Everybody is using at least one tool for social networking. Regardless of the platform and the reason driving its usage, social media allows anyone to share their interests, lifestyle, art, and personality with the world. But the fascinating thing is that, while you publish on social media, like when you talk about yourself on your profile, post about your favorite foods and outings, or share your opinions, you make someone interested in you and thanks to social media they can communicate and interact with you with just a click. As your network of “friends” and followers grows, you begin developing an audience around yourself and perhaps without noticing, influencing others’ opinions and behaviors.
The fact of the matter is that, like you, anyone can catch the attention of a group of people interested in seeing their posts and updates. As social networks replaced TV as the main source of information, entertainment, and social interaction, people rely on online communities to learn about and rate products and services. In consequence, consumers value more and more the published opinion of trusted individuals or groups before buying a product. Social networks have become one of the most powerful marketing tools in this time of audience diversification.
From a marketer point of view, social fragmentation is a big problem but social networking communities could be a great solution. For that reason, marketers have adapted their strategies to target specific small groups and began to value niche communities as well as the people behind them. In the niche marketing realm, it is quality over quantity, so the ability to build trusting relationships have become valuable assets. The good news for those interested in making a profitable living promoting brands to their online communities, is that you don’t need to be a celebrity nor a reality TV star to make your way into the influencers’ arena.
Although the number of followers is important, that is not the most important thing a marketer is looking for when they reach out to influencers. So here are some factors you can target in your social media strategy and that you can add to your media kit to increase the chances that brands will want to work with you.
Trust
The golden rule for building communities online is that people want to know that you, your opinions and your content are genuine. Your followers are your family, your friends, your schoolmates and their families, as well as people who just get hooked to your stories and are following your public content. Many brands will be delighted to finding a voice that speaks about their product in an authentic way. Each time you generate content including a brand name, you become part of their creative team, you are advertising at the customer level and delivering a message to those who trust you.
Consistency
Consistency can tip the scales on your favor if you have a small community. If you are focused and regularly post content on a particular topic or interest, you are a good fit for marketers targeting your niche. Being active on more than one social networking platform could also help you to maximize your reach. In your particular niche, a number of followers in the thousands might be enough to successfully inform people or introduce them to a brand, and make a living.
Collaborative Spirit
Collaboration is key when working with brands. You help them reach your community by creating content that they might want to use, oftentimes adapted to their campaigns. If you are willing to provide brands with the chance to use and change your content beyond your own social network, your number of followers could be secondary to your storytelling ability. Focus on the quality of your content and your community will grow along the way. On the Internet, anything con happens and you never know when your post will gain momentum and become viral.