In today’s digitally driven world, influencer marketing is one of the new-age methods that brands leverage to connect with their audiences. With a huge follower base, they have the power to reach and influence the masses. Unlike the popular notion that it is a passion project, influencer marketing is, in fact, a lucrative career opportunity. To cut through the clutter and be successful as an influencer, one requires skills that extend beyond content curation and posting on social media.
Here are the top five underrated skills that will help you excel in influencer marketing:
Amplifying content marketing
One of the underrated skills of an influencer is to help in effective content promotion. This is why influencer marketing is today known as the ‘new content king.’ You will be playing a vital role in amplifying the content marketing reach of the brand and increasing its visibility amongst industry players. The responsibility of thinking out-of-the-box ideas for content and finding the best platform to market also falls on you.
Content curation is storytelling
Storytelling is no more just an element in Influencer Marketing but an imperative skill to connect with followers. Effective storytelling goes beyond the vanilla ‘problem-solution’ approach. It encompasses a deep understanding of human emotions, psychology, and perspectives to communicate with them engagingly. Seek motivation from your personal experiences and weave a narrative for your content. Explain to the audience, how the product or service proved to be a game-changer for you.
Community building and management
Growth and follower base are important success metrics but developing a relationship with your followers is a quality that is often undervalued. Focus on building a community rather than just an ‘influencer-follower’ association. Trust needs to be cultivated, and this will happen when you stay connected to your followers. Respond to their DMs, organize regular contests and giveaways, and have frequent live sessions for candid conversations with them. Small acts like these will help you build a stronger, deeper bond with your followers.
Consistent and persistent efforts
Consistent and persistent efforts are hands down the key to success in influencer marketing. An innovative concept is just one aspect but being persistent in generating the campaign’s or brand’s recall value amongst your target customers is important. Additionally, consistency in your core messaging and content sharing is equally essential. Maintain a content calendar, strategize beforehand, and create an appealing story that touches the audiences’ hearts.
Interpersonal skills
For an influencer, interpersonal skills are imperative. With excellent communication skills, putting your strategy into words and helping the followers visualize the story becomes easy. Qualities like empathetic thinking, being an active listener, and understanding your followers’ needs will further help in strengthening your connection with them.
To conclude
While on the surface, it’s the celeb status and the number of followers that catch our fancy, in reality, acing the influencer marketing game requires a lot of hard work along with talent. As a viable career opportunity, one needs various skills to excel. Often traits such as authenticity, storytelling, community building, consistency and research are underrated but are integral for any independent influencer or influencer marketing agency to succeed.