Step 1 to Being an Influencer: Housing Your Content

Have you ever been curious about what it takes to be an influencer? I can assure you, it’s a lot more than posting glamorous photos in exotic destinations! While it absolutely involves a lot of hard work, it’s also incredibly rewarding and such a fun industry to be a part of. Even though there are loads of influencers already out there, if this is an area that interests you, I believe you should absolutely give it a shot! To help you get your feet wet, I thought it might be helpful to create a series of blog posts discussing how to be an influencer, which will focus on 3 initial steps.

So today I’m launching the first of these: let’s dive right in!

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLATFORM:

Before you aim to start creating content or gain a following, you need to decide where you want your content to live. Today, most influencers exist on either Instagram, YouTube, a podcast and/or a blog. You can certainly exist in multiple (or all!) of these spaces, but it’s good to think about where you really want to focus your energy to start channeling those efforts at the beginning (then you can add in others as you go so you’re not overwhelmed at the start!) Are you more skilled with a camera? Flex that muscle and show off your snaps on a platform like Instagram. Or perhaps you’re a natural born conversationalist? Use that talent of talk to create a podcast. Whatever you decide to focus on, there is a lot to familiarize yourself with and learn from others, so start following other influencers in that space so you can begin to observe what tactics they’re using that you may want to implement yourself. This certainly doesn’t mean outright copying someone’s entire approach, but you’ll be able to notice certain trends across the board that are working for lots of influencers alike.

CREATING A WEBSITE:

Regardless of which platform you choose, influencers who want to establish themselves as a brand should have a central site or portfolio/micro-site for their brand. Not only does this become a place to house all of your content (and give you the ability to link out to any other platforms you’re active on like YouTube or Instagram) but it will also help your SEO (search engine optimization). This means that when people are searching on Google or other search engines for you (or content that’s related to what you are creating), you’re far more likely to appear in the search results, and to be ranked higher in those results. If the thought of designing a website overwhelms you, there are dozens and dozens of extremely user-friendly options out there that make it so much easier than you would think (not to mention, countless YouTube videos which will walk you through everything step by step!) Furthermore, remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your website doesn’t have to be either. If you want to start out with a simple “About Me” that describes who you are and what users can expect from your content, you can always build on more pages and complex features as you go. Don’t bite off more than you can chew at the beginning!

SELECTING A DOMAIN:

To secure your own website, you’ll need to start by purchasing a domain (this is what people will type in their address bar to get to your website). Choosing a strong domain name is incredibly helpful for brand positioning. While it’s incredibly common to go with a .com option, this also means you risk losing the simplicity of the website name you’d ideally want (for example, your name!) Influencers should consider a more unique identifier than a .com like, .ONLINE. It’s easily understood in most languages which is great for building a global brand, especially for those looking to build and grow their influence “online. It’s also easy to remember, unique and trend-setting. Plus, the versatile nature of .ONLINE makes it perfect for all types of businesses. Whether you are a start-up, an established brand, a restaurant or a podcast, there’s a relevant .ONLINE domain available for you.

If you’re ready to pull the trigger on a website of your own, I recently found an amazing company that lets you get a domain for .online instead of .com. As a business owner, I know how it feels to be overwhelmed by startup costs, so I even have a discount code to save you some money. Head to www.get.online and use the code “CHELSEA” at checkout to get 90% off (yes, 90!) for your first year!

Hopefully, this gives you a helpful starting point of factors to consider when it comes to how you’ll plan to house your content as an influencer. There’s still a lot more to share, so stay tuned for my next two posts where we’ll dive into finding your niche and researching your field.

*This post was written by me through an activation with HireInfluence on behalf of .Online. Although I received compensation for participating in the campaign, all thoughts and opinions are my own.