What’s Influencer Marketing? The New Way to Boost Your Business

The future is here! Forget about the olden days of commercials and billboards. Those days have come and gone. A new day and age are here and as we as humans develop and change, so does the media we consume. Social media has opened new doors when it comes to marketing. Influencer marketing is the new way of advertising.

What’s an Influencer?

Influencers are people with large followings online. They are often compared to celebrities and can be considered in their own right, but do not share the same universal recognition. In other words, they are people who are still afforded the freedom of being everyday regular people. But make no mistake, Influencers still have something to offer to have gained their audience. Think of it as an exchange. Influencers produce good content (ex: photos) in exchange for a like, comment, share, or follow.

What is good content?/ What makes good content/What makes an influencer popular?

Not all content is good content. What is good content, you ask? What makes a song catchy? What makes a movie good? The same way we like music and other forms of media we like social content. Content must be attractive, eye-catching, interesting, and or relevant. How do they do that, you ask? Often the answer is igniting a conversation with a question, good lighting, a filter, and a hashtag or two.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is when businesses collaborate with an Influencer. Influencer posts are derivatives of celebrity endorsements, but on free social platforms instead of traditional media. Today advertising aims to be inclusive, and with that, everyone is encouraged to be a part of the conversation, not just the rich and famous. Influencers being everyday people who are encouraged and even paid to produce content. The main difference is that traditional media calls for a whole team to come together to photograph, dress, and a model and Influencers are all those roles combined. When a business collaborates with an Influencer there is typically something given in exchange for a post. Depending on the size of an influencer’s following and preferences the form of payment can be simply the product that the business offers for free or financial compensation.

How does Influencer marketing work?

Influencer marketing is built on the basis of a person following an account in exchange for more of the same. The appeal to content creators vs a big celebrity is that most people trust an Influencer’s opinion because of their developed relationship in following them. Followers feel more inclined to try a product that has been recommended to them by a person they trust over a celebrity. Not to mention it is more affordable to attain a local influencer over a rich celeb. 

Types of Influencers

All influencers have one thing in common: An active and loyal following. With the internet being easily accessible to anyone with a device and internet connection, new variations to ingest media are bound to come with it. With the internet’s easy ability to adapt and the inclusivity of its nature, everyone has the ability to find their specific niche.  

Youtubers and Vloggers make videos. There are several variations of this type of content creator as so much detail can be covered in a minute-long video. Videos typically require an audience member to watch and listen and ask for a bit more attention because of this. Some extremely popular types of videos include ASMR and Mukbangs, which are also sometimes combined. ASMR stands for Autonomous sensory meridian response which means users feel stimulated in listening to sounds elevated by a microphone. Mukbangs pertain more visually, as it focuses on a person eating any given food.

Streamers can be compared to Youtubers but have definitive differences. The main difference is that streaming is fully live with an interactive audience. Youtube videos are posted first then allow viewers to react after all is said and done. Streamers tend to have regular times set to stream. This allows users to interact with them at an expected time weekly or even daily.

Podcasters completely take the visual element out of the equation in favor of focusing solely on the auditory. Podcasters are targeting more users on the go. Most users opting to listen while driving or multitasking, similar to music. Podcasters typically tend to focus on one topic or segment. Segments being the allotted time that a subject is spoken on.

Bloggers write blogs. Although still popular today, their peak was at the beginning of the social media era, and is thus harder to achieve an audience organically. Most Bloggers utilize Instagram and other platforms to encourage followers to access their website. Blogs tend to be more casual as they can almost be considered as a public diary because of the personalization that a blog can have.

Instagram Models are a special type of influencer. If staying on Instagram creators can make money just by mentioning a product in a post. Most creators tend to have Instagram in addition to other content accounts, most users utilize Instagram to promote those projects or products on other platforms.

Influencers by size

Influencers are categorized by the size of their following. Depending on a business’ strategy, influencers of various followings could be needed for different purposes and goals. Nano influencers are the smallest of the influencer bunch. They have yet to break over 10k followers. Micro-influencers are over 10k under 50k followers. Macro-Influencers are yet to reach a million followers and Mega-Influencers have broken the 1M achievement

However you feel about Influencers, it is clear we are in a new realm of marketing that is not too far removed from its predecessors. The power of smartphones has made this possible, all you need is wrapped up in a compact little computer that fits in your pocket. Consider doing research in following local influencers around your area. Having locals share your photos  A simple shoutout can be the difference in gaining a new branch of customers.