With the dramatic events of 2020 pushing more people online than ever before and the rapid growth of the influencer marketing industry, it’s essential to focus on your long term goals for 2021. We take a look at five ways to prepare yourself for 2021 as an influencer.
Know your worth as an influencer
While marketing budgets may have tightened due to the pandemic, it’s important not to undersell yourself as an influencer in 2021. Or worse, end up working for free. As a relatively new industry, with a lot of variation, it can be hard to know exactly how much you should be charging brands that you work with.
You can do some research to find out average charges based on following and type of work, but it’s also worth reaching out to other influencers with a similar reach and niche to talk to them about how much they get paid.
Many companies are looking to work with more micro-influencers because the cost to them is lower, but as your following and influence grows you need to scale up your pricing. Come up with a pricing strategy for 2021 that takes into account your reach, and the different kinds of content and endorsements you can do, so that you have something to refer to when discussing payment with brands.
And don’t be afraid to walk away from opportunities where you aren’t going to be paid properly. A company might have a limited budget, but your time is valuable, and as you grow your influencer business you’ll sometimes need to focus on better opportunities.
Take care of yourself
It’s important to prioritize your health, both physical and mental, as an influencer. While time management can help you to improve the balance between work and home life, you also need to take other steps to take care of yourself.
Don’t wait for the new year to start better habits — make sure you’re regularly exercising, and eating a healthy balanced diet now. Try meditation to help you switch off, reduce your stress levels, and improve your sleeping pattern.
And look at your personal goals for 2021, as well as business-focused goals. Consider breakthrough coaching to help you take control and achieve your goals. Working with your own personal coach can help with accountability and make sure you stay focused and on track throughout 2021.
Diversify your influencer work
As more and more brands look to work with influencers, 2021 is a good time to look at working with a more diverse range of companies. With so much change and upheaval in 2020, it’s important to look for as many opportunities as you can to work with brands.
It’s also worth considering more long term partnerships with brands. Instead of doing one or two sponsored posts, you could work with the same brand over several months, which can offer you more stability. It also gives you an opportunity to spend more time creating high-quality content that not only promotes the brand but connects with your audience as well.
Focus on time management
Another key way to prepare for 2021 should be to look at improving your time management. Use a time tracking app to help manage your time and understand exactly how long you spend on each aspect of your work. You’ll be able to properly plan out your time and focus on the bits that really matter. And it will give you a clearer idea of how much you should be charging the brands you work with based on the time spent working on each project.
Influencers prepare for 2021 by planning time management.
Time management can also help to maintain a better balance between work and personal life. As an influencer, it can be easy for creating content and posting on social media to take over your whole day. So you should focus on setting boundaries in 2021 — dedicate a certain amount of your time to posting, engaging, and working with brands as well as specific times where you can switch off.
Keep up with the latest influencer trends
The new year is the perfect time to branch out on to a new platform or try producing different content formats. So take some time now to research the latest influencer trends and pick one to focus on in 2021.
Brands are increasingly looking for influencers to create video content and especially live videos that offer a more authentic way of reaching audiences. And while Instagram is still the focal point of influencer marketing, other platforms like TikTok and Twitch are emerging as worthwhile alternatives in the industry.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for influencers in 2021. These are just a few of the ways in which influencers can prepare for the new year and grow their audience and business.
Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Orion Talmay.