Blog #8: Online Influencers

 No one can ignore or deny the fact that—especially in America—social media has overtaken many parts of our daily life and changed the world as we know it.

Personally, I grew up watching influencers on YouTube all the time— mainly "vloggers" who would post videos detailing their day-to-day life. They made even the mundane parts of their routine interesting to watch, and their regularly uploaded content kept me engaged. I truly felt connected to them.

Areas that have been most affected by the rise of social media include business, marketing, and sales. Along with social media’s overwhelming presence, online/social media influencers have emerged. According to Kate Shee with Forbes, “influencer culture has official taken over the world."

What are social media influencers? New York Times Best Selling Author Neil Patel says an influencer is “Any person who influences the behavior of others.” But when we are thinking from a marketing perspective, and influencer is “an individual who collaborates with brands to promote products or services to their audience.”

Going back to my own personal example, that connection I felt to those Youtubers is a common experience that many people can relate to. Along with that connection comes a sense of authenticity and trust. Once brands became aware of this trust, they started to use it to their advantage. Hence, influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing is an effective social media marketing strategy in which a company pays an online influencer to endorse their product. Some influencers simply charge a flat rate while others will want an affiliate commission rate. This means they will get a percentage of every sale they influence.

In utilizing influencer marketing, the product being promoted—and the brand in general—is gaining the attention of a large group of people—many of which would never have heard of the product had it not been for that influencer.

The awareness of that particular product leads to an increase in sales for that company. Neil Patel says that today, companies set aside about 40% of their budget to be used for influencer marketing, which just goes to show how successful these companies have found influencer marketing to be.

So, who are these influencers and how did they come about? Some social media influencers were just ordinary people who rose to fame online due to their talent and/or personalities that have helped them stick out online. Examples include Charli D’amelio who gained popularity through her dancing and relatability. Mr. Beast, on the other hand, found success through his entertaining personality, creative video concepts, and philanthropy projects.

Some online influencers got their start on social media because they or someone they were connected to were already famous. For example, Olivia Jade was able to amass followers in large part because her mom Lori Loughlin was in Full House. Lauren Conrad gained online fame because she stared in the shows The Hills and Laguna Beach.

Lauren Conrad

Neil Patel divides online influencers into 5 categories: mega influencers, who have over one million followers, macro influencers, who have between 500,000 and one million followers, mid-tier influencers, who have between 50,000 and 500,000 followers, micro influencers, who have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers, and finally, nano influencers, who have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers.

It is common for these mega influencers to charge $100,000 for a singular post, so companies must be smart and strategic when it comes to how and when they partner with these influencers. Micro and nano influencers--who have smaller audiences--often have more engagement and loyalty with their followers. This can be helpful in creating that authentic trust between a company, and influencer, and an audience.

It would be foolish for companies to not see the potential for growth that comes with partnering with online influencers. They must be strategic in their social media marketing endeavors.