Why you need a business plan as an influencer. [+ How to create one.]

As a creative (content creator or influencer), you love creating content and connecting with your audience online. But let’s be real; you’d also love to make money while sharing your passion and creativity.

Business Planning is your ticket to Influencer Marketing.

Businesses use influencers as part of their marketing strategies to promote their products and services – this is called influencer marketing. It’s proven a good tool for many small and medium-sized businesses. Knowing that companies are reaching out to influencers, you want to position yourself (and your content) in a unique and valuable way that’ll land the brand sponsorship you deserve. You need a business plan to get to this position. And depending on how you deliver on your promise, you can have repeat deals and develop a partnership. Simply put, a business plan can help you make more money as an influencer or content creator.

Influencing and content creation is a business!

You’ll need a business plan to market yourself to increase your following and attract companies whose products and services match your brand values. This specialized business plan is called an influencer business plan. We’ll cover how to create your influencer business plan in this article. We developed a tailored one-page business plan and guide.

It's clear that Influencers and content creators are in high demand these days, so your influencer business plan is a roadmap to reach your personal and financial goals as a creative. Your business plan will help you focus on your goals and maximize your opportunities. In addition, a business plan is a living document that can be changed as needed or when circumstances change. So if you change niches, industries, or brand style, refer back to your business plan to change course. Finally, motivating yourself is also excellent by always keeping your goals in sight.

 An influencer business plan also serves as an essential reference point if you need to make changes along the way--or want to share what you've learned about content marketing with other people in your industry who may be interested in learning from your experience. Finally, as you work with more companies (and you may reject some), your business plan helps you stay focused on your goals and measure the success of your content creation efforts.

So what should an influencer business plan include?

Here's how to create one:

So what's in an influencer business plan?

A good business plan needs to be a living document that you can update as you go along. It's important to realize that this isn't a one-and-done process but an ongoing process of reflection and improvement. Most successful creators and influencers update their business plans once a year.

Your business plan should include the following:

·         Goals and objectives (what are the goals for your creative business? How do those goals align with your vision and values?)

·         Marketing strategy (how will you get the word out about what you do?)

·         Value Proposition – why should this company or business partner with you and your brand? What distinguishes you from other influencers and creators in your niche?

We walk you through the entire process in our custom business plan for influencers. Download your copy of our Influencer Business plan now to take your creative business to the next level!

Define your audience and sector.

Defining your audience is vital in creating a business plan but can be tricky. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating content and forget that you need to know your target audience is.

If you're working in a specific sector (e.g., beauty, food, gaming), it's essential to understand what kind of people are likely to buy products from this sector: are they young or old? Are they male or female? Do they live in rural areas with few shops nearby, so online shopping is more convenient for them? This will help determine how much competition exists within your niche and whether there are gaps for creatives like you.

You want to fill these gaps with your unique content to attract your target audience and brand partners. More importantly, it'll help when researching and choosing the kinds of businesses you want to partner with.

Make a content calendar.

A content calendar is a schedule of all the posts you want to publish over the next few months, broken down by week or month. It helps you plan your strategy and stay on track with your goals.

This can be as simple or complex as you need it to be--some people use a free Google Doc spreadsheet, while others use more sophisticated software such as Trello or Monday. Most influencers use social media planners like Hootsuite, Buffer, Planoly, and Later. YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook have planning features within their native apps. But if you’re on multiple platforms and want convenient automation, I suggest using a social media planner.

Create a media kit.

You can include this in your business plan or create a separate document – no matter how you make it, a media kit is essential to your influencer career.

Okay, so what is a media kit? It’s a pitch deck that helps you to sell (ahem- market) yourself to potential businesses, agencies, and companies. Sometimes, this document can solidify a brand deal or sponsorship. In addition, it’s an essential tool for influencers since it shows off your best work and gives businesses an idea of what they can expect from working with you. If you haven’t already created a media kit, get in touch, schedule a free consultation and we’ll create one together! I love this kind of strategy and creativity.

A good media kit will include a brief bio, information about who you are as an individual or influencer or creative entrepreneur, what kind of content you create (including samples), and why people should hire/work with/collaborate with you, along with any other relevant details such rates and availability. Most importantly, it should include your following and engagement rate statistics.

Tip: companies care more about engagement rate than followers or subscriber count. If you have a million followers and less than 1% (10,000) of the comment, like, and engage with you, that’s not saying much. But let’s say you have 200k followers, and your engagement rate is 10%; that’s 20,000 engagements, twice the amount of someone with a higher following. So focus more on engaging with your audience.

Set goals and targets.

Now that you've got a general idea of your influencer business plan, it's time to get specific. To create a successful plan and reach your goals, it's essential that you set measurable targets.

Here are some things to keep in mind when setting goals:

They should be achievable - Don't set yourself up for failure by setting an unrealistic goal or target.

Research and plan well. Many people over-promise and under-deliver because they didn't research or plan beforehand. This is not the way forward if you want businesses to keep coming back and continue sponsored partnerships with you.

Write them down - It might sound obvious, but often, when we think about something, we don't write it down straight away. We think (or hope) we’ll remember it later and it rarely happens. So make sure that as soon as possible after deciding about what needs doing next, you get those thoughts onto paper/into an app, so they don't slip through the cracks!

You can do it!

I hope I've convinced you that creating a business plan is essential for influencers and content creators. It's not just about being organized and keeping track of your goals; it's also about building relationships with others in your industry, ensuring they understand what they're getting from working with you, and helping them make more money! Businesses and companies will generously compensate (sometimes repeatedly) influencers and creators who can market their products and services to make them more profitable. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved; it only starts with a plan. Download your copy to get started.