What is an influencer?
Influencer is a term that has gained a whole new concept in the last few years. In fact, the word was only added to the English dictionary in 2019. Since then, we have seen the rise of influencers throughout social media channels and on TV. So, what can actually define as an influencer?
An individual/group that influences the behaviour of others and has the power to effect purchasing decisions of a group of people due to their status, relationship, knowledge, authority and position with their audience.
Already many businesses worldwide are starting to utilise influencer marketing into their strategies. Particularly through social media as this has caused a power shift of influencers causing purchasing decisions compared to celebrities. 70% of teens trust influencers more than traditional celebrities . Influencers have built a reputation for themselves through social media, this makes them more trustworthy in comparison to celebrities as they are “normal people”.
The rise of influencer marketing is growing each year, this guide will tell you everything you need to know and how you can utilise influencer marketing into your business strategy.
History of Influencers
The term influencers is a fairly new word, however, the concept of influencers has been going around for generations. Sponsoring products to a market and be an influential person is not a new thing, but due to the ever changing digital world influencers have a new power to impact purchasing decisions.
Here is a brief timeline of some influencers over the years:
264 BC: Roman Gladiators would endorse brands, promoting products such as olive oil to influence their audience and their purchase decisions
1760: Wedgwood created a tea set for King George III and his wife, using this to his advantage he promoted it as Queensware stating it had been “Royal Approved”
15th Century: “Royal Warrant of Appointments” from the Queen labelled on different products
1920: Coca Cola use Santa Claus to endorse their soft drinks, making this a family product for all to drink
1984: Nike uses celebrity endorsements to promote their products through running, a key part of Nike becoming an established brand
2019: Influencer added to the English Dictionary
Influencer Marketing Statistics
- Influencer Marketing Is the Fastest-Growing Online Customer-Acquisition Method
- Campaigns Earn $6.50 for Every Dollar Spent
- Influencer Marketing Industry is Expected to Hit $10bn by 2020
- 71% of Marketers Believe Influencer Partnerships are Good for Business
- Instagram ranks #1 for the most important and impactful channel
Types of Influencers
Influencers are even starting to fall into sub categories now, below, see some of the new terminology on different types of influencers:
Mega: Usually have over a million followers, this is the influencer with the closest link to celebrities.
Macro: Between 100,000 and a million followers.
Micro: 1000-100,000 followers.
Nano: Less than 1000 followers, targeting a much smaller, specific niche.
Goals of Influencer Marketing
Brand Awareness: Promoting your brand to those who don’t know about your brand, or using influencers to increase your brand’s reputation.
New Audiences: Promoting your business/products to new audiences, different influencers have different niches, businesses can use this to their advantage.
Generate Sales: Promote products/services to persuade consumers to directly buy your products through endorsement.
How to find influencers for your brand
There are various ways of contacting influencers to promote your brand:
Cold Messaging: Directly message influencers via their social media channels asking to work/collaborate with them. This is a common method of reaching influencers.
Influencing Websites: Websites have been setup which allow you to directly contact influencers for a fee. Influencers advertise their services and businesses can reach out to them, directly buying their services. For example; You can pay for one Instagram post promoting your brand/product.
Should you use influencer marketing for your business?
Overall, we can see that influencing is definitely not a new concept. Instead, it is a new way to define promoting products and influencing opinions of consumers specifically through social media. Influencers are different to celebrities and are often positioned to be normal people, making them more trustworthy and reliable. The power of influencer marketing is not one to ignore and if you think there are opportunities for your brand using this method, do not hesitate to get in touch.
