I quite literally would scoff if someone mentioned the word influencer. I have worked with groups of tweens and teens in the past, all with dreams of becoming an “influencer.” When asked what they want to do when they grow up? Becoming YouTube famous is the typical response.
I read horror stories of “influencers” trying to rip small businesses off by asking or demanding free products in exchange for “promoting” them to their followers. Or refusing to pay restaurant bills because of their “influencer status.” (because we were so honored to have served you your chicken caesar salad.) The power and threat of a bad review for a business if you refuse free products or services to an influencer is nothing less than extortion.
Yet, when I take a hard look at myself and my social media habits, to my shock and horror, I too am being influenced by “influencers.” In essence, everyone who uses social media, and follows someone else because you like the content they produce is being influenced by an influencer.
I follow a few moms on TikTok. I like their content and think they’re knowledgeable. I trust their opinions on the products they use in their videos. I have been influenced. (I know you’re probably thinking, well duh,) but I just never thought of it that way. I like and follow people I respect and think are knowledgeable and even considered experts in their field. I never thought of the term influencer as interchangeable with expert. To me, the word influencer always left a bad taste in my mouth. It was synonymous with the words entitled and lazy.
So now that my views and beliefs about influencer culture have been blown open, how important is it to get someone with a strong social media presence to endorse your business in order for it to be successful through social media?
According to Digital Marketing Institute
49% of consumers rely on recommendations they have seen through social media channels.
And that 66% of marketers now have an influencer budget. The amount of money being allocated to influencer branding is more than is spent on organic search, paid search and email marketing. Influence marketing is set to be a 13 billion dollar industry in 2022.
If someone has genuine content, sharing their ups and downs and trials and errors, I’m learning from their experiences, expertise and mistakes therefore I feel a sense of trust in their content. When they use a product organically in their posts (most often videos) I take that as a trusted recommendation. For example:
Here is a TikTok video from a mom I follow who makes videos of her kids cooking from a young age using a Montessori-inspired kitchen she created. After watching it, you better believe I bought the same kitchen from Ikea, and retrofitted it to be a functioning kitchen with the same water pump and fridge from Amazon. From other videos she’s shared I have also purchased the same kid-friendly knives, kitchen tools, and soap dispenser.
This other video of a mom who has a large family so her videos are of cooking meals in bulk, (which for some reason I find fascinating.) Someone commented on her fridge in one of the videos, so she is a post just about what her fridge looks like. We are in the market for a new fridge and this is the one I am buying, based on her video alone. No other reviews needed (from someone who has a paid subscription to Consumer’s Report).
For all I know, this is purposeful product placement from a paying brand! But when the product and creator are merged together organically, it’s not a hard sell and my brain isn’t triggered with warnings of this being a sales pitch. In this instance, I don’t believe that Ikea was actually paying for product placement, but if they were I wouldn’t know the difference. When done right, this is such a smart tactic, especially for start-ups. Advertising is being disguised as organic content.
What are the benefits of aligning yourself with an influencer?
- Build stronger relationships with your target market
- Acquire better customers
- Aligning your brand with a creator with the same values creates trust with customers.
Like any marketing tactic, you need to develop a strategy. What does an influencer marketing strategy look like? Here are a few strategies for a startup business:
- Focus on a niche sector of your business to promote. Like one of our classmates who has her own online clothing store. Use an influencer to help promote only one type of product line. (shoes, or hats, or purses and handbags)
- Align yourself with someone who matches your brand value. Normal people are more relatable then traditional celebrities. Look for creators you already follow and already respect and message them and engage with their community.
- Measure your campaign by tracking sales or traffic before, during and after your campaign. Set up UTM’s or promo codes specific to your influencer campaign.
With TikTok offering a creator fund to US content creators, making it is easier for someone to make a career out of being a content creator. Is it as likely for Canadians to have the same success and therefore the same drive to be an “Influencer?” The influencer landscape in Canada is only just starting to grow. Canadian and International brands are wanting to tap into the Canadian influencer market. According to Marketing News Canada, The most lucrative platform for Canadian creators is Instagram. Studies show, whether doing it part-time or full-time, people who treat their personal accounts like production companies have the most potential to be successful influencers and attract brands.
My two cents, if you have a brand or a small business, now is the time to connect with Canadian influencers. The market is growing fast and once big brands align themselves with Canadian content creators, you may not be able to afford to work with one, and investing in Influencer marketing seems like a strategy worth looking into.
If you could choose one person you follow on social media, who would you pick to align your brand with?
Do you have aspirations or being an online influencer yourself?
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Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 