Influencer marketing has become one of the most lucrative marketing strategies in the industry, with brands leveraging influencers and forming lasting relationships with them. In fact, brands often spend more than half of their campaign budgets on influencer partnerships. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the number of influencers has skyrocketed. The downside? There’s more competition. However, by following the next steps, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a success.

NICHE
Claim yours! This forms the base of your personal brand and the reason why brands will want to work with you. You need to be clear about who you are and what you bring to the proverbial table. Whatever niche you fall into, make sure that your contribution is new and exciting.

AUDIENCE
Now that you have your niche down, it’s time to understand your audience. Most social media platforms offer built-in analytics tools that’ll give you the insights you need to deliver valuable content. Age, location, demographics, interests, gender – you have all of this information at your fingertips, use it! Your growing success will thank you.

CONSISTENCY
On social, consistency is key. Posting schedules, themes, content quality, platforms – be consistent. Maintaining a consistent standard not only builds trust with your followers, but it shows brands that you take yourself and your work seriously. There’s nothing more glaringly unprofessional than a frenetic influencer.

OPTIMIZATION
You have all of the above on lock, so now it’s time to expand your reach and optimize your online presence. Here are some simple action points:

• Update your profile photo:  If you are a brand it should be your logo and if you have a personal account it should be an image were we can clearly see your face.
• Write an engaging bio. Stay away from words like Fashion, Aesthetics, Makeup etc. You should have a clear value proposition.
• Create a website or a blog as a support platform that’ll give your followers a more in-depth look into your world. Develop an online presence outside of Instagram. You could join TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Clubhouse or even have a podcast.  
• Network with like-minded influencers
• Switch to a Business Account
• Let brands know that you’re open to collaborations. You can sit and magically wait for a brand to knock on your door.