The fundamental idea of social media influencers is a relatively novel phenomenon that initially seems to be something that only young people do or pay attention to. Most of us have been influenced by people at some point in our lives, whether it is buying certain products, dressing a certain way, eating specific foods, or even choosing a career path. But the term “influencer” today refers to something more specific–a social media influencer.
“Influencers in social media are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic” (Geyser, 2023). Most of these people have millions of followers on social media platforms, and when they make a social media post, “they can create trends and encourage their followers to buy products they promote” (Geyser, 2023). As can be imagined, brands love these renowned influencers, and it can be quite a financial grab for both the brand and the influencer. To quote influencer Paul Cazers, “They’re the new rock stars with a bigger audience than old Hollywood ever had a chance to access. When they take a video or a picture and push a button on their phone, [it is] immediately disseminated to millions of people across the planet. That level of access is unprecedented” (Whitaker, 2016).
First of all, I have the good fortune of working with an up-and-coming influencer (Paul Greene), and long before I was working for him, I followed his tips and inspiration, thus enriching my physical and mental well-being. However, he is not the only influencer on my horizon. I follow several “smaller influencers”–Sober In Central Park, Jacklyn Collier, Andrew Walker, and many more in the actor/podcaster realm. I even follow a few health and wellness influencers, such as the Glucose Goddess, Dr. Mark Hyman, and Tony Robbins, to name a few. Most of the influencers I follow do not have followers in the millions, but I believe they are trustworthy. When they post about brands and products they have tried and sincerely recommend to their followers, I believe their claims and tend to consider at least trying the things they recommend. Most of them have primary jobs and only use their online influence to supplement their business. But regardless, they have had an impact on all areas of my life.
“Influencers operate independently, creating their own content and integrating a company’s advertising specifications into it” (Council, 2018). This is one of the most intriguing aspects of influencer marketing because the brand does not have the authority to dictate precisely how the influencer crafts their post. While there may be some guiding principles from the brand, authenticity and a personal, unique voice are essential to making a successful post on behalf of a brand.
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(Walker, 2023)
As you can see in this Instagram post, the influencer discloses that he was paid for his position (a vital key in influencer marketing) and shares how he uses the product in real life. The brand possibly provided him with the recipe, but he tried it out and had fun sharing. I was ready to try this recipe as a tasty alternative to traditional doughnuts when he originally shared this.
Another vital component of this kind of marketing is that it removes the brand from marketing directly to the consumer, a practice that is not always well-received. After all, if Starbucks puts up an advertisement claiming they have the healthiest coffee on the planet, I may be skeptical. However, if someone I know and trust does it, I may be more apt to believe the claim. “Advertising through influencers allows brands to promote through someone that a niche community watches, engages with, and trusts on a daily basis” (Council, 2018).
“The amazing @curiouselixirs & @absenceofproof hosted the party here in NYC where we held a country-wide cheers at 9PM, making this the largest sober-curious shindig in history š„³”Ā (Hechtman, 2023)
Rachel Hechtman is known as “Sober In Central Park,” and along with this Instagram post, she posted a fun video. She made it clear who hosted this party, and an unknown company to me–Curious Elixirs–became a known brand to me. Moreover, other people in her community also began posting about this company.
This leads me to the next thing I notice about this form of marketing. Trends can begin due to influencer marketing. It is pretty common to see various influencers reviewing things and posting about them around the same time. Moreover, these influencers must continue to post regularly in general. It is a tricky dance these influencers sometimes perform. “If you don’t post, I’m going to forget who you even are…But if you’re doing too much, it kind of cheapens you” (Kirschman, 2022). Influencers must find the ideal posting schedule to keep them relevant without seeming “spammy.”
Specific strategies need to be followed to ensure success on both sides–for the brand and the influencer. “Guest posting, sponsored content, re-targeting, co-creation, competitions, mentions on social, discount codes, and more are terrific examples of influencer marketing campaigns” (McGinley, 2022). I have seen all of these in action with various influencers online.
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(Greenfield, 2017)
This is one example of an influencer I follow, and he hosted a fun giveaway for a product. I see these regularly from various social media influencers. Even though this post is from 2017, when I did a search on Google for a giveaway from this influencer, this was one of the top posts, even after all these years!
Whenever influencers post videos, reviews, etc., about various brands, “people are continuing to talk about a video afterwards. And they’re sharing. I don’t know how you could even put a price on that” (Whitaker, 2016). This is one of the reasons that influencers are so successful. They can produce content that is shared, reshared, and still talked about for weeks, months, and years to come.
When it comes to the role of social media influencers, I found a term that truly resonates with me–citizen influencers, “passionate individuals who develop and share their experiences and opinions on the social web for all to see. In their categories of influence, they hold considerably more sway than traditional celebrities” (Dean, n.d.). These people are vital to brand marketing campaigns on social media. They connect, inform, and shape opinions of various brands and products (Dean, n.d.). While social media numbers are vital, merely posting content is not enough. It must be relevant to their audience and truly show the product and service and how they use it themselves in the hopes that others will go out and purchase the product.
