About Social Media Influencer

“Please Like, Share, Comment, Follow, and Subscribe” - The SIX most popular words existing in the universe of Social Media.

Who is a Social Media Influencer?

To answer the question above, a Social Media Influencer is a person with a large audience of online followers who has established credibility in a specific area or industry. It can be any industry, from travel to beauty, to gaming, or even fitness, sports, etc.

The ‘influencer life’ may seem glamorous, but a lot of effort, consistency, and time goes into making a career out of it.

Care for a fun fact?
- A poll in 2019 showed that children wanted to be ‘influencers’ rather than astronauts!
We come across so many influencers daily all with different niches, from different parts of the world, and different follower count.

So how are we going to categorise social media influencers? 

  • Mega-influencers with more than a million followers
  • Macro-influencers with 500K to 1 million followers
  • Mid-tier influencers with 50K to 500K followers
  • Micro-influencers with 10K to 50K followers
  • Nano-influencers with 1K to 10K followers

What does this mean for social media as a career?

From Influencer Marketing to Brand Ambassadors, social media management, and more, the scope of social media is like the MULTIVERSE!

The global influencer market was estimated to be worth USD13.8 billion in 2021. You can only imagine how much it is going to grow with time and technology.

Top Colleges

To become a social media influencer, you don’t need a formal degree, in India or abroad.
Though the number of colleges that offer Social Media Influencer as a degree course is less than few, there are a few colleges across the world that offer Bachelors in Arts or Science in Creative Media or Media Studies.
It is important to know and understand digital marketing, social media marketing, and management to thrive as a Social Media Influencer. 

Hence, learning about concepts with a Bachelor's Degree in Digital Marketing, Media Studies, etc. can be your ticket to knowing the influencer biz!

India

Duration: 3 years

Fee per course/annum: Rs.3 - 4 Lakh Per Annum


UK

Duration: 3 Years/4 Years

Fee per course/annum: Rs.16.5 Lakh Per Annum


Canada

Duration: 4 years

Fee per course/annum: Rs.10 - 20 Lakh Per Annum


Career Prospects

Social Media Influencer

“Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend” - Mark Zuckerberg.

As a social media influencer, you will be that ‘trusted friend’!

From a business perspective, influencer marketing is extremely exciting for brands. According to a study that was conducted by TapInfluence, 40% of the audience have purchased a product or availed a service after seeing it being used by an Influencer on social platforms.

To make a career as a social media Influencer, you will need to put in the time and the effort to ‘up your social media game’.

Here are some of the popular careers as a social media Influencer:

  • Influencer marketing manager
  • Content Creator
  • PR and Outreach Manager
  • Community Manager
  • Influencer Marketing Manager
  • Influencer Relations Assistant

Social media influencing is an entrepreneurial job and requires consistency and quality, along with providing an outcome. Many influencers work with a team but that is after working on their own first and then earning enough to hire a team.

If you wish to get started in your career as an influencer, here are some tips that may help you -

  • Stick to your niche
  • Team up with a publicist
  • Create shareable content
  • Collaborate with influencers
  • Engage with your audience

Social Media Management

As the name suggests, Social Media Management is monitoring and maintaining a company’s social media presence.

You will be using business social media tools like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube to engage with your audience and advertise or market the company’s products and services as a Social Media Manager. These tools and platforms will be used to market and produce possible buyers as well!

Careers in social media management can lead to jobs in community management, which involves overseeing a complete social media community.

It also involves reaching out to new members on social media and engaging with them. Individuals interested in managing social media communities and campaigns should opt for careers in social media management.

Few popular careers in social media management are:

  • Content manager
  • Social media manager
  • Media production manager
  • Community manager
  • Media planner
  • Social media management specialist
  • Social media consultant

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is one of the fastest-growing careers in Social Media.

Why?

Because of its scope. By the end of 2025, it is predicted that the number of people using social media will have surpassed 4.41 billion.

