Instagram is one of the topmost social media platforms that have attained great popularity and fame all over the globe. From school-going teenagers to people handling huge businesses all have their accounts on Instagram. According to some researches and surveys, there are approximately 1 billion active Instagram users; leaving behind other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.
As these platforms have a variety of users, they are broadly categorized as influencers and viewers. Influencers are best described as people with the ability to influence large numbers of potential buyers, subscribers, users, etc. These influencers usually review and recommend products or services through social media platforms. And viewers are the other users who show their support and love for the influencers or their content by sharing, liking, and adding comments to their videos or posts.
WHAT IS AN INFLUENCER?
In simple language, an influencer is a person who has the capability and desired skills to influence a mass of people and can make them follow them. Any person who is making content to entertain, educate, spread awareness can be termed as an influencer.
Influencers in social media are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic. They make regular posts about that topic on their preferred social media channels and generate large followings of enthusiastic, engaged people who pay close attention to their views. People love, follow and listen to influencers; that is the reason that they are very liked by various upcoming and already established brands. Since influencers already have a good fan base and admirers, it is easy to target more audiences and promote their products. As these influencers bond with their fans at personal levels also they clearly know what kind of content will be liked by the viewers and so the promotions can be customized accordingly. These influencers highly active on all social media platforms and have a close relationship with followers unlike Bollywood stars, so this helps to promote the product at the root and quite personal level also it costs less than starring a Bollywood actor/actress.
HOW TO BECOME AN INFLUENCER?
There is nothing like overnight success or fame, like in any other profession you have to invest yourself completely to grow as one of the topmost influencers. Forming a loyal fan base requires a lot from your side and also there is a lot of competition.
To become an influencer first thing you have to do is to get your business account because a business account helps you to increase your reach in terms of followers and to get featured on Instagram. These are some features you won’t get in your normal account.
Secondly, decide the kind of content you are interested in and want to show it to others. You have a variety of genres to pick from like fashion, education, comedy, acting, dance, singing, music, and many more. It is totally up to you to choose any one or two or even more of your liking.
Try and maintain an impressive Instagram page i.e. your page must be presentable and should clearly signify your genre and content; the viewer must get an idea of content he/she is going to see on your profile.
Try to give your page/profile a good personality and voice. In the sea of influencers, both budding and established, it is very necessary to have a unique brand personality and voice that will help you mark your difference from others and hence help you get more followers.
Consistency is the key. You have to be consistent and very creative with what you post on your profile. As there is a lot of competition not being consistent will lead loss in a number of followers and views.
After getting a good amount of followers you should try and collaborate with brands that will help them promote their goods and you also get to earn extra and get some other benefits from brands as well.
EARNING AS AN INFLUENCER
Some major ways to earn money using Instagram are sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, product reviews, and brand collaborations, selling your own product using social media, etc.
On an estimate, A Nano influencer with followers ranging from 2000-9000 may receive an amount equivalent to 4000-16000 per post, depending upon the type of content and reach of the post. A micro-influencer with followers ranging from 10000-50000, may earn somewhere around 16000-30000. An influencer with 60000 to 1,00,000 followers is termed as middle-tier influencers and they can earn up to 60000 per post and with an increase in the number of followers and reach of your content the amount goes up. These are estimated earnings and subject to changes as per Instagram norms and other conditions.
CONCLUSION
You can totally explore your areas of interest and liking as an influencer as ‘you are your own boss’ and not answerable to anyone, you also get a chance to inspire a lot of people and also receive a lot of love. And the fun fact is even while developing and moving towards your passion, you can earn money like a professional. Isn’t just great? I hope you got a fair idea about influencing and a career as an influencer.
By: Nupur Bhagat
