We’re living in the era of Social Media Influencers. Now, not all influencers are celebrities but they might seem like it with the attention they receive. Some were regular people till they discovered a platform, and used it to effectively promote their talent. An influencer’s opinion can make or break a brand. This is because people trust people more than corporations. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has 281 million followers on Instagram, one of the first people to reach the 200 million followers mark. At any point in time whether Ronaldo is playing football, hanging out with his family, or generally being himself, there are at least a million people who are interested in him at any point. He is still a celebrity. There are many other people who have amassed a huge number of followers by simply churning out good content, advice, opinions, assistance, or anything else, on products, services, etc. . But it hasn’t been smooth sailing always. Let’s find out the role of Social Media Influencers during these times.
What Impact do Social Media Influencers have?
There have been instances of influencers being accused of getting unnecessary free merchandise for doing effectively very little work. So, how has the influencer phenomenon come along? We look at the three most prominent platforms where they’re found, and understand their role better. Lets dive in!
Instagram started off as a simple photo-sharing platform, as people thought Facebook was slowly getting saturated and boring and consumers were also tired of companies pushing products and services down their throats using ads. As a result, Instagram emerged to bridge the gap between the two.
According to the Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report, the influencer industry is projected to grow to $13.8 billion in 2021. The same report says that finding influencers may still be a challenge, but it isn’t as big of a problem as it used to be. Instagram influencers like those on other platforms have pre-established credibility and audience and are in a position to persuade others with their authenticity.
Fashion accounts for around 25% of brand interactions on Instagram. The U.S. has the most active Instagram users, with 140 million people using the platform. On Instagram, the role of the influencer is usually limited to the way their content looks. Since Instagram is a platform where beauty is given a lot of emphasis, influencers on this platform spend a lot of time curating the perfect ‘look’. Food, fashion, lifestyle, and fitness influencers effectively use this platform to attract followers and find work with brands.
One very well-known Instagram food blog in the U.S. is by Tieghan Gerard, with 2.9 million followers. In the fashion and glamour world, the Kardashian family is known to reap the most benefits off the platform, with two of its family members being among the top 10 celebrities who get paid the most for an Instagram post. Interestingly, data from this study notes that on Instagram, there is a preference for micro-influencers. These are people who have less than 15,000 followers, showing that people may not trust celebrities as much as they trust other influencers. Granted, they might follow a celebrity page, but they may not necessarily purchase the product that the person is endorsing.
YouTube
On YouTube, influencers dish out long-form content. A lot of influencers are product specialists, experts in their field. They may be moto vloggers, healthcare experts, chefs, photographers, musicians, and more. Influencers on YouTube often help people learn skills from their channel. Since YouTube is a free instructional goldmine, influencers take advantage of this to become credible voices of authority.
A channel on YouTube with over 13.5 million subscribers, Linus Tech Tips, is a great hub of information on anything related to tech. The channel has been described as a “passionate team of ‘professionally curious’ experts in consumer technology” And is designed to educate people through product videos, PC builds, and other tech projects. Globally, PewDiePie remains the biggest YouTuber, with 110 million followers. Named Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, this Swede focused on video game commentaries early in his career and grew his channel steadily. In May 2020, YouTube signed an exclusive deal with him and other big content creators who were being lured by other popular streaming platforms like Twitch. YouTube is a great platform to research what you’re interested in and the word of an influencer can go a long way in helping you make a purchasing decision.
Snapchat
Lurking around in the background, but quickly gaining prominence due to its immense popularity with Gen Z, Snapchat’s unique features have had influencers jumping on the platform and amassing followers. Snapchat has community-built augmented reality filters that are available to the public. Brands also work with Snapchat influencers to create campaigns. There is one advantage that Snapchat has that other platforms do not. Users have to manually enter their handles to view the content. Hence any influencer campaign on Snapchat usually has high levels of conversion as users are committed to watching and engaging with the accounts they follow on a daily basis. And because of the high rate of interaction and conversion, the potential of the platform for influencers, brands, and consumers is only increasing.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, while the approach and objectives of influencers on different platforms might vary, what is common is their goal, and that is to influence the consumer or viewer into making a choice. For instance, if you’re looking for a new laptop, you’d rather watch a review video on YouTube than reading and research. A voice of authority explaining something is subconsciously more trustworthy. The influencer marketing industry is looking to be a 15 billion dollar industry by 2021-22, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Social media is a fertile breeding ground for good ideas and content. Read this article on how to use it effectively to promote your own platform.