To interact with their target audience, businesses and people use the services of social media marketers. Businesses, small and big are investing heavily in this area of digital marketing as it's always on the move. Everything is done in real-time, can be optimised and is trackable!

Hence, the demand for careers in social media marketing is going to increase further.

However, with great scope, comes great competition
. There are many job openings out there, but there are also many talented people ready to fill these positions, making social media marketing employment incredibly competitive. So, careers in social media marketing demand advanced social media skills.
 

Few popular careers in social media marketing are:

  • Social media assistant
  • Social media coordinator
  • Content marketer
  • Social media marketing intern
  • Social media strategist
  • Paid marketing specialist
  • Social media marketing analyst
  • Social media marketing executive

YouTube Influencer and Marketer

PewDiePie, DudePerfect, Logan Paul, Smosh - The Biggest Names In YouTube Influencers Today!

To start a career as a YouTuber does not require any specific qualifications, as we have seen. All you will need is a laptop, editing software, a good camera, and a reliable WiFi connection.

AND? Good Content!

However, to make a living from YouTube, you will need more than just creating a single viral video, and becoming famous.

Content development, advertising, and social media presence are the 3 keys to being sustainable.

Social media is a must-have tool in your kit if you want to start a career as a YouTuber. It will assist you in reaching a larger audience with your content. Plenty of videos are posted daily on YouTube, so provide the audience with entertaining and unique content to build a career as a YouTuber.

YouTube can be used to make money in the following ways:

  • Brand Collaboration
  • Monetizing your channel
  • Sponsored videos
  • Selling products and merchandise
  • Licensing your original content

Earning through channel memberships (NEW)

Similar Careers

Jobs & Salary

You may come across so many influencers talking about their revenue and how much they make in a month!
Given that it takes some to gain some revenue as a social media influencer, consistency is the key in this game! The larger your community and the more relatable your content, the better you get paid through various channels. 
Top Industries hiring Social Media Influencers -

  • Marketing
  • Travel and Living
  • Healthcare
  • Food and Beverage
  • Sports

Here’s some insight on the average salary for roles under a social media influencer -

  • PR and outreach manager - Rs.20 Lakh Per Annum
  • Social media director - Rs.12 Lakh Per Annum
  • Social media strategist - Rs.10 Lakh Per Annum
  • Content manager - Rs.7 Lakh Per Annum
  • Social media consultant - Rs.6.5 Lakh Per Annum

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Flexibility in work
  • Building a Community
  • Authenticity
Cons
  • Consistency
  • Maintaining Integrity

Famous Personalities

Prajakta Koli - @mostlysane

Starting her lifestyle ‘influencer life’ on YouTube, Prajakta Koli has become a household name as an influencer from India. Through her alter-egos, ‘common-folk content’, and easy-to-relate language, she has been able to gain a community of more than 5 million followers.

From posting on YouTube, she adapted to Instagram, and through her brand collaborations, celebrity tie-ups, and travel, she has made it to the big screens. Yet, she’s just getting started!

Jack Morris - @doyoutravel

Jack Morris is an avid travel influencer with a 2.5 million strong community on Instagram. Originally a carpet cleaner from Manchester, he now travels the world and captures stunning photography of landscapes, animals and wildlife.

Cristiano Ronaldo - @cristiano

Cristiano Ronaldo has made it to the top of the football world, and on the Instagram rich list! With this 50 million plus followers, Ronaldo charges upto $1.6 million for a sponsored post for brand collaborations and uses Instagram to connect with his fans by providing a sneak peek to his professional and personal life!

Timeline

2004 ‘Blog’ is named word of the year.

2007 Model Collaborations introduced with Supermodel, Kate Moss.

2010 Instagram was launched.

2015 Influencer partnerships introduced by Vamp.

2018 Instagram reaches 1 billion followers.

2018 Influencer marketing has 61,000 search queries per month.

2019 The word - Influencer is added to the English Dictionary.

2020 Influencer industry worth $5 billion - $10 billion.

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