How Influencers Influence

I’m sure by now you’ve probably come across someone on social media that calls themself an ‘influencer’. But what is a social media influencer?

Put simply, they are people who influence a large number of individuals. These people work with businesses and brands across a number of platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter. As well as this we’ve seen a great increase in the number of influencers appearing on TikTok and Youtube, they are growing bigger and bigger audiences than we’ve ever seen before we’re talking audiences of over 100 million.  There are a few certain industries that are always thriving, for example, fitness, makeup and technology. These are constantly changing though as there are new industries emerging every day.

How do you become an influencer?

To become a social media influencer, you first need to decide what industry you want to be working in, this is important as you’re going to build your audience around this, you need to make sure it is something that you have a genuine interest in. Once you know what industry you’re going to work in you then need to look for content, create a strategy and create/upload this content. Once you have your fanbase, you can then begin contacting and collaborating with businesses in the same industry. As an influencer, you need to be true to yourself as your fanbase will not keeping following you if you are not.

What is the impact of influencers?

A social media influencer has the ability to reach out to a large audience on their platform, and what’s so special about an influencer is that their fanbases are often very loyal and people usually trust an influencer greatly. According to Nielsen, 92% of customers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or celebrity endorsement. If an influencer presents a product or service positively it is seen as a very favourable endorsement. This means that the followers are more likely to pursue a purchase as a direct result of a post.

How can an influencer help your business?

Social media influencers are able to boost your online presence incredibly! They are able to spread a positive message about your company or product, and boost your traffic and in turn, boost your sales. There are a number of steps that you need to take when you’re getting in contact with a social media influencer:

• Figure out who suits your brand (works in the same industry)
• Find a way to contact them. It is unlikely that they will co-operate if they are not making a profit from it.
• Establish a consistent relationship and work together. This includes giving instructions but also leaving freedom for the creativity of the influencer.

As a result, you’re going to drive more traffic to your site, your posts are going to get a lot more engagement and eventually in turn you’re going to get a better SEO ranking. Furthermore, you’re going to gain a lot of popularity and hopefully see an increased profit for your business.

If you’re unsure of how to choose the right campaigns and would like some help, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our social media experts here at Frogspark. Feel free to contact us…