Authenticity + Great content + Audience = Engagement
Steemians, let's be real...
The wave of Influencer Marketing has stalled itself, and suspended a majority of content and it's creators in limbo.
Pull out your phone and go to your Instagram feed or launch the Youtube app. Both of these actions are going to have a similar end result. The first few photos you see on Instagram or the psychedelic-scope of Youtube thumbnails will most likely be from its top, and often most influential users. They're easy to spot with the vivid scenery around them in the pictures they upload. Or when it comes to Youtube, clever and sharp square thumbnails that capture your attention and earn the tap of your finger, in the split of a second. It's a method I deemed, "Micro-moments"; simply for the creator's ability to pull you in with a strategic series of proper hashtags and upload times that lead to interaction, and what an influencers main focus should be - ENGAGEMENT.
With the momentum that platforms such as Steemit and DTube are gaining, who's to say the same tactics being applied to the top social media platforms can't be applied in the progressive Steem community?
If you take a moment and go through the top trending Steemit posts or DTube videos, you'll notice they all pretty much share a similar trait. The creators are providing value, yes, but they're doing it in a unique way by grabbing what they're good at by the horns and not letting go. There are a ton of reasons why audiences become loyal to these creators, but the top reason is dedication to your craft.
And those hundreds, sometimes thousands of Steem dollars you see linked to a popular piece of content? They're well deserved.
Now you might be thinking, "Okay...so how do I become an Influencer on Steem and in the Steemit community?"
Take a dive with me into the glittering ecosystem of Steemit:
- Plankton - the starter rank in Steemit
- Minnow - the next level, which requires putting out quality content and earning rewards (can also be accomplished by acquiring Steem)
- Dolphin - a well established user who usually has a moderate amount invested into the platform and thus holds more voting power
- Orca - a user who has a large following and great community engagement, though they still don't hold as much Steem Power as the Lions of the Sea
- Whale - users with the biggest influence on the platform and can shift unmeasurable attention to a post with a single vote
The Formula to Influencer Success
Since we've got the breakdown of how Ranking works, let's get into how you can master skills you've acquired from countless hours you've spent scrolling and interacting on social platforms:
1. QUALITY CONTENT
I cannot stress this point enough. Sculpting content of substance is key to gaining an receptive audience, especially if you keep your image friendly and your content presents you as easily approachable. Don't think about the short term, you're building your brand and every investment into that will give you equal results.
2. DEFINE YOUR PASSION & PICK YOUR NICHE
Self-awareness is a massive part of this. In truth, it may require you to sit down with the three closest people to you or even a two-hour brainstorm session to list out what you care about, (green technology, thrifty fashion, or taking photos of skateboard riding bulldogs). Wrap it up and refer back to it when you decide to introduce your beliefs and opinion to a community that appreciates value.
Of course, this also entails staying on top of your desired niche, so you can remain up to date on industry changes. Just subscribe to high-quality blogs that discuss your niche, and sign up for Newsletters to receive immediate alerts and updates.
3. STAY CONSISTENT
I can look forward to my favorite news sources and podcasts to be published around the same time every week, and it's something that a great content producer spoils their audience with. Now, that's not to say that you need to post five times a day across all of your platforms (especially Steemit), but with the skeleton of a schedule, it provides your audience with something to look forward to and gives them all the more reason to subscribe in eager anticipation of your next piece of content.
4. BE UNIQUE
These days, how many Fitness and Green Tea experts are there? How many cookie-cutter travel bloggers have you come across within the past hour of scouring your newsfeed?
To stand out from the crowd, you have to dare to go places that others won't. You have to leap and take risks that ALIGN with your passion and in what YOU believe in. Stay outspoken to stay heard. Skip the "copy-paste" content and show your audience the appreciation and love you have for them, and you'll capture not just their eyes, but their heart.
5. NETWORK & ENGAGE
One of the things that many of us tend to forget is that in order to build influence, you have to have real connections.
