Over the last decade, we have seen social media grow rapidly in importance. Over 3.4 billion people actively use social media which is 45% of the world's population. Inevitably, these people are going to find influencers online at which they look up to helping guide them in their decision making. Social Media Influencers are individuals who have built a reputation for their knowledge on a specific topic. They make regular posts about that topic on their preferred social media channels and generate large followings. These influencers can vary by number of followers, (mega, macro, micro, and nano) type of content, and level of influence.
With almost everything, there are positive and negative sides to influencers. Some of the positives include expanding your audience reach, it builds trust, it's inexpensive, and brings in sales. By using an influencer to promote your brand or product, you're growing your audience and bringing in consumers you might've never reached before. This trust the influencer's audience has with the influencer is immediately transferred to you. You're piggybacking off of your desired influencer and gaining more views along with trust. Influencers vary, meaning it doesn't have to break the bank to promote your brand or product. Some influencers will take free products over money these days. Regardless, with the right people, you're likely to have an increase in sales.
Some negatives of online influencers include working with the wrong influencer, losing control over your brand image, its high risk, and it can be hard to measure results. It is bad news for a brand to be associated with an influencer who ends up causing controversy. As a brand, you will have no influence over the influencers’ behavior. A perfect example is the unfortunate event with Johnny Depp. One day he was known for being the most well-rounded, kind, and successful actor and suddenly his life and reputation changed forever when his ex-called him out for being an ‘abuser.’ This was never true however his ties with all of his brands were cut off before winning the trial against his ex, claiming that none of what she said was true. Tracking and monitoring the performance of an influencer-led campaign can be very difficult. There’s lots to measure like engagements, clicks, likes, shares, and cost per engagement.
In a study done earlier this year of 1,500 people, 60% have bought something through the recommendation of an influencer. 74% of 18–24-year-olds rely on social media influencers, while only 24% of those over 55 do the same. When it comes to making a purchase, 90% of respondents of all ages would trust an influencer over a celebrity. This is predicted to be because of the relationships created between the influencer and follower. As an influencer, you show and tell a more personal side of your life, opinions, and thoughts. You respond to comments and interact with your followers while celebrities don’t have this type of relationship with their followers. This year, Kim Kardashian was sued for $1.3 million for promoting a ‘new cryptocurrency’ that actually was worth nothing. She promoted this one post on her Instagram story for $250,000. This is another example of why followers trust influencers’ opinions over celebrities. You truly never know if the person is promoting something they genuinely love or if they’re doing it for the money. It might be easier to tell when you have some sort of relationship with that person.
At the end of the day, we have the choice to follow and trust whoever we want. However, before trusting the words from anyone there are some steps we can take to prevent a negative outcome. Do research (aka a social media audit). This is a deep search into someone’s social media history. Stay mindful, regardless these influencers are getting paid for promoting something. Ensure your values align with who you follow. Lastly, remember people can switch up at any time which will ruin their reputation. Influencers are there for guidance, and shouldn’t be relied on completely.
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