A college is a great place where you’re made aware of different people from different backgrounds. With such versatility, you discover different lifestyles, habits, and even communication skills, all of which can create a connection with one person or the other. In recent times, businesses have discovered the power of peer influence and are using college students as an excellent marketing tool.
We’ve all known brands to use celebrities for the promotion of their products and services. The influence of these celebrities always goes a long way to increase their sales and engagement with potential customers. However, as time passed, brands have realized that Millenials instead love to listen to one another. Thanks to social media, everyone has a voice and is not afraid to use it, especially college students.
On that note, here are some tips on how you can become an influencer while still in college and some of the perks it comes with.
Learn the basics of social networking.
Digital media changes almost every day, with new tips, tricks, and algorithms introduced in seconds. To be a successful influencer, you can start by learning about audience engagement, content creation, and analytics.
Make full use of the internet to expand your knowledge of all things marketing. There are free and premium guides online that teach you how to build audiences, create brand awareness, and the best content approach. When choosing your resource, look for recent comments and posts to be abreast with all new technologies. If you’re not great at online learning, several college courses allow you to enter the world of media. You can check out this UCLA application and choose from the different options available.
Work on creating a memorable brand.
What do you want to be noted for? Which kinds of brands do you want to work with? These are all questions that will help you create a personal brand that befits your personality and goals. In native advertising, companies push out content to customers regardless of their needs and want. As a result, there’s almost no human connection between ads and the end-user, which doesn’t lead to many sales.
If you want to be an influencer, you need to establish yourself as a branded content marketing genius. Your life should be a form of story to your follower, a story they want to revisit again and again. As much as possible, be yourself and be authentic in your storytelling. Don’t try to act like another influencer you admire, but instead, find new ways to introduce yourself online.
Curate and tailor your content.
If you wish to be an influencer, you must be prepared to create well-tailored content. If you want to make a good impression on your social media community and brands, you must also learn what content works best on every platform. If you must, work with professionals. If it’s a podcast, consider recording at a studio for better sound. If it’s photos, get in touch with a professional well versed in the best formats for your social platforms.
There are different platforms for different types of content. For example, Facebook is great for photos, videos, giveaways, quotes, and many more. Instagram is another great visual platform where you can post about anything from fashion to health and beauty.
If you’re into video games, taking videos of your everyday activities, Youtube might be great for you. But, if you’re a college student looking to influence social media, the sky’s the limit. Once you learn to use all influencer platforms to your advantage, you’ll grow your follower base within a short time and start the process of pitching to brands for partnerships. Being an influencer comes with so many perks. There’s so much to gain from free products to free tickets and even cash, so why not do it?