Social media and influencer marketing make a perfect combination. With over two billion daily active users, social platforms give just about anyone the opportunity to step up and start attracting followers with high-quality content.
According to one report, influencer marketing is projected to become a $10 billion industry by 2020. What does this tell you? Well, it obviously means that by grabbing only a small piece of this cake can earn you a small fortune.
But how do you become a social media power influencer? Do you know the best social platforms for influencer marketing campaigns? Keep reading if you are curious to find answers to these questions.
The top-performing social platforms for power influencers
New social networks emerge year after year and you can choose between dozens of alternatives. But some platforms prove to be more effective than others, so we want to highlight the five top-performing options for social media power influencers.
1. Instagram
Instagram is a popular image and video-sharing platform with over a billion users. The network is perfect for product-oriented companies trying to raise brand awareness, which is why they often hire Instagram influencers to promote their offers.
Reports reveal that over 80% of users follow a business on Instagram. At the same time, a lot of users discover a new product on Instagram and end up buying it. All this makes Instagram a powerful influencer marketing tool, especially if you are targeting younger audiences aged 16 to 34.
2. YouTube
YouTube is not only the second largest search engine in the world but also a quintessential influencer marketing network. Studies show that 18% of consumers are influenced by YouTube regarding their purchases. It’s not a surprise given the fact that YouTube helps influencers to show instead of telling.
Using this platform, you can produce product reviews and how-to guides for relevant products. And since we all know that humans are visual beings, it’s easy to understand why YouTube influencers perform so well.
3. Facebook
The largest social media platform globally has almost 2.4 billion users, which is more than enough to explain what makes it so important for influencer marketing campaigns. But the real secret of Facebook lies in its versatility because the platform is suitable for all types of content.
Facebook users expect to see everything from text posts and charts to images and videos. In other words, creative influencers can diversify content and build a fan base using a wide range of tricks and features. Needless to say, the audience loves this kind of diversity.
4. Twitter
Twitter is the fourth most important influencer marketing platform, but it’s fair to say that it can hardly compare with the three networks mentioned above. However, it does represent an excellent supplement to your influencer marketing campaigns, particularly if you are interested in reaching out to well-off audiences.
Namely, a study shows that 56% of Twitter users earn $50 thousand or more per year. It’s an important detail for influencers who are cooperating with premium brands on a regular basis because you know where to look for wealthier consumers.
5. LinkedIn
In case you are trying to establish yourself as a business-oriented influencer, then LinkedIn may well be the best choice for you. The platform gathers almost 600 million users, while 45% of them are in upper management.
This makes the network interesting to B2B companies targeting high-level decision-makers, so this should be one of the main strategic goals of your influencer marketing efforts. Try to act as a key opinion leader in your niche and it will give you the authority to analyze and promote clients on LinkedIn through influencer posts.
How do you become a power influencer?
Knowing the best influencer marketing platforms is one thing, but becoming a power influencer is something completely different. It takes a good strategy and long-term commitment to turn yourself into a social media authority, but we will point out six principles that work well in almost all situations. Let’s take a look:
#1. Find a niche
By definition, power influencers are authoritative industry figures who have the credibility to discuss a specific range of topics. Therefore, the first step toward becoming a social influencer is to find a niche that suits your skills and knowledge. This is the only way to stand out from the crowd of other content creators and build a solid fan base.
#2. Create a content plan
The next step is to select the right content types and create a schedule of publishing. It depends mostly on the nature of your business and the preferences of the target audience, but most power influencers stick to the usual suspects such as product reviews and “know-how” posts.
#3. Form a unique style
The only things that separate top-performing influencers from their less successful colleagues are content quality and unique style. If you want to grab the attention of the target audience, you have to be recognizable and different. That way, social media fans will remember you quickly and learn to distinguish your posts from all social media content.
#4. Be consistent
Consistency is a major principle of influencer marketing because you must keep addressing your followers and give them a reason to follow you continuously. Jake Gardner, a social media manager at MyAssignment, believes that influencers need to be active non-stop: “Social networks are bombarded with millions of posts every single day. If you want to get noticed, you have to be consistent and publish new content at least once a day.”
#5. Engage and communicate
The best influencers build relationships with their fans. Your job is not only to post quality content but also to engage and communicate with followers. Make sure to ask questions, create opinion polls, and answer users’ comments in order to strengthen the bond with your audience.
#6. Collaborate with the right brands
The last advice we have for you is to carefully choose the brands you’d like to collaborate with. Don’t lose professional credibility by accepting any kind of business deal. Instead, create partnerships only with brands that fit your content interests and align with the needs of your fan base. Doing so, you will maximize ROI and keep your followers engaged long-term.
Wrapping up
Influencer marketing has evolved from a hobby to a full-time career opportunity. If you have the skills and knowledge to create superb content about a given niche, all it takes is a well-planned strategy to turn it into a business opportunity. This post discussed the following:
- The importance of influencer marketing.
- The best social media platforms for power influencers.
- How to become a power influencer in a few simple steps.
The strategy described above is not exactly rocket science, but you have to take it seriously and do the hard work. Everything else depends on your enthusiasm and professional creativity!
