Influencer marketing & the evolution of the social media influencer
If you’re a fan of Instagram or Facebook, you would have seen social media influencers communicating with their league of followers and spruiking any number of wares, from clothes, health supplements, household products – even holiday destinations.
Up to recently, consumers gathered their information from a range of mediums such as movies, magazines, newspapers, advertisements, TV shows – these days the world of influencer marketing has taken things to the next level as sponsored content and ads are splashed around Instagram posts like they are going out of fashion.
Why do consumers respond to influencer marketing?
Good question, it all comes down to trust. Individuals who are following their favourite celebrity or influencer trust them and are more likely to purchase or use a product if it is relatable and recommended by an influencer rather than if it was splashed on an ad in a newspaper or in a more traditional form of advertising.
Being relatable is key and while we all know that influencers are being paid to spruik a product or service as loyal fans we believe in what is being endorsed and are more likely to purchase the product or service.
What do influencers actually do?
The process for influencer marketing is simple. Influencers are contacted via businesses and asked to co-create content that features a brand related topic or product, weaving it as seamlessly as possible into their dialogue and posts on their social media channels. By sharing content that they are being paid to promote the influencer receives a payment from the endorsement.
The post or series of posts are shared with a community of followers and the end result is that followers will purchase, subscribe or find out more about the product or service. Influencers don’t just use social media for paid posts but also their blogs as well – with the aim to spread the word as far and wide as possible to generate as much reach as they can. Visit Tribe to find out more about the influencers available and their background.
Which platforms do influencer marketing?
The social media platforms that support influencer marketing include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
The laws and rules for influencer marketing
In the early days there wasn’t a great deal of awareness and legality surrounding influencer marketing yet these days there are a few requirements that influencers should be aware of:
- Influencers must state they are in contract with a company
- Influencers should ensure consumers know they are watching an ad
- The post should have #ad, sponsored, promoted or ‘ad’ clearly outlined in the content
If you’re looking to find out more about how to expand your reach in the modelling world as an influencer and gain access to a world of exciting marketing opportunities check out our social media master class today.