In the modern world, influencers are one of the key players that define the consumers’ behavior and trends. But who is an influencer exactly?
Influencer is a person who can influence people's decisions i.e. it can be purchasing behavior or the perception of others because of their knowledge, position or popularity. Such people usually have a strong engaging audience on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or blogs, among others.
It can be concluded that influencers are people who create content and use their accounts to express their views and opinions to their followers. In contrast to ordinary celebrities, influencers gain popularity through their knowledge or just people’s ability to connect with them. Their strength is in the fact that they are real and can directly relate to the feelings of the audience. They are considered to be more credible than traditional advertising techniques as they seem more authentic, they post about their personal experience and suggestions.
According to the Aspire.io survey, 63% of marketers believe that influencer-generated content is more effective than other branded content. Furthermore, the thing that sets influencers apart is the relationship they have with their followers, which is usually established through entertaining and familiar content. This particular position makes them influential in shaping opinions and decisions, which makes them valuable allies for brands targeting specific audiences.
For instance, James Charles, a beauty influencer, gained his fame through the makeup tutorial videos shared on YouTube. He made very detailed reviews and created entertaining content that enabled him to gain a huge audience and become sort of a leading authority on beauty products. He has a commanding influence that a single post from him can cause an increase in the sales of a brand.
So, what does an influencer do on a daily basis?
Influencers are people who post content that is relevant to their audience on a regular basis. Their content could be anything right from beauty videos, fitness tips, technology reviews, lifestyle videos and even fashion shopping videos. They employ brands to promote their products or services but at the same time, they would wish that they engage their followers through frequent and real posts.
Influencers act as intermediaries between the companies and the consumers and provide recommendations that are more believable than the commercials. Moreover, the Influencer Marketing Industry is expected to reach up to $24 billion by the end of the year 2024.
For example, fitness blogger Kayla Itsines shares workout routines and advertises fitness equipment and other health and fitness products. Her suggestions, combined with her real fitness knowledge, help to build credibility among her viewers, which results in increased attention to the products and, ultimately, sales.
Everyone wants to be an influencer but this is not an easy thing it requires time and most importantly strategy. As per the estimates of 2024, it is predicted that 14.5% of brands will be spending more than $500,000 on influencer marketing.
Let’s learn how one can become an influencer:
The first step that any person who would like to become an influencer should do is to identify a specific niche that they have interest in. If you are interested in fashion, fitness, travel, or technology, then it will be easier to attract like-minded individuals. It is advisable to select your niche from what you are passionate about and have adequate knowledge about since it sets you apart from the rest of the world. This will help you to be in a position to develop good contents that are standard in the long run.
Your personal brand is the persona you create on the social media platforms or the image that you present online. This ranges from your visuals (for instance, the appearance of your Instagram page or YouTube channel thumbnails) to the way you speak. This will help potential followers to identify you easily since you will have a well-built and well-maintained personal brand. Make sure your content is you and what you stand for as this will draw like minded people.
Consistency is key. Another key consideration when becoming an influencer is that one has to post good content often that will be of interest to the targeted followers. First, find out what your audience likes and then give them that in the form of value. Regardless of whether it is informative, entertaining or inspirational, the content has to be something that the followers are looking forward to interacting with.
That is why, to create a fan base, one has to be interested in the audience. It should be more interactive to the readers, reply to the comments, and ask questions in the post that you are writing. This two-way communication makes the followers feel important and therefore continue engaging in the process. Over time, this kind of relationship develops trust, which is very crucial when it comes to making their decisions.
It is also advisable to work with other influencers since it will assist in reaching out to other people. It is effective in reaching out to their target market and getting more followers and likes while collaborating with influencers in their industry. It also declares to the world that you are a competitor to reckon with in your niche of operation which goes a long way in boosting your profile.
The most important thing that one has to embrace in order to become an influencer is the fact that one needs to be real. The audience is always able to differentiate between a post that is written in good faith and a post that is simply an advert. In other words, the best way to make people listen to you is to be yourself no matter whether you are selling a product or just narrating a story. Being real is about establishing credibility and credibility is the key to persuasion.
Now, let’s learn about how many types of influencers are present!
There are different types of influencers based on their follower count
These influencers have a relatively small audience but the audience is usually very loyal.
Micro influencers target a particular niche such as fitness or beauty and are usually well engaged with their followers.
Although the number of followers in macro influencers’ accounts is greater, their interaction can be higher or lower than micro influencers.
Micro influencers are those with a small number of followers but these are highly active while on the other hand, macro influencers are those with a huge following but the followers may not be very active.
When brands are interested in working with influencers, the issue of how to find influencers may seem quite complex. Here’s how to go about it:
It is very important to understand who your audience is before you start looking for influencers. That means the influencers you collaborate with must be suited to the group of people that you want to target. Understanding your target audience whether it is the millennials, parents, fitness lovers or the technical professionals assists in the identification of the right influencer.
There are numerous Influencer marketing agencies which are developed to act as an intermediary between brands and influencers. They enable you to filter influencers by niche, geo-location, engagement rate and follower count. These platforms prove useful since they can supply data on the audience or the performance of posts, making it convenient to locate influencers that are perfect for your brand.
It is as efficient as using a platform to do a manual search on social media. Look for the hashtags related to your industry or product and find out which influencers are popular. Engaged audience and quality content that is in line with your brand’s ethos should be your main focus.
Do not be obsessed with the number of followers. It is the high rates of engagement that are important. Check the number of likes, comments, and shares that influencers have to know their followers’ level of engagement. Try not to follow influencers with millions of followers but very few likes and comments, they might be fake followers bought. You want influencers that have a good relationship with their followers even if they may not be as many as others.
The next important thing to consider is how to work with influencers especially after identifying the right ones to work with. The key to a good influencer partnership is understanding and respect of each other’s needs. Here’s how to get the most out of your collaborations:
When identifying the influencers to collaborate with, you need to know what you hope to gain from the partnership. What do you want to achieve by promoting your brand; do you want more brand recognition, more sales or more engagement? This means that having a clear goal will assist you and the influencer in setting up the right expectations and the right way to measure success.
Compensation is one of the most crucial factors that must be considered when working with an influencer. While some influencers will accept free products, others especially those who have a large number of followers are likely to require to be paid. It is very important that both parties define the terms of their relationship from the very beginning. This may be in the form of fixed charges, sales commissions or barter basis of products depending on the size and type of campaign.
However, do not forget to convey your brand message, at the same time, let the influencers be creative to come up with content that their followers will appreciate. After all, they know their followers best, and it is for this reason that they will always find ways of getting their message through. Telling them some rules but letting them be themselves will help to create a more effective content that will not look like it has been forced into creation.
In order to understand whether your collaboration has been effective, it is necessary to monitor the key performance indicators such as interaction rate, coverage, and profitability. These include metrics such as the engagement rate of posts and stories, follower growth, and demographics of the influencer’s audience. It helps in understanding the future campaigns in a better way if the data is analyzed.
Influencers have now become a staple in the modern day marketing strategies. If you are learning how to become an influencer or a brand that is trying to understand how to find influencers to work with, it is evident that influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways of reaching your target market.
In the current society where consumers are looking for more personalized relationships with brands, influencers provide a more direct and credible link between the brands and the consumers. Therefore, the cooperation with influencers is not only about the growth of the brand’s popularity but also about the creation of a stronger connection between brands and the target audiences, which is the key to success in the digital space.