This century introduced a new wave of influencers, how many of us have made a decision to purchase a product or use a product based on someone’s opinion on social media, not just anyone, but a person who is very popular or with a large social media following? If Kylie Jenner had not been a media personality and socialite would Kylie Cosmetics been so popular with the youth? Probably not. Back in the day only celebrities had the role of an influencer, they manipulated opinions easily because they had access to the mainstream media platforms. With the introduction of the internet and social media platforms, today anyone with a huge following can be an influencer.
An influencer in our day and age is a person who has a rather large following on social media whom they actively engage with. This individual has the power to affect purchase or usage decisions on a particular product based on his/her knowledge or position with the audience. Influencers have built a reputation by regularly posting on their channels, sharing their opinions and reviews.
How does one become an influencer?
• Environment
Being a celebrity automatically makes you an influencer. People already know you and you do not have to try extra hard to get noticed. But we have freelancers, who post content because it is their job to do so. The exposure they have gives them added advantage.
• Chance and luck
There are those who became influencers by chance, perhaps after tagging a brand, next thing you know they are contacting you to do more work for them. If you happen to be in the right place at the right time or your content goes viral. The right person might just pick it up.
• Just wake up and decide on it
There are people who just made up their minds that they wanted to become influencers. They started posting a lot of product and service reviews and chose the right demographics and they got noticed and became brand ambassadors. One has to stay dedicated in order to keep up with the trends and be aggressive with building audience following.
• Be Passionate
Surprisingly, not everyone loves looking good and stepping in front of a camera to take a basic selfie. There are people who were born for this and have the heart for it. Weather they are talking to people to sell a product or simply smiling to sell a product. They absolutely love it and do a great job at it.
• Make Extra Cash
All this hard work eventually pays. Once you have a decent number of followers you can approach brands and partner with them. You can also set up your own shop and sell your own products online.
• Be Flexible
Being able to work your own hours is appealing to many. You are awarded the freedom to work whenever you want. All you have to do is deliver results in the end.
While this might seem like a perfect job, it is not. It takes great commitment to remain consistent and great patience to build a decent social media following. You do however reap rewards when you get to wear branded clothing for free and visit restaurants and have a free meal or take a free flight and enjoy a long stay at five star hotel for free and get paid on top of that.
Author
Ruth Sameke, an International Relations and Politics graduate with a monumental love for simple words turned into a read.Her blogging site is https://virtuousruth.wordpress.com