Instagram has blown up as a Social Media platform in the last couple of years and has opened its doors of opportunities for brands and users alike. Before the Instagram wave, Influencers were dependent on their blogs and a few other platforms to promote brands, but now, there is hardly any influencer without an Instagram presence. So how do you become an Instagram influencer?
This has become a full-time job for many.
So when there is an opportunity to earn with this platform, are you one of those whiling away the potential by scrolling day and night mindlessly? Wondering how to become an Instagram influencer? How about changing your addiction to something profitable? How about becoming an influencer on Instagram?
The space is enormous, the opportunity is immense, and the platform has just started to grow. So investing your time and efforts at an early stage is the best way to make the most out of it. But how exactly do you become an Instagram influencer?
It might often be challenging to do entire research about it. Here is a practical step by step approach that will answer the burning question, ‘How to become an Instagram Influencer!’. Be consistent, follow them religiously, and see the results!
10 Practical Step by Step Approach to Become an Instagram Influencer
#1 Define your Purpose
In my time as an Instagram Influencer, I have come across many Instagram accounts that called themselves influencers but were confused as to what to do in the space. There were tech influencers selling beauty products, food influencers selling mobiles, and digital marketing influencers giving fitness tips. This not only confuses your audience but also drives them away due to a lack of interest.
Imagine you open a shop to sell makeup items. You build your audience, your loyal customer base, your brand name, and establish credibility. And one fine day, those very loyal customers come to your shop to buy their favourite face wash and see you selling mobile phones. Now, this is an entirely different niche and requires an entirely fresh set of audience. This will put all of your previous efforts in vain. So be clear as to what is your niche, and make your purpose clear. This is where your bio comes in handy. Tell them in your bio as to why exactly they should follow you, what do they gain & learn from you, and what do you expertise in. Let your mission be clear.
#2 Have a Standard Template set
Who doesn’t like a neat and aligned page? A cluttered page is the last thing that any follower might want to see. Having a uniform template for your posts can make a big difference to your followers. Instagram is an application that shows all your work the moment someone clicks your profile. When someone sees a profile with clumsy pictures and posts, they would not want to scroll down. Having a constant template can also create an identity for you. You may follow the grid or have any other design to be developed on your page.
For example, in my page, you will notice that I have a standard color palette set for all my posts and this has created an online identity. Now anyone can recognize my account, whenever they see Digital Marketing posts in the color red.
#3 Set your Content Calendar
Doing something correctly and in a defined manner, gives you great results. Followers or people who look up to you, always expect more and something new from you every time they open your page. All they wait for is that one pop-up notification about your new post. This also creates a great curiosity among your followers. Here’s how you can do this. It’s part and parcel of knowing how to become an influencer on Instagram. Following a timetable keeps you not only on track but also brings order to your work. This will help you channelize your work and post timely updates without a miss.
For example, in my calendar, you must have noticed that every Monday without fail I schedule ‘New Things in Digital’. This is followed by a separate day set for valuable content, entertainment content, contests, blog sharing, cartoons, stats, personal content, and so on.
In addition to this, I also go regularly live to keep my followers engaged. So when a timetable is set, consistency is ensured. Doesn’t matter if you post 4 content in a week, or 4 times a day. Just be consistent and don’t break your routine.
#4 Have a steady growth
How do you become an Instagram influencer without gradual progress? Steady growth always helps you achieve your goals and the right market demand. Based on the number of followers, you can categorize your account into four categories starting from nano, micro, macro, and celebrity. Nano influencers have followers below 2000, while on the other hand, a celebrity influencer will have more than 100,000 followers. Going step by step, ticking one box at a time, will help you find clarity and do justice to your actions on your account.
Targeting the highest number of followers in the very initial stage is not advisable as such followers do not give you much interaction. And, with no interaction, there’s not much influence to do. So take small steps and never hesitate to do it.
#5 Prepare your sponsorship kit
When you grow, it is crucial to have visibility through other means as well. This means collaborations boost your profile. But before that, there are a few things you have to do. For people to collaborate with you, you have to have a strong reason. Check for people having a common interest or niche, or you can also deviate but make sure of not going away from the concept. Once you find your ideal choice to collaborate with, these are the questions you have to answer for both yourself and the other influencer
- Why – Why do you want to collaborate? Is there a strong reason why they should collaborate with you? How strong is your profile, and how much do you want to reach out to make a difference? When you are clear about these, then you are good to go.
- How – How do you want to collaborate? Is it through posts or going on live sessions together or is it by promoting a product? Or you can also see if you’re going to collaborate in some giveaways. How will you help them promote their brand? This is very important as for the brand to collaborate with you they need to trust and understand what your stand on this is.
- Credibility – How popular is your brand, and how well do your followers know and connect with you? For brands to connect with you, they will see if you have a voice and a good influence on your followers and do they look up to you. This credibility will help you fetch good brands.
- Personal Story – A lot of people generally connect for the personal story that you have. Every influencer has a story and a reason why they’ve decided to become one on Instagram. Sometimes your story helps connect you with others in a better way.
#6 Hone the right skills follow industry leaders
Being an influencer is a challenging task. You should work intensely on your skills and make sure you update yourself with the latest developments in your niche. For example, if your niche is digital illustrations, you should keep yourself updated on the new software and other specs related to it that will make people do their hobby in a better and simpler way.
You can also talk about new devices that have come into the market, which is useful for these skills. Post regularly on these, and this will help you gain more followers. Your followers are always on their toes to expect something new from you.
Another better way to go about is to collaborate with people. Reach out to them and take inspiration from their work to learn new things. Keep yourself updated by understanding new tactics and time-saving techniques.
#7 Register yourself at many influencer platforms
There are many influencer platforms like TagMango, Influencer.in, BlogAdda, etc. where you can register yourself. This is a platform where Influencers are discovered by brands or anyone who needs to hire influencers. All you have to do is login and fill in your details. Brands come there, check the different niches in which the Influencers have registered and hire them based on the metrics available.
These platforms help influencers be discovered by the right people and act
