How to Become an Influencer in Your Niche

There are some people in every market and industry who naturally stand out with their message, product or service. They are the people that everyone looks up to, everyone wants to work with, and they are recognized go-to experts. They are the people you would be willing to pay a lot more to work with if you had the chance.

So the question is: how do you become that person of influence in your market? And why is it important to have influence in your market if you want to have a successful business?

I’ve been running my own business, coaching and speaking on Personal Branding and Entrepreneurship for several years. And the problem I see with most businesses today is that they don’t have enough visibility, credibility, trust, and reach within their target market.

So in this blog post, I would like to share with you the main characteristics that every influencer has that will help you gain Authority, Credibility, and Trust among the people that are important to you and your business.

WHAT IS AN INFLUENCER?

An influencer is a person who influences the actions and perceptions of a substantial percentage of people in the market, through their words and their actions.

Today, you can create influence day by day with the click of a button and a share. And that’s why some social media influencers nowadays have more power than ever, sometimes a lot more than the perceived leaders of a country.

As the recent elections in several countries show, you can even become a nation’s leader a lot more easily if you have influence on social media.

So being an influencer in your niche and building a strong personal brand is more important than ever before.

WHY BECOME AN INFLUENCER

#1 PEOPLE BUY WHO YOU ARE

People today aren’t buying what you are selling. They are buying who you are, who is behind what you are selling. When you have influence, you naturally attract better clients and opportunities because everyone wants to work with you and you get an abundance of choices.

#2 INFLUENCERS CHARGE PREMIUM PRICES

Influencers charge a lot more for their products or services. However, it doesn’t prevent them from having endless clients. Quite the opposite, people and companies are always eager to work with them and pay extra to brand themselves in association to them. This is sometimes called influencer marketing.

#3 INFLUENCERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Being an influencer means that you can make a positive difference in people’s lives as a result of what you say or do.

Everyone today is a media channel.

We have unlimited power at our fingertips, and we can learn to use it wisely. When you build a powerful personal brand and become an influencer in your niche, everything you want seems to be naturally drawn to you. So you just get to choose what is best for you!

HOW TO BECOME AN INFLUENCER IN YOUR NICHE

What I found out after working many years in public relations, marketing, online marketing, building my brand and helping my clients create their personal brands globally, is that influencing people has little to do with traditional marketing and a lot to do with connecting to people from the heart. It has to do with emotions and being skilled in building a connection. And the social media platforms are enabling us to do this today online.

Building a powerful personal brand that has influence has three key components:

#1 ADD VALUE

Becoming an influencer in a market or niche is a by-product of adding a great value to the market. The value you provide to the market can be in the form of great content. It can be blogs, videos or articles around your topic created consistently. And it’s also about providing a product or service that really adds great value to people’s lives. Remember: when you are adding value, you need to be visible on the social media platforms where people are interacting on today.

#2 BECOME AN INNOVATOR

Influencers are those who have innovative ideas, products, and services. Some brands are built automatically because of how unique their product and offering is. They gain trust and influence quickly through their innovation. Think of an innovative company like Tesla. Marketing has a completely different angle when you have an innovative product that changes the world.

#3 TELL YOUR WHY, VALUES & STORY

To creating influence, you need to communicate your Why, your Values, and your Story with Authenticity and from the Heart.

People today connect to people, emotions, and stories.

You can only influence people when you touch their emotional side and their heart. As a person and a company, you need to be real, authentic and transparent. You need to communicate your values. People will connect to your why, and they love authenticity.

And as you go through the process of building your brand, remember that being an influencer in your market niche is not about the number of connections you have, it’s about the quality of these connections. Having big reach is great, but nothing can be achieved if people don’t connect with you and don’t trust you. The companies and people that win today know all about building relationships on the online platforms.

To sum up, being an influencer is crucial in today’s market and can help you skyrocket your business growth. You can create influence in your niche by constantly adding value through outstanding content, creating innovative products or services and telling your Why, your Values and your Story with Authenticity and from the heart.