Bloggers, Vloggers & Social: Why use Influencer Marketing?
The world of marketing has rocketed in engagement in the past few years. 5 years ago, the use of social media was on a completely different scale to what is it today. The number of users has dramatically increased, with over half of the world population now actively using social media. This has lead to the popularity of bloggers, vloggers and social media stars and the huge increase of influencer marketing.
Due to the rapid increase, companies have had to adapt quickly to reach customers in this new landscape. Different social media platforms bring different trends and different audiences. This means that companies have to understand marketing on each individual platform before they do it.
Has the industry always been in full force?
There is one group that has had its a fair share of knockbacks and career endings but has found itself at the very top of the inbound marketing pile: influencers. Although the demand for working with them has both risen and fallen in the last 5 years, it has never been completely lost. Many companies found it better to work alongside celebrities due to celebrity endorsement they would receive. But, as you will read, that isn’t always the case.
Using influencers in your marketing strategy can often seem scary and expensive, with no guarantee of success. So, are they still a good idea?
Understanding Influencer marketing?
Influencer Marketing is when an influencer promotes company products to hopefully result in an increase in sales. The reason companies like to use influencers and celebrities is because of their large followings and loyal ‘fans’ who are always interested in what they are doing and why.
What is an Influencer?
There are different. tiers of influencers in the industry which categorises each individual person or group with their amount of followers. From 1,000 all the way to over 1,000,000, anyone can be grouped as an influencer and grow their followings to move from tier to tier. As followed are the tiers which make you separate from other influencers:
- Mega Influencers – 1,000,000+ followers
- Macro Influencers – 500,000 – 1,000,000 followers
- Mid-tier Influencers – 50,000 – 500,000 followers
- Micro Influencers – 10,000 – 50,000 followers
- Nano Influencers – 1,000 – 10,000 followers
Despite the amount, influencers can come from a wide range of places. Any person, group, brand, or place could potentially be an influencer. But becoming an influencer doesn’t always just mean having a large following. It also means, having loyal followers, a certain percentage of engagement and many other aspects. This is because the last thing a company wants is to pay an ‘influencer’ to promote their products when they have little engagement as the company wouldn’t gain anything from it.
Who can be an Influencer?
Although besides just being promoted by someone who has followers, a product will usually get a celebrity endorsement. So, when someone thinks of a product they will link it to the celebrity who promoted it. This form of marketing is unique because it appeals to the needs of the influencer rather than the customer.
Influencers are not all the same. Yes, when you think of a huge influencer, you might think of TV stars, artists, footballers, actors etc. But, they are not the only type which makes it to the top of the biggest influencers list.
1. The ‘Blogger’
Similarly to any other influencer, bloggers put their lives on the internet. Whether this is using social media or their blogs. Depending on their blog topic, they will be giving their opinions, using their own photographs and writing the content themselves. This gives their audiences a sense of trust which they are able to relate to. Some bloggers like to cover a vast majority of different topics, this could be all the way from fashion to travel. Whereas others like to focus on one topic in particular.
Should I work with a blogger?
Bloggers stand out from other influencers as they use their websites (also known as blogs). Some influencers like footballers, gamers or even singers probably won’t have a blog where they give their opinions. Therefore if you are wanting a product promoting, it is easy for them to give an honest, detailed explanation and review due to the way they promote. Whereas other influencers like Instagram stars will have a different technique.
2. The ‘Vlogger’
Vloggers post to multiple social media platforms. Some use IGTV, Facebook, Vimeo. But, despite the number of possible sites to publish on, the most common is YouTube. YouTube is a platform which allows creators to publish videos to its website. It shares a service where users can watch, like, share, comment and upload their own videos.
Should I work with a vlogger?
As already heavily hinted, vloggers are very good at showcasing physical products, as they are able to show themselves actually using them, as well as their results. A brand looking to launch a new product, particularly one that fits into a popular vlogging genre (e.g. beauty, travel, food) would do well to dive into the pool of video content stars to do so.
3. The ‘Social Star’
Although they might have not risen to fame for their specific talent to sing or their ability to play sport, that doesn’t mean they have no talent. There are a lot of celebrities out there which have risen to fame overnight due to the power of social media for various different reasons. As well as this, some social media stars actually have a larger engagement rate and bigger following than some worldwide stars have. This is better for the brands which they work alongside.
Should I work with a social star?
Where social influencers come into their own, however, is brand reputation. If you are concerned with getting your brand actively talked about and showcased to a wide audience, a social influencer can provide you with staggering exposure. The influencer will be able to advise on how best to do so.
Why is Influencer Marketing good for companies?
Sometimes, people see major celebrities as something other than humans who are living a normal lifestyle. Therefore might not be swayed by what they chose to do or chose to wear. Whereas, more people see influencers as people. This is the key point of influencer marketing.
Reality is one of the main factors which separates celebrities and influencers. As people tend to spend more time on social media platforms that going to shows and concerts, they tend to see more influencers and their day to day lives, almost giving them something to relate too. This allows society to get to know them on a more personal level and therefore helps them to gain trust. This means that people in society are more likely to buy things which are promoted by an influencer they trust than a celebrity they know very little about.
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