Social media has exploded in popularity, providing new opportunities for those who want to grow their online presence. With millions of active users, why not leverage these platforms to earn a living?
Becoming an influencer is a thrilling prospect, offering not only financial rewards but also the chance to champion causes that matter to you. To get started, all you need is consistency and a few key skills.
Ready to learn how to become an influencer in the Philippines? We’ve got you covered. Discover the essential elements you need to build your personal brand and unlock your potential as an influencer. Let’s dive in!
What is an Influencer?
An influencer is someone who has the power to sway people’s decisions in various aspects of their lives. They can impact everything from purchasing decisions to event attendance, fashion choices, and even political views.
By finding your niche, you can become an influencer and make a positive impact on your audience. Whether you are passionate about beauty, fashion, food, or politics, you can use your voice to inspire and influence others.
In the Philippines, understanding the role of influencers is crucial to unlocking your potential and building a successful career. Learn more about what influencers do and how you can become one today.
Content Creator vs. Influencer
In the world of digital marketing, the terms “content creator” and “influencer” are often used interchangeably. However, there are significant differences between the two.
While both content creators and influencers produce media, content creators prioritize the quality of their output. They invest in top-notch gear to deliver high-resolution and expertly edited content to their followers. They may even charge for their services.
In contrast, influencers prioritize building relationships with their audience. Although they also create media, it’s not their main focus. Instead, they use their platforms to attract new audiences and interact with them in a variety of ways.
If you’re wanting to work with a digital expert in the Philippines, you should be aware of these distinctions so you can select the best fit for your needs.
Discover the Various Types of Influencers
Influencers can be classified according to their niche or follower count. For instance, influencers specializing in fashion, healthcare, or travel are known as fashion, health, and travel influencers respectively. However, PR agencies often distinguish influencers based on their followers. Here are the categories:
Mega Influencers: Accounts with one million or more followers
Macro Influencers: Accounts with followers ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000
Mid-Tier Influencers: Followers ranging from 50,000 to 500,000
Micro-Influencers: Followers ranging from 10,000 to 50,000
Nano Influencers: Followers ranging from 1,000 to 10,000
Get Started as an Influencer in Your Industry in the Philippines
It may appear difficult to become an industry influencer, but with the appropriate mentality and perseverance, it is possible. Here are the fundamental steps you must take to get started:
Identify Your Niche
To become an influencer, you must first identify a niche in which you are interested. It does not have to be something in which you are an expert, but having the proper qualifications is advantageous. For example, a doctor can become a fashion influencer, but it’s even better if they focus on healthcare influencing since they already have expertise in that area.
Optimize Your Social Media Profiles
To be a successful influencer, you need to have a strong social media presence. Make sure to optimize your profiles on all major social media platforms, including those for professional use. Complete your profile with all the necessary information and make it attractive to your target audience. An incomplete profile can be hard to rank and won’t attract as many followers.
Know Your Audience
After finding your niche, it’s essential to understand your audience’s expectations. For instance, healthcare followers will expect you to provide them with preventive strategies and pandemic precautions. Fashion enthusiasts, on the other hand, want to be updated with the latest trends and brands.
Develop Your Content Strategy
Creating an effective content strategy is crucial to building your audience. Every social media platform offers unique features like Reels, Stories, Highlights, and Posts. Utilize these tools creatively to make your content more engaging. In platforms like Instagram, some tools may be more trending than others, like Reels at the moment. Keep an eye on what’s popular and adapt your content strategy accordingly. Stay ahead of the curve to attract and retain your audience.
Optimize Your Online Presence
Finding the right balance between being accessible and not overwhelming your followers is crucial. Avoid ignoring your followers, but also don’t be too present that they lose interest in you. Optimize your online presence by consistently posting quality content and interacting with your followers.
Engage With Your Followers
The ability to interact with your audience is the primary distinction between an influencer and a content generator. You may communicate with your followers by responding to their comments and direct messages, posting interactive stories, or utilizing live capabilities to interact with them in real-time. Optimal engagement makes you more relatable and can attract more followers to your account.
Post Unique Content Regularly
To differentiate yourself from the competition, you must give your audience a reason to visit your profile and interact with your material. If you post the same type of content repeatedly, your audience’s engagement and post ranking may drop. Therefore, it’s essential to post unique content regularly to keep your audience interested.
Collaborate With Brands
Collaborating with brands in your niche can significantly enhance your influence. Approach brands that offer products in your niche and ask for collaboration opportunities. For instance, if you’re a healthcare influencer, ask medicine companies for permission to visit their manufacturing plants, chat with the officers managing them, and show them to your followers. As brands promote your content on their social media handles, it can boost your account and attract more followers.
What Skills Should Influencers Possess?
Becoming a successful influencer requires some basic skills that every aspiring influencer must possess. Here are some essential skills that every influencer should have:
Expertise in Content Creation
Influencers should be well-versed in creating engaging content and have knowledge of the marketing tools required to promote their content. You must be familiar with the media requirements of different platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, and create content accordingly. For instance, long videos on YouTube have different aspect ratios than shorts or TikTok videos. Being aware of various tools and their applications on Instagram is also necessary to create more engaging stories, reels, and posts.
Creativity is a Must
It is essential to educate and provide value to your audience. However, it is crucial to be creative with your content. Uncreative, educational content will not keep the audience engaged and will result in lower watch time and reduced overall ranking.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Basic knowledge of SEO is essential to rank your profile and content higher in search engines. Knowing the impact of keywords, hashtags, and thumbnails on your overall ranking is crucial. If you are new to this, it’s best to consult an SEO expert.
Proficiency in Designing Different Content Formats
Various social media platforms have different content formats that need to be designed and posted accordingly. Familiarizing yourself with the tools required to convert content from one form to another is necessary to avoid re-creating new content from scratch for every platform.
Proficiency in Writing
Captioning is as important as the video or image. Influencers need to be proficient in writing captivating captions. Well-written captions can influence the audience’s perception of your content, and poorly written ones can make your post look mundane. Writing captions over the video or image and proofreading them before posting is essential.
Final PopStar Tip:
Social media has become a popular tool to leverage and earn a living as an influencer, with many users now exploring ways to become influencers. Influencers are individuals who can impact people’s decisions in several aspects of their lives, including fashion choices, political views, and more. In the Philippines, influencers play a vital role in unlocking one’s potential and building a successful career.
To get started, it is necessary to identify a niche, optimize social media profiles, understand the audience, develop content strategy, optimize online presence, engage with followers, post unique content regularly, and collaborate with brands. By following these steps, it is possible to become an influencer in the Philippines.
Send us a message or contact our Team at contact@pop-star.me for more information on how PopStar can help you in your micro influencer marketing here in the Philippines.