We all wonder how social media influencers managed to reach success, and it doesn’t just happen by chance. It takes time, dedication, and patience. With a strong identity and commitment to your own personal brand, it is possible to reach success.
Your brand is who you are; Jessie Sims (@jessiesimsofficial) is a social media influencer who has made her mark by showcasing her fun personality, light sense of humor, and let’s be honest, simply by being her gorgeous self. With videos of her taking dares from her friends and out drinking, well everyone, she’s someone you want to follow. She’s showing her personality, and it’s resonating with hundreds of thousands of followers. But, this doesn’t happen over night.
Although the life of a social media influencer has a glamorous exterior, there is a lot more underneath that effortless seeming lifestyle than you’d think. There is insurmountable competition which lands aspiring influencers struggling to get themselves noticed. That said, there is an increasing search from companies looking for influencers to sponsor and to promote their brand, opening so much opportunity to people all over the globe to rise as an influencer. The key to getting noticed is to create your own unique and consistent brand, and this takes planning. Jessie (@jessiesimsofficial) is a great example of how keeping consistent content and staying true to herself and her brand has attracted the right sponsors for her and has formed long lasting relationships and followers.
Find your voice – There is no one like you, and you need to hone in on that. Everyone has their own brand and you need to stay true to yours. The fact that you are the only one of you is valuable in itself, so find your voice and center your content around it.
Create consistent content – When finding your personal brand, you need to focus on what is important to you. What are you sharing with the world? Are you into fashion, food blogging, local coffee shops, music festivals, pranks? Find what you love and create content that is consistent and can be cohesive.
Be on multiple platforms – Different platforms attract different audiences. You may attract all of your followers from Instagram, but get all of your business from Facebook. Make sure you’re accessible and don’t limit yourself. People go to different platforms for different things, so use that to your advantage.
Make quality posts – Make sure your photo quality is good. Your photo and video quality can make or break you. Create content that you’d want to see on your feed if you were a follower. Don’t worry if you don’t have heavy duty camera equipment, your phone will but sufficient, just make sure you have good lighting. Lighting is everything.
Work with brands that suit your feed – You want your content to be genuine, and if you’re a solo travel blogger posting about dog treats, there is going to be a disconnect and your page is going to seem forced and ingenuine. Try to make your incorporation of sponsored products seamless. This will happen organically if you only work with brands that speak to you and your image.
Engage with your followers– Engaging with your followers help them connect with you. They’re following you because they like you, and something as simple as a like or a respond to a comment will boost your engagement rates, which is what brands look for. Make sure you connect with your audience beyond just reaching their feed.
Authenticity – The most important thing to do is be authentic. People want to see you and hear your unique voice. You will find with an audience that connects with you specifically, and those willbe your long-time followers.
Although it’s a challenge to make it to the top as a social media influencer, just remember to have patience and not to give up. Have purpose in your content and a vision to stick to. Everyone has a story and a view that has value, and as long as you continue to put yourself out there, your story will land with people that will feel a strong connection to you. Being a successful social media influencer takes time, but it provides so many great opportunities. You will profit by sharing your life with the world and help grow companies that you believe in. Just remember to be authentic.