To become a successful influencer within the fashion industry, you must achieve a certain level of professionalism. When managing your social networks, it is imperative that you work with brands to promote their products and services.

There are many elements to consider, however below are 6 key steps:

1. Which niche are you in?

Why do you need a niche? To be successful at anything, one needs experience and some level of specialism. If you’re experienced at runway fashion reviews, maybe you’ve got a blog that you keep up-to-date with the latest runway fashion trends. Or you’ve actively been reviewing runway designs on your social media networks. Your aim would then be to show your followers, that you are an expert at everything runway fashion and provide valuable daily content.

In order to be successful, your followers need to trust and engage with your content. The only way this can happen is if you add value to their lives. Ensuring you choose a specialty that is in demand, that you’re good at, is the fastest way to conquer any industry. You can choose any common niche, or if you prefer a personal style journey. Including videos, before and after photos and a link to the fashion blog you’ve created. Once you’ve chosen a niche, post regularly so that your audience will engage with your material. The more appealing the content is that you post in your niche, the more people will start to see you as an authority. It won’t be an overnight journey to success. However the more you test and adjust your approach accordingly, the closer you’ll be to building a following, credibility and status as an influencer.

Top tip: Whichever niche you decide, ensure the majority of your posts are consistent within that niche. The most common reason influencers lose followers are due to posting inconsistently. If they followed you, it’s for a reason. Show them more of it!

2. Have you found your tone?

Let’s be honest, most people don’t want to look all over the internet to find the latest fashion trends… You probably love doing it, which is great because if you’re reading this you most likely want to be a fashion influencer. However, your target audience aren’t like you – and that’s a really good thing! It gives you a chance to lead, to get your message across to your followers and to motivate them to live a stylish lifestyle. In order to be effective at this, you need to find your tone. How do you want to come across to your audience? In order to find the answer, you need to ask yourself ‘what kind of leader am I? Motivational, supportive, understanding, or maybe you’re hard and believe in a little tough love.

Whatever you decide, there is a demand for it because everyone is different, people learn and react in diverse ways. As long as you focus on what benefits and motivates your audience. You can guide them to achieve their own goals, then you can’t go wrong as an influencer. Be yourself, set your tone not only with your posts but with your captions. Consistency is key, do this and the followers will follow.

Top tip: Be genuine, offer guidance and trusted support, it will go a long way in ensuring that brands and followers value your input. Reply to your comments and DM’s!

3. What’s your story?

Your followers may very well be interested in fashion but guess what they’re interested in you too! We are social creatures and we are extremely interested in other people’s lives. One of the most effective ways to get through to your audience is to be human, show your strengths and your weaknesses. When people visit your profile for the first time, what do they think? What do they see? When they read your captions do they feel part of the journey, do they understand? If people can relate they will respond and this should be your highest priority as an influencer. Your followers will appreciate your openness and willingness to give them a peek into your life – not just your wardrobe!

It helps to show them that you are not just connecting with them to increase your numbers. Show that there is a real human being behind the influencer account. This is not only effective for your following but also when you decide to promote brands. Instead of posting a picture of a pair of shoes and in your caption writing ‘great shoes guys, get yours for only $74.99 today!’. Why not tell a story? Try a more human and less sales-y approach, ‘having searched for over a year now for the perfect style and fit, I can safely say I love these new shoes! They’re comfortable, worth the money and interchangeable with different styles. Why not get yourself a pair too? Be ready for our next ‘match this with that’ class together’. Only promote the things you love and use, do this and people will trust your content and trust you.

Top tip: Who needs 100K unengaged followers, when you can have 20K committed followers that will naturally grow to 100K. Focus on the quality – the value and the quantity will come.

4. Engagement vs follower ratio?

Recent studies show that influencers with fewer followers have a higher rate of engagement than influencers with millions of followers. Yes, you may earn more from brands when you have millions of followers, but your engagement is important too. A brand is much more likely to invest in you if your audience are active, it shows interest and a commitment to you as an influencer. Growth is great, it’s a very important part of the journey but ensure you keep on top of your engagement rate. As your followers grow, your engagement grows too.

Top tip: Try doing a giveaway every once in a while. Ask your followers to tag their friends and like your page for a chance to win something (fashion related of course). Not only will your following grow but it will boost your engagement and add excitement and value to your profile.

5. Need to grow your audience?

Getting your account to a place where not only are you happy with it, but brands are willing to sponsor you isn’t an easy feat. Either do it all yourself manually, follow, unfollow, like pictures, comment on posts and write DM’s. Or you can have a social media agency do these things for you, which is exactly what we do here at Mapiac. We help you build your account quickly yet organically, ensuring that your followers are both real and engaged. This can save you ample time to spend on the more important things. Planning your posts, creating quality images and writing powerful captions.

Another great way to start growing is by contacting other influencers in your niche and building a rapport with them. Show them support, share their content, mention them in your posts and network with them to gain visibility.

Top tip: To learn more about our ‘Social Media Growth’, what we do and how we can help you click the link.

6. Use TRIBE or Influence.co

Resources like TRIBE or Influence.co are great platforms to use to get your name out there and gain paid sponsorships. Brands are always trying to find great influencers and great influencers are always trying to find brands. Put yourself out there, reach out to brands you are interested in and grow from there.

Both platforms bridge the gap between brands and influencers. Allowing them to share ideas, discuss pricing and collaborate in a safe and user-friendly environment. It is also the easiest way to get brands to notice you, saving you a lot of time and effort that you will otherwise have spent marketing your services. Becoming a successful fashion influencer may seem simple and easy but in reality, it will require hard work, dedication and perseverance. As someone in the fashion industry that shouldn’t be new to you, follow these steps and you’ll pave the way to success.

Top tip: You’ve probably heard of Chiara Ferragni, she has over 14 million followers on Instagram alone and has become the top fashion influencer on Forbes. In a recent interview, Chiara was asked how she became so successful and she responded, “I think influencers right now are the new media, In the past, people were so interested in reading fashion news out of a magazine, and now they get all this information from social media, through influencers.”

Things to remember:

  1. Whichever niche you decide, ensure the majority of your posts are consistent within that niche. The most common reason influencers lose followers are due to posting inconsistently. If they followed you, it’s for a reason. Show them more of it!   2. Be genuine, offer guidance and trusted support, it will go a long way in ensuring that brands and followers value your input. Reply to your comments and DM’s!   3. Who needs 100K unengaged followers, when you can have 20K committed followers that will naturally grow to 100K. Focus on the quality – the value and the quantity will come.   4. Try doing a giveaway every once in a while. Ask your followers to tag their friends and like your page for a chance to win something (fashion related of course). Not only will your following grow but it will boost your engagement and add excitement and value to your profile.   5. Don’t do it all alone, invest in your goals and get the help you need. To learn more about our ‘Social Media Growth’, what we do and how we can help you click the link.