Social Media Influencing is the New 9–5
Instagram has created a new job role for a new generation.
Social media influencers, content creators, bloggers, call them what you want.
The definition of “social media influencer” according to Influencer Marketing Hub is: someone who has the power to influence others over purchasing decisions due to their relationship with their audience. An influencer may or may not have a distinct niche.
In basic terms, they are the special humans with the infamous blue tick next to their social handle, make money just by taking photos and are all over your social feeds 24/7. But just how lucky are these blue-tick minions and where do they come from?
Becoming a social media influencer is something a lot of young boys and girls aim for nowadays. Clockwork Talent found that 75% of under 17’s want their future job to be an influencer. Why? For the fame, big income and the avoidance of 9–5 for the rest of your life.
Instagram is just one of the main causes of the majority of social media influences. You have Youtube to blame and the newly famous TikTok also. For those of you who do not know what Instagram is, it is an app for your phone which launched in 2010. One shares pictures and selfies onto one’s profile and another likes. One will follow friends and strangers in the hope they will follow back. Fun and simple.
However, over the years the funn metre on Instagram has begun to drop and people began to use their accounts to make money from other users and companies. This is done through Instagram Promotions.
An Instagram Promotion is an agreement between a company and a user for them to post their items/products (either free or paid for) for a fee in hope to attract more customers. This will in turn generate more followers for both the company and user, which will generate more promotions, which generates more followers, you get the idea.
How much can one make by becoming a social media influencer? There is no limit to how much you can make. There’s no per annual salary, it’s just consistent hefty bank transfers. There’s no limit to how many brands you advertise in a day. In fact, influencers need just 42,000 followers to earn the average U.K. salary (£29,000).
Closer Online report that Molly-Mae (this is a huge name in the U.K.) earns around £400,000 from sponsored posts per MONTH. Chloe Ferry can charge up to £3,000 per post and earlier this year is now reportedly a millionaire. Georgia Portogallo, been a social media influencer for three years, has just bought a house at 19 and has a £60,000 handbag collection.
Kaz Crossley. Jordan Lipscombe. Kylie Jenner and the entire Kardashian clan. K.S.I. James Charles. All of them making hundreds of thousands from Instagram alone.
But what do all these names have in common?
1. They all started early and built their way up the social influencing ladder over a good number of years (minus Kylie).
2. Most have a YouTube channel and have been uploading posts for a good number of years.
3. Many have had television time, mainly reality TV shows.
4. They have MILLIONS of followers.
So, how does one become a social media influencer? Unless you hit the four points above, unfortunately you’re going to have to start from scratch.
Fortunately, there are now businesses that will help you become an influencer. One Instagram consultant reported to BBC News that for a £300 fee, his company are able to grow your followers by approximately 2,000 followers every month. So, 2,000 x 12 = 24,000 followers. Sounds good. £300 x 12 = £3,600. Not so good. These followers are not guaranteed, not everyone is cut out for the social media status.
Here are just a few points that Forbes believe will help you become a successful influencer:
- Find a niche.
- Contact other people/brands.
- Build a posting plan in advance.
- Draw attention to yourself. We live in a society where famous or infamous, you will generate money some way or another. Doesn’t matter how offensive, stupid or clever your little trick is.
Personally, I do not think that it is that simple to become an influencer and I advise you to not waste your time. If it was that simple, we would all be doing it. The competition is so tough and it can get extremely tedious and painful watching people try really hard to be something they’re not cut out to be.
The “influencer” lifestyle is not all is it keyed up to be. We have a whole heap of social media trolls, online bullying and just generic unkindness which has caused many upsets over the past years.
The definition of “social media troll” according to Hootsuite is: “people who deliberately by saying offensive and cruel things. They live to make people upset and angry “.
Social media influencers cannot do anything without being criticized in some shape or form. Take Amber Gill, for example. The poor girl uploads an innocent TikTok video and gets called fat for no reason.
Chessie King spoke to The Independent and revealed just how bad the trolling can be from her perspective and also exposed nasty comments and private messages. I can present to you many examples but I’m sure you are starting to get the picture. Some influencers can take the heat and just carry on, hats off to them!
There can also be major backlash with products that are promoted if an influencer has not done their research and has just seen the pound signs.
To sum things up, if I was given a big opportunity to gain followers and promote free or discounted products then I would take it. Even if it doesn’t last forever.
No one wants to be stuck doing a typical 9–5 anymore. Society is changing at rapid speed, life is becoming more expensive day by day, university degrees and fancy titles aren’t as worthwhile as they were 10/20 years ago.
Personally, I’m quite alright struggling in an office and daydreaming about becoming a millionaire like the vast majority of the population. But if you think you’ve got what it takes, good luck…