of self and your unique content style.
4. Engage with followers
Engagement is what sets true social media stars apart from also-rans. If you look at any major social media influencer’s feed, they’ll almost always be asking questions and engaging their followers in things like quizzes and contests. That’s because when someone comes across a quiz or a question, they feel as though the influencer is talking to them, and they’re more likely to respond. Some people even say that engagement might be more important than your actual content!
5. You’re going to make mistakes
The measure of a social media influencer isn’t whether or not they make mistakes; it’s how they bounce back from those mistakes. No human being is perfect, and sometimes, you’re going to say or do things that earn you the ire of a particular group or person. When that happens, don’t be defensive; apologise, explain how you’re going to learn from your mistake, and offer to make amends somehow. By doing this, you’re showing you care about your audience and not just your standing.
6. The money might not immediately come
Sometimes, it can be hard to really love what you do when you’re a social media influencer. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it, and it doesn’t mean that you won’t eventually see a profit if you’re currently not making any money. Be aware that social media influencer is not a job with a quick, easy payout; you might have your nose against the grindstone for quite some time before you finally start seeing a return. Don’t give up; stick with it and you should eventually see success.
7. You can’t respond to everyone
Replying to social media comments is an art form. You need to select which comments you respond to and which ones you simply walk away from. Some commenters only want to make negative observations and aren’t interested in constructively criticizing your work or asking you questions. Calling everyone who offers suggestions a “hater” isn’t going to help you either. You need to strike a delicate balance between accepting some criticism, walking away from the trolls, and accepting positive comments too.
8. You don’t have to say yes to every brand
When the offers from brands do start coming in, it can feel tempting to simply give in and say yes to everyone. This, however, will hurt not only you but also the brands in the long run. It’s alright to pick and choose which offers you decide to accept. You shouldn’t accept offers that don’t gel with your brand identity, and you don’t need to deal with brands you consider to be low-quality or ethically questionable. You have an image to keep up, too, and good brands will understand that.
9. It’s all about personality
If you’re struggling with themes to base your content around, consider this: social media is all about individuality. Despite the collectivism, many platforms base themselves around, social media would be nothing without individuals. You should be expressing your unique personality in every post you make and every piece of content you create. Sometimes, that won’t come easily but think about everything you do from the angle of “how can I get across who I am with this?”.
10. Have fun
The golden rule when it comes to social media is to enjoy yourself. After all, if you’re managing to rake in a regular income as a social media influencer, you’re already more fortunate than the vast majority of people who attempt this career path. When you’re making content, be sure to come across as if you’re enjoying yourself. There will, of course, be moments when you’re struggling to love your job, but it’s in those times that you need to put on the bravest face (unless you’re really hating it, in which case, there’s no shame in quitting!).