Engage in the conversations that are happening around your topic and interests. Venture outside of your comfort zones to soak in what the community is saying. And, if you are able to bring value to the conversations being held, you will rack up connections and undoubtedly build a better brand reputation for yourself.
Answer questions, respond to all comments left on your blog post, or video within the first 48 hours. And when it comes to dealing with negative comments, it's best to ignore the haters and trolls as it will only bring more negativity to your blog. Instead, respond and upvote comments that you want to see more of on your page.
Needless to say, it's important to humbly accept constructive criticism in stride. The best type of followers are the ones that care about your growth.
That said, you shouldn’t be focused on achieving the rank of an Orca or Whale. Instead, to become an influencer your main priority should be engaging with the Steem community and bringing your voice into conversations to better promote your message and identity. A perfect way to do this is to collaborate with and support new Steem related projects. Head over and check out what HyperFundIt is doing for the influencer game, and how we can take you to the next level.
Once all is done, and you've read through all of your most recent comments and engaged with the ones providing valued conversation to your content; take a moment to breathe, remember what your brand stands for and then ask your audience, "What else do you want to see from me?
Always looking forward,
Ken Wayne, Content Strategist
Slide over to HyperFundIt and become a part of positive disruption in your community: https://www.hyperfundit.com/members/kenwayne/
Yes, the idea is to remain active, consistent and loyal. Yesterday, I was discussing that our these platforms are not that big so we could compete with facebook or youtube but yeah they are getting traction and we can apply all the learnet lessons from their on here for the success.
nice
Thank you!
Hi how are you? Really interesting and detailled post, i love it ! I would like to connect with other cool and creative steemians, artists and musicians. I’m posting music tutorials and other things related to music (and bitcoins:p). I’m the founder of the free music school communicasound. I'm really pleased to meet you. So i give you my vote, follow you and i will be happy to read your next posts in the futur. If you want, you can do the same and follow me. It’s important to have a family in Steemit :) Greetings from Paris. Peace.
We appreciate the love! This sounds fantastic to me! I’ll definitely check out your content. :)
Thank you Ken, i'm glad to connect with you. I look forward to reading your next posts. Peace. CS
I would like to congratulate you as a nice post I have read your health in an open and welcoming manner Thank you very much @hyperfundit
I’m glad you found value in it :)
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Excellent post!!
Thanks for checking it out and giving us your eyes! Stay tuned for more :)
I definitely will, first thing I did after reading this post was follow you guys. I really like the emphasis on content and Ill be applying that strategy to my own feed :) thanks again!
nice one namesake. i thin you made valuable points worthy of my 100% upvote. thanks for sharing
I’m thrilled that our content impacts you! Thanks for giving me your time :)
Welcome and let's keep in touch also. 👌
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Now, this is quite strategic and to be sincere, I only realized this of recent. I am a newbie on Steemit and despite dropping about 4 posts on my first active week, I realized I do not understand how Steemit worked. Since then, I have been doing more of exploration. It's not easy to balance a busy real life with an active life on Steemit (at least for me). So, I realize that to gain attention with the limited time, one has to be dedicated and focused, channeling energy into a particular niche where you will be known when you are active enough. I look forward to more of your posts and I hope you learn more and learn fast as my Steemit journey continues.
@seunword Exactly! You hit it right on the head. The amount of time we all have varies, but dedication and caring are key and I’m glad that you found such value and inspiration in the post. I’m definitely looking forward to witnessing your growth and the entire Steemit community :)
greetings to you all, our friends @hyperfundit . we pleased to inform you of the launch of our project DWG. read our introductory post here https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@d-w-g/introducing-decentralized-writers-group-dwg-project-a-future-and-purpose-for-writers . we @d-w-g wish to raise fund using @hyperfundit . we wish to get in touch to iron out other details and how to get started. hope to count on your support on our project.