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(Greene, 2023)
This is an example of a post demonstrating how the influencer executes everything in promoting the product. His message connects with the fans because he brings in his little boy, who is happily eating the product. It is a Sunday morning, and his followers can relate to this message of feeding their kids a leisurely, healthy breakfast. He tells them about how good this product is, and because of this, people are willing to purchase these pancakes and know that they are getting something healthy for their family that everyone will like. This is one of several posts done by this influencer. He did a podcast, shared another short video, and even provided a discount code. As a result, I was willing to try these products for the first time and discovered they were better and more versatile than I initially thought.
As companies reach out to potential influencers to market their products, the company must do its research. “If our message does not fall into this category, either the influencer will have no interest in spreading the idea or the message will be broadcast to an irrelevant or unresponsive audience” (Dean, n.d.). I have experienced this in my work as a blogger. A company will reach out to me to review something that I know will not resonate with my audience, and if I am savvy, I will turn down the product. However, there have been times I did accept the product, and no matter how engaging my post was, no one was interested. Not only did the company lose out, but it potentially impacted my following since the post was irrelevant. It is critical that companies understand their target audience and whether the social media influencer can reach that particular audience in their campaigns.
Another thing to consider is the image of the brand and the influencer. “A brand must be sure the influencer’s content aligns with their overall image” (Council, 2018). For example, suppose the company is perceived as family-friendly and reaches out to an influencer who posts offensive content that does not align with that image. In that case, it may hinder both the brand and the influencer. “This is especially important when working with young influencers who may lack maturity and professionalism” (Council, 2018).
It is also imperative that trust exists between the influencer and his followers and between the influencer and the brand. If a company wants to reach its audience, it must provide influencers “with relevant and timely information and to message [sic] that can be shared in a clear and simple manner. It is these types of messages that can work to shape opinions, which is our ultimate goal” (Dean, n.d.). If the company is not vigilant in doing its research nor providing appropriate products and clear messages for the posts, it risks harming its brand. Moreover, if a company does not take things like this seriously, word will reach others on the world wide web, and other influencers may decide not to work with the company. Furthermore, if the influencer does not take their role seriously and do what they have agreed to, they will lose credence with their audience and other potential companies.
Social media influencers are all the rage in this digital age, and many make the decision that this is an effortless way to make money. It seems lucrative initially, but as Kim Kardashian says, “There are pitfalls, lack of privacy, loss of privacy and that might not be for everyone” (Whitaker, 2016). “There are currently between 3.2 million and 37.8 million global influencers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube” (Campbell, 2023). This trend continues to grow, and it is an essential marketing tool that every company should attempt to leverage in some way, no matter how small the company is. It gets results. “Omnicore reports that 69% of marketers in the United States alone plan to spend the largest portion of their marketing budget on Instagram influencer marketing” (Campbell, 2023).
References
Campbell, S. (2023, April 13). How Many Influencers Are There On Instagram In 2023? The Small Business Blog. Retrieved June 11, 2023, from https://thesmallbusinessblog.net/how-many-influencers-are-there-on-instagram/
Council, Y. E. (2018, July 30). Understanding Influencer Marketing And Why It Is So Effective. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/07/30/understanding-influencer-marketing-and-why-it-is-so-effective/?sh=3f1f415171a9
Dean, K. (n.d.). The Role of Social Media Influencers. Manobyte. Retrieved June 11, 2023, from https://www.manobyte.com/growth-strategy/the-role-of-social-media-influencers
Geyser, W. (2023). What is an Influencer? ā Social Media Influencers Defined [Updated 2023]. Influencer Marketing Hub. https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-an-influencer/
Greene, P [@paulgreeneofficial] (2023, March 12). Austin’s absolute fav Breckieā¦ superfood healing delicious pancakes. Link in Bio.[Instagram video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpsmY4rJ6nY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Greenfield, B [@bengreenfieldfitness] (2023, May 19). I had a phenomenal time celebrating the Great Curious Cocktail Party [Instagram video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CscO1hkOG8r/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Hechtman, R [@soberincentralpark] (2017, February 12). GIVEAWAY:: Thanks to our friends YOGABODY Naturals , we’re giving away an orange Yoga Trapeze to one lucky Ben Greenfield Fitness follower! [Instagram photo]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BQbUKpkA2bA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
How to Develop an Effective Influencer Marketing Strategy. (n.d.). Brandwatch. https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/influencer-marketing-strategy/
Kirschman, L. (2022, October 19). These factors have the biggest impact on influencer marketing effectiveness. UW News. https://www.washington.edu/news/2022/10/19/these-factors-have-the-biggest-impact-on-influencer-marketing-effectiveness/
McGinley, C. (2022, September 15). Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist & Template. HubSpot. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/influencer-marketing-power
Walker, A [@awalkk35]. (2023, April 30). These tasty, No-Bake @envyapples Donuts are the perfect treat to celebrate Mother’s Day [Instagram video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crq2POtgrKg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Whitaker, B. (2016, December 14). The Influencers. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-kim-kardashian-logan-paul-social-media-influencers/
