This is the story all about how
Influencer marketing got flipped, turned upside down.
We’d like to take a minute, just sit right there…
Annnnd… we’ll tell you how the 2019 influencer is taking the throne in the marketing industry, all while yelling “yo homes, smell ya later.”
Over the past 10 years, social media has taken marketing on an unpredictable, whirlwind ride, introducing a plethora of new platforms and avenues through which to reach consumers. The most notable, effective and game-changing of these introductions: social media influencers. Brands, meet influencers. Influencers, meet brands. The rest is recent history.
In the early 2000s, while we were all chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool on Tumblr, no one knew what the term “social media influencer” meant, and that’s ok because it wasn’t something that anyone actually said. Most internet personalities were bloggers who wrote “internet diaries” that were more entertainment than a source of information or recommendations. Sometime down the line, Facebook and Instagram started makin’ trouble in the neighborhood, beating out the OG platforms like MySpace, and jumpstarting the evolution of social media, altogether. Eventually, blogger and influencer became synonymous, with each sporting multiple social accounts filled with product ads and niche expertise targeted to their followers.
But what is an influencer?
Today, many people don’t know what the term “influencer” means because it is continually evolving. A quick Google search says an influencer is “one who exerts influence : a person who inspires or guides the actions of others.” That’s simple enough, but when you think of “influencer” in the context of a career or marketing opportunity, that opens a whole ‘nother set of browser tabs.
Social media influencers have a confusing, three-fold reputation. In marketing, they are the do-all, end-all, the bee’s knees, the winning strategy (if you don’t agree, you’re not doing it right. Let us help you). In business, they’re underestimated, misunderstood and judged for being “internet famous” and not earning their success. (Learn about how wrong that is here) To the general public, they’re a good friend with great taste and knowledge; relatable, authoritative and accessible. Recently, because of these contradictory associations with the term, many influencers are turning away from the title, believing that it doesn’t reflect the full scope of their work. An influencer’s resume could tout a laundry list of talent and experience including content creation, photography, set design and styling, marketing, sales, journalism, modeling, product development, consulting… the list goes on and on. Some of the preferred titles social media influencers now use include content creator, tastemaker, digital creator, and social storyteller, each believed to have a more professional or reputable connotation.
Influencer definitions and jargon aren’t the only things that have changed over time, however. Social media platforms, their regulations and their dreaded, impossible algorithms are constantly being updated and giving brands a run for their money (and they definitely want all your money) to get content in front of consumers. But why pay the platform to share an ad that audiences are going to disregard? At LMS, we’ve found that our influencer content outperforms its advertising equivalent by 75%. Why not give that dough (and a lot less dough) to an influencer? You won’t regret it. In fact, the average business sees an ROI of $6.50 for every dollar spent on influencers.
Why is influencer marketing so successful, you ask?
Well, times are a’changing. Years ago, Britney Spears dancing under fireworks while holding a Pepsi had consumers entranced as they picked up a 12-pack at the store. Today’s consumer needs a long-winded Yelp review and a local influencer’s recommendation just to choose between the eggplant or chicken parmesan at their neighborhood eatery. People like celebrities, they’re entertained by them, but they don’t necessarily trust them. It’s obvious when there is a big endorsement check behind a product post and most consumers are numb to this type of marketing by now. In contrast, influencers offer a real, trustworthy perspective. Other than being paid (in some cases) to share the product, the influencer gains nothing from the success or failure of the business as a whole, allowing them to be truly unbiased in their decision to post. Social media influencer product shares, even when accompanied by #ad or #sponsored, hit their audiences’ ear like a word-of-mouth recommendation from a good friend.
Additionally, ad blockers are really cramping traditional advertising’s style. Almost half (47%) of internet users use an ad-blocker and that number is rising daily. Consumers don’t like intrusive ads that interrupt their browsing, thus developers, and even Google, the ad-selling monster, are providing solutions. So, if your target consumer is online, and traditional ads aren’t going to reach them anymore…looks like you need a loophole. Enter: Influencers. Social media influencer posts don’t qualify as ads to be blocked, even if they use #ad or disclose their “paid partnership” on Instagram. Unlike pop-ups or banner ads that attack consumers online, influencers and their recommendations are sought out and expected. Their followers are opting in to seeing their content and, thus allowing brands to enter their webspace voluntarily, and open-mindedly. Bonus!
But ..what do influencers actually do?
