How to Become a Successful Blogger and Influencer

Blogging is one of my favorite topics to talk about. Since success looks different for everyone, we’re going to focus on the fundamentals it takes to start a blog and grow an influence at the very basic level. I’m going to teach you how to become a successful blogger and influencer in a way that will feel less overwhelming, as there are many components to it. The key is to just start and do a little at a time.

What does it actually mean to be a blogger and influencer? Well it quite literally means that you offer information in written form and you have influence over people. The term “influencer” itself is often viewed as a negative term in the industry because it’s still so new. There are those who get it and those who are resisting, as with anything new that is introduced to society.

What I love most about influencer marketing is that it’s ever-changing, it’s different for everyone and it’s JUST getting started. If you’re reading this and made it this far, then you probably already know that.

How to Become a Successful Blogger and Influencer

Define a Niche

Many professionals and online educators will phrase it as “pick a niche,” but I like to say define a niche, as it isn’t about just picking any old thing. You want to really acknowledge and hone in one the skills you have and what you’re most knowledgeable about.

A niche is going to the be the topic you write and talk about often, so you better know it well if you want to separate yourself and become an industry leader. Example niches include mommy blogs, fashion, fitness, home and garden, travel, beauty, mental health, etc. Those are just to name a few but there are literally thousands.

If you’re good at something, can provide knowledge and value, then you can absolutely write about it and create a business.

Define Your Target Audience

Your target audience will be the people that you define as most interested and engaged with your niche. A target audience should be super specific and tell you things like age, gender, location, income, hobbies, fears, etc.

You want to get to know your target audience as much as possible in order to be able to serve them best. You can either start out by creating your target audience OR ask your existing audience what they want to see from you. Using analytical data on the platforms you use will also tell you a lot about where your audience is coming from.

Create a Blog

It might sound intimidating to start a blog if you’ve never tried before, but it’s a lot easier than you think.

WordPress is the best place for all bloggers, but especially beginners. If you plan to take your blogging career very seriously, then I suggest getting on a hosted platform like Bluehost or Siteground, as they will allow a better user-experience and longevity in your blogging career. If the idea of running and setting up your own blog intimidates you, then you can always outsource! Check out Clay in San Francisco, an agency that specializes in user experience and user interface design.

Outsource Tasks

Which leads me to my next piece of advice. Outsourcing. The saying “you have to spend money to make money” is totally accurate. There are always going to be certain tasks or elements about the online space that will be hard for us or use up a lot of our time. The smartest thing you can do is invest in your blog and business by paying someone else to do the work for you, whether this is website building, Pinterest management, Instagram management, virtual assistance, etc.

Freeing up your time this way will allow you to focus on the things you’re good at and not worry about the things you’re not good at.

Be Active on Social Media

This goes without saying, but picking 1-3 platforms on social media that you enjoy will take your blog and influencer far.

Creating content, posting every day showing your face and staying up to date on social media trends will allow you to network, get more opportunities and grow your community. Social media can be quite draining and time consuming, so make sure to choose platforms that you truly enjoy and like creating content for.

Connect With Your Audience and Community

One of the most important parts about having a blog and influence is to always to do things with your audience in mind. Refrain from always posting about you, but rather focus on posting for them. The more you open up, share your story and show interest in others, the more they will be interested in you. I highly recommend reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People if you want to learn more about effective communication.

You also want to make sure you connect with your audience regularly. Invest in a sim only contract so you’ll have access to the internet wherever you are and will be able to interact with your audience in real-time.

Put Strategies in Place

A strategy is crucial in order to stay afloat and set yourself apart from the competition on social media.

While I also promote collaboration over competition, there are still ways to stay ahead of the game and making sure your content is getting in front of the right people.

A good strategy starts with being realistic. Realistically think about how much content you can push out daily, weekly, monthly, etc. and create a strategy based on that. If it’s too much to post every day, then focus on great quality content on the days you do post.

Ask your audience what they liked best from your recent blog, post, story, etc, study your insights, decide what topics you can cover and how you can repurpose that content on all your channels to save time and most importantly, choose a strategy that is sustainable overtime.

Be Consistent

You’ll hear this word often in the influencer marketing industry, but it’s so true. The only reason people fail doing this is because they give up. It’s not a get rich overnight scheme, it actually takes years of hard work to see the real payoff. Consistency matters above all because it shows you are dedicated and reliable.

Remember that every blogger and influencer’s journey looks different. Learn from others, but never compare yourself. You’re exactly where you need to be and the more you stay in your lane, the more you will grow and shine in ways you never imagined.

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