Influencers are strategic, impactful storytellers that are (for the most part) in the business of being themselves.
Being properly labeled as an influencer is no longer just for those with hundreds of thousands of followers across social media– now, with the rise and importance of the micro influencer, there’s more than enough room.
One of my first and most educational clients was an influencer and her drive and authenticity is really what inspired me to become a creative entrepreneur and launch narsha.co and eventually createhers.co.
So today, to honor where I started, I’m sharing 5+ Things Influencers Should Have on Their Website, to make you profitable and more valuable in your business.
This list contains some affiliate links of products/software I love & trust. Thanks for your support!
An Amazon Store (WordPress)
If you’re already a member of the Amazon Associates Program, you can stylize and feature products on your blog/website like your own RewardStyle, but before you get approved.
If you use WordPress, you can use a plugin to make it easier to use your affiliate links and even showcase products on a dedicated page (e.g. like a shop or my favorites page).
Here are a couple WordPress-friendly Amazon Affiliate plugins to check out:
Interested in the Amazon Associates program? Check out their Influencer Program as well.
RewardStyle or LikeIt2KnowIt
Since I mentioned Amazon Associates, I have to mention RewardStyle—
I’ve used RewardStyle for all of my influencer clients and it is a beautifully designed widget that perfectly displays ways to Shop Your Posts as well as create LikeIt2KnowIT so you can generate revenue, even if the blog post itself is not sponsored.
You do have to apply in order to use the RewardStyle and it’s platform (which includes Like2KnowIt.
Once you’re approved, you have access to cool widgets like these for your blog content:
Shop Favorites RewardStyle link from my client.
A Monetized Sidebar
Okay, okay, this one is up for debate; I’ve noticed mainly readers are there for those amazing photographs you creatively directed and shot on your own or with your photographer. And even popular blogger influencers that do not have a sidebar.
Hear me out: if you are already in the business of pitching brands or selling products/digital or physical, it may be a great opportunity to sell more, in a natural way.
A monetized sidebar can:
- Increase your sponsor package value: offered as a placement value add for brands as part of your packages & rates as it is highly visible across all of your content.
- Get more email sign-ups: As new readers continue to fall in love with your content, this can be the perfect place for your email list sign up form
- Inline Advertising Space – for a square banner for your shop/digital product/etc
- Up your SEO game: Show related posts that helps visitors navigate your website longer
Your sidebar doesn’t always have to show up next to the post content; this relevant information can also be added as a section underneath your blog, depending on where your website is designed.
An Email List Sign Up
Your email list is a great thing to start at the beginning or even RIGHT NOW, if you haven’t already. If you know you won’t be big on sending daily and weekly emails, consider sending a digest of the most important content you’ve created for that month and send out an email to your subscribers once a month.
If you’re further along in your business and offer additional content that’s educational or inspiring, you can create a newsletter that supports the common questions and needs of that particular audience.
If aesthetic is your thing, you should check out the email marketing software Flodesk:
Screenshot of Flodesk – Beautiful templates for Emails that mean business
If your audience is more likely to enjoy emails that feel like receiving a text message from a good friend, ConvertKit is a great option (and they have a free account up to 100 subscribers option!) especially if you are looking to setup email funnels, automations, or sell digital products today or further down the road.
Trackable Links (Bit.ly Links)
As you’re growing your brand, understanding your audience’s likes & wants better, keeping track of the most popular links can prove to be an important part of internal data. Using a tool like Bit.ly helps you track the number of clicks on any of the links (which are also shortened!). Why is this cool? You get a sense of your traffic and your audience’s preferences so you can position and pitch more brands in a particular category and/or offer more content based on what people seem to love the most from you!
CoSchedule
I know there’s a lot of apps out there that help you schedule content, but Coschedule is one of the most innovative. They have tools built in that can help you repost your content weeks out so your content is always visible on the social media channels you post on!
And this may just be the tip of the iceberg. What was new for you on this list? What are you already doing that’s working well for you?
About the Author
Hey, I’m Narsha Njoya and I am inspired daily by women like you who go after their dreams by launching brand, blogs, businesses as side hustles and even full-time. As a mommy of a little prince and a Shihpoo, I’ve loved navigating the world of creative entrepreneurship as a Website Designer, Social Media Strategist, and Creative Director for over 10 years. I love writing content that informs & inspires, so you always remember, that everything is figureoutable. And it always begins with your mindset. How can I help you be more creative in your business today? hello@narsha.co
