How are influencers changing the game for social media marketers?

The rise of social media influencers has meant that individuals and groups have been able to establish large followings across various social media platforms, even exceeding that of many well-known brands and organisations. Many influencers have been able to establish their own communities and audiences through creating original content online which resonates with specific audiences whether it be through videos, gaming, clothing, reality TV, sports, modelling and many more.

How do influencers benefits marketers?

Influencers allow brands access to large and highly targeted audiences, new markets and communities across multiple channels through partnering and running campaigns with an influencer focus. For example, you’ve all seen influencers on Instagram promoting different products and services through Instagram Stories, Posts and Reels which often provide a trackable link which redirects customers to the brands online store to buy said product or service. In a recent Shopify article it explains that “Consumers trust influencers’ recommendations (61%) compared to a brand’s social media account’s recommendations (38%)”.

What types of influencers are there?

Choosing the right type of influencer for your brand is important and it can be tricky to pick the right combination of influencers to maximise potential reach and conversions. There are four types of influencer which are categorised by the number of followers they have:

· Nano influencers (1K – 10K followers)

· Micro-influencers (10K-100K followers)

· Macro influencers (100K – 1M followers)

· Mega influencer (1M+ followers)

How much do influencers get paid?

Depending on the amount of followers you have and the engagement rate of your followers, the amount you can make per post can be drastically different across platforms and market niches, however many smaller influencers are still able to make a living from posting smaller branded content without having 1M+ followers on your account. For example across the entirety of 2021, well known footballer Cristiano Ronaldo managed to rake in a whopping $85M from Instagram alone from posts, stories, promotions and brand deals.

How are influencers changing the game?

Influencers now have the power to suede public opinion and the opinion of their audience to help drive new trends which is hugely important for brands and businesses trying to tap into new markets and get their products front of mind in a positive way. The question is, will there be a reliance on influencers moving forward over other forms of advertising and marketing or will it only strengthen their presence as social media platforms adapt and ultimately change overtime. It is also important to think about potential negative implications of working with certain influencers and the partnership between your brand and them is as public as it gets and any wrong doing or negative actions taken on the influencer’s behalf can negatively effect brands.

Brands need to be able to pick the right combination of influencers which suit their brand, values, ethos and also that positively pioneer your brand online helping to the overall goals of the business, thus creating a perfect working relationship with a range of influencers