Power of Influencer marketing

Generally these days, people are a lot more connected thanks to the the constant stream of social media updates across several platforms. Social media has lead to the rise and success of everyday people, sharing their lives on line, and gaining a substantial following and fame. These people are labeled the influencers, and have become as powerful a marketing tool, if not more, than the traditional celebrity.

 

I am myself an avid youtube lover and follow several influencers online. It is a fact that i totally agree with, that we find influencers much more relatable and real. They share so much of their lives online, and so we feel we know their vulnerabilities, and sometimes know them as well as you might know a friend. It is this unique quality of trustworthiness, which is difficult to gain from the cautious and savy younger generation, that makes influencers such a powerful marketing tool.

 

Influencers are quickly becoming an absolute integral part of most marketing campaigns, and i can see this for myself just by scrolling through my instagram. For some influencers nearly every post features some kind of sponsorship/ collaboration with a brand. They all claim to 'genuinely believe and use the products', however with the number of posts being a #AD rising, i wonder if the honesty of the influencer is becoming less believable and effective.

Never the less i have always been interested in how these collaborations are negotiated and take place. A recent video from one of my favorite influencers Lily Pebbles outlined the process in a very honest and transparent way, something i saw as a clever and positive business move from her as it gains trust back from followers.

Most brands still work with individual influencers differently, and negotiate on a campaign per campaign basis. Negotiation is all based on how many followers the influencer has, and how many people they can reach, and also by how much they are promoting a product. For example a simple instagram post featuring and tagging the product would be less profitable to the influencer than a whole dedicated video.

Most influencers are represented by an agency through which most of these negotiations take place. One that i see featured and mentioned a lot in the youtubers that i watch is Gleam.

There does seem to be a resounding unhappiness from influencers however with the way that these brand deals happen. Brands still seem to struggle to see influencer collaboration as the same as traditional celebrity collaboration, even though many of these influencer inputs are just as if not more profitable for the brand.

Influencers are definitely looking to be treated more like brand ambassadors, rather than just a quick sales boosting strategy add on to a campaign. They desire to be part of the campaign from the start, and even put in their own stamp and input.

 

Lorel have successfully achieved this by creating the 'beauty squad'. A collective of diverse influencers that appear in many advertising campaigns and events, as well as promoting and using the products on their own social platforms. These woman where a constant and recurring part of the brand, and definitely considered more as brand ambassadors.

 

Lydia Ellis Millen and her connection to the beauty brand By Terry, is another successful example of influencer marketing.