The 2019 influencer is not just a pretty face and empty content. They have context, authority and they do a. lot. of. work. In the beginning, an influencer might have been able to get away with low engagement and crappy content since all brands paid attention to were the number of followers one had. Nowadays, no one is falling for a following full of bots and if likes, views and comments aren’t up to par, no one wants to be your partner. Because the industry has wisened up and engagement reigns king, influencers have had to step their game up to prove their worth. Many influencers have created media kits to showcase their social accounts, example work, engagement and audience demographics. The ability to “prove” influencer value will become even more necessary if Instagram moves forward with its test of hiding likes (currently testing in multiple countries). To stand out, influencers have become self-taught photographers, models, stylists, copy writers and more. In the massive sea of content, mediocre posts and subpar engagement aren’t going to cut it.
Mom blogger, entrepreneur and veteran influencer, Rachel Pitzel, recently shared that she takes between 50-90 pictures for one post. Just one look at her feed and anyone can see the attention to detail, styling and branding that has gone into her brightly curated feed. Influencer marketing works best when influencers are given full creative freedom in how and what to post. While many influencers prefer, and even require, this freedom in partnerships, it also means a lot of work on their part! Designing, preparing and shooting unique, intriguing content that is both on brand for themselves and representative of the brand they are promoting, is no easy feat.
Don’t forget that influencers must actually test out products or services before promoting them, too. Truly successful influencers think of their followers first and monetary opportunity second. In order to grow and sustain their audience’s trust, they only promote products they honestly enjoy. A recent trend to prove authenticity is to share “empties,” aka the empty bottles of products they love.
Many influencers are actual experts in a certain field and put a ton of effort into collecting credible research and information to share with their followers. This is especially prevalent in the health and wellness space, as more and more consumers turn to social media for advice on everything from exercise to mental health. Pediatric nutrition account @feedinglittles acts as a constant source of information and truly puts their 428k followers first by promising that their product recommendations are #neversponsored.
Outside of the physical work, influencer content does some serious marketing werk. Social media influencers are marketing, selling, and awareness machines! Forty-nine percent (49%) of consumers claim that they depend on influencer recommendations to inform their purchasing decisions. Sixty-five percent (65%) of consumers said they discovered a new product through an influencer at least once weekly. Eighty percent (80%) of consumers say they’ve made a purchase recommended by an influencer by clicking a link or image shared. Convinced of their magical powers yet?
Ok, ok. All hail influencers. But who are they?
For every market, every niche, every weird hobby someone might have..there’s an influencer for that. Influencers are not only the Barbie-esque California girl promoting Lulu Lemon. An influencer is a gamer who talks smack to via his headset on Twitch. An influencer is the woman who fulfills food noise fetishes by eating any and everything in front of a highly sensitive microphone on YouTube (it’s strangely addicting and..calming?). Influencers are dogs, cats, pigs, grandmas, and babies. They’re online, they’re on podcasts, they’re hosting events and starting businesses.
At LMS, we’ve successfully worked with influencers of all shapes and sizes. Whether a local chef with just 2,000 followers or Ellie Goulding and her 14M avid IG fans, we’ve done it all and continue to slay all day to bring exceptional content and engagement to our clients.
Over the years, we’ve developed our own break down and description of influencer “levels” by sorting them into the below categories based on following.
Nano Influencer – 1K-5K followers. Influence Level: High Cost: Low/None
Very niche following, generally local to their area or people they know personally.
Micro Influencer – 5K – 75K followers. Influence Level: High Cost: Low/None
Loyal, niche, highly engaged following. Viewed as an approachable, trustworthy friend. Often followed by a specific demographic or for a specific interest (parenting, exercise, etc) looking for advice and recommendations.
Super Influencer – 75K -1M followers. Influence Level: Medium Cost: Low
Vast following, with varied engagement. Often followed for inspiration/information or simply entertainment within a niche topic.
Celebrity – 1M+ Followers. Influence Level: Low Cost: High
Vast following with low engagement. Often followed for entertainment over influence. Less approachable and followers can be suspicious of the authenticity of product recommendations.
A common misconception is the bigger the following, the better the influencer. While a large reach will have your product or message seen by more people, it may not deliver the authority or ROI you desire. Plus, larger followings almost always mean a bigger check. Nano and Micro influencers while small, are mighty! Particularly for brands looking to boost sales to a certain demographic or location, smaller influencers can produce amazing results at little to no cost. At LMS, we do killer Super and Celebrity work, but our history of working with startups and young brands has made Nano and Micro influencer partnerships our bread and butter. No matter the budget or product, we can make magic.
Interested in getting in on the influencer game? Need help negotiating the 2019 influencer landscape? We got you. Check out our services and give us a holler today.