Influencer Marketing: The rise of Social Media Stars | by All things Marketing | Jul, 2023

Do you know a time when you didn’t know Addison Rae? Khabi? Wait, you don’t know who they are? Remember those days when you were stuck at home? And what you did to entertain yourself? Yeah. That’s right. TikTok. I know, we all have been there. Made Tik Toks with your friends, family and your dog too.

Well, these stars are not just TikTok stars, but are famously known as influencers. You’ll find them on Instagram too. And one thing you will find in their Instagram bio’s is “Influencer”. That’s for sure. No doubt.

But what exactly are they influencing? You might ask. Well, let’s start with the concept first.

What is Influencer Marketing?

To go by the definition, influencers basically are the ones who influence their audience to do a certain type of thing. Most of the times, it is promoting a brand or a product endorsement and influence their audience to take some action towards the brand. It is basically like word of mouth advertising which is, you guessed it, paid.

Now, when we say influencers, we mean creators , vloggers , celebrities who have a huge following on social media platforms. Believe it or not, if Addison says some product changed her life, her followers might want to know about it and some of them might even want to buy it. And that is basically how they influence their audience!

The rise of Influencers

Well, gone are the days when only celebrities were people who you saw in movies or TV. With time, there is a new breed of celebrities born through social media. They are no less than celebrities. Why, you ask? Well, millions of followers, millions of business deals, paparazzi looming around them. I hope you haven’t missed out on Addison — Kardashian drama. And people love it. The drama. And that leads to massive engagement.

Most influencers specialize in some niche and when they have a decent following, they collaborate with brands , big stars within their niche thus widening their audience, building communities around their passion.

How brands leverage influencers

Well, who is online the most? Of course, the new generation i.e, gen z. And this generation is quite open about their needs and wants. They are in the frontline for digital buying. And brands have a keen eye on this, of course.

Brands know the potential of these social media stars as an asset. Through these stars, they can tap into a targeted and engaged customer base. Brands are either building partnerships with these influencers or allocating funds to influence partnerships.

But what brands need to be careful about is the influencer they collaborate with should be someone who actually resonates with their brand. So, it quite essential to partner with a influencer who not just represents their brand but also is quite similar to it.

For example , Sprint collaborated with influencers Lele Pons and Bradley Martyn for a campaign #LiveUnlimited. These influencers have a massive following but what made this campaign a success the similarity of these influencers lifestyles with the campaign. Not only did they succeeded in this campaign outpacing Verizon and AT&T but also reached a wider mass of audience i.e, Latin and American.

Conclusion

With digital technology, taking over every aspect of marketing, the ones who keep up with are destined to succeed. But a brand needs to be careful about who they collaborate with as it they are going to represent the brand. Influencer marketing is a way for brands to reach a target audience of a very particular niche.

Remember, the key to a successful influencer marketing campaign lies in authenticity, relevance, and clear communication. By incorporating influencer marketing into your overall marketing strategy, your brand can flourish in the competitive digital landscape.

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