Being an influencer today is the dream of any teenager. In fact, it is also true of any adult because they see it as a simple job, which can be done from home and does not involve much effort (when the reality is different). Since social media became fashionable, this figure emerged and influencer marketing did too.
But, unlike others, this one is not so well known. Therefore, today we are going to talk to you about everything what you should know about influencer marketing and what can help you to stand out among the many who are trying to be representative figures in the sector to which they are dedicated. Shall we start?
What is influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is something very current. It is a marketing strategy that is focused on getting a collaboration from a person who has influence (because many people follow him, he is a protagonist on the Internet or, in other words, he is an influencer; and a company or brand.
This influencer is characterized by having a personality that attracts thousands of followers on social networks, in such a way that he becomes a representative figure in his sector, and everything he says or does is relevant to those "fans" who even imitate him. In this way, the fact that that person collaborates with a brand or company can provoke positive reactions, for example increasing visits to the website, increasing followers, improving the reputation of the brand or increasing its sales.
Actually, this marketing strategy, unlike others, is not "linear" as it depends on current trends and changes. Therefore, it is said that it is completely changeable and that it must be adjusted in the short term to be successful.
Things to know about influencer marketing
Taking into account that this technique is very novel and that the figure of the influencer is also changing (one day you are at the top and the next the followers may abandon you for any reason), the truth is that proposing a strategy is not easy.
In addition, you must take into account certain aspects that we comment on below.
About influencers
Influencers are people who move "masses", that is to say, what they say or do is something that those who follow them believe. For this reason, the collaborations they have with companies and brands are usually because they really share the values with them. Although we are not going to deceive you, there are others who are "sold" to these companies. However, when that happens, the followers themselves come to "punish" the influencers.
The ultimate goal of an influencer is to make money. Therefore, any collaboration you make with a company (almost 100%) is paid. Although many companies and brands prefer that the payment be in another way (with products, discounts ...). But the ones that really work are for which you receive money since, in some way, what you do is pay for the work of that influencer to develop content focused on the company or brand.
A negative aspect of influencers is that, many times, you cannot get to know how many of those followers are real. And it is that the purchase of followers is so simple that it can be done in just 5 minutes, raising your account from 0 to 2000, 20000, or 200000 in a matter of hours. But does that really make you an influencer? In visual terms, yes, but there are other aspects to consider such as that they like the publications, that there are comments (consistent with the text or video that has been posted), that they talk about him or her in other media (blogs , news, social networks ...).
About the influencers' communication channels
There are many social networks. And believe it or not, many more are born each year. The problem is that these do not usually work and end up disappearing in the same way that they were born: without anyone knowing. But, of all of them, there are some that the influencers themselves see as "better." In this case, we are talking about two in particular: Instagram and TikTok.
And what about Youtube? If you have been following influencers for a while, you will know that the vast majority of those who are more established (especially video games) were born on YouTube. However, now it is not so "fashionable". In fact, this has been replaced by Twitch, which is where many now try to create a name for themselves and above all a legion of followers, and not only in video games, but the music sector is also very present in this social network.
Thus, we could say that the main platforms for influencers are these. The best for the influencers themselves, especially since it is easier to interact with the followers, is Instagram. In addition, the fact that there are several functions available to collaborate with brands (posts on the profile, Stories, IGTV, videos ... allows you to offer different options.
About advertising brands and companies
Finally, we are going to tell you about influencer marketing based on brands and companies. And it is that more and more companies are looking at influencers in order to reach users and that their company or product is known (and that it obtains a better reputation). For this reason, it is common for companies to start spending part of their advertising budget on "hiring" these personalities.
Why? Well, because that type of marketing, together with SEO and ads on social networks, is giving better and better results. It does not mean that you have to put aside other channels and other marketing (for example through email), but that you act where, right now, it is easier to reach potential consumers and customers.
Of course, not just any influencers. One of the first premises of influencer marketing for a company is the fact that it must choose people who are relevant to its sector. In other words, they are related. For example, if you have a video game company, you will choose video game influencers, you will not go to those representative of beauty, since your target (or target audience) is not there.