Influencer: definition and types
A social media influencer is a person who actually influences public opinion through their social media accounts. These may be classical text posts, as in Twitter or old-fashioned LiveJournal, but as seeing is believing, video posts gain much more attention.
According to the term meaning, such people must have some authority and have real achievements in some sphere. For example, they can be movie stars, publicists, sportspeople, politicians, or experts.
Micro influencers are known mostly for their activity on social media, such as beauty bloggers. They usually have 1-100 thousand followers, depending on the platform. Top social media influencers may have millions of followers.
Why influencer videos work
Because they hit the target directly. Unlike TV advertisements, which are shown to a broad public audience, an influencer already has an interested audience that trusts their opinion.
Also influencers are not distant from their followers: they may interact with them, share personal information, reply to comments, etc. Their recommendations are seen rather as a friendly piece of advice, than an advertisement.
Influencer video types
Influencers can reach their audience by creating various types of video content.
- Product placement. A company can give an influencer their product as a gift, and an Internet celebrity will just wear or use it in one of the videos and leave a link to the manufacturer in the description. There may also be several words about the product, but this thing is not the main subject of the recording.
- Unboxing. An influencer unboxes something and describes each item.
- Howto. An influencer explains how to use a product from the sponsor.
- Guest videos. If the channel is really popular, an influencer can “lend” it to another person for a post or two to boost their recognition.
There are several ways to contact an influencer and ask them to promote a product. But the number of content makers is increasing daily and it may be hard to spot the right person. So one of the best ways of establishing rapport may be influencer companies — special agencies that connect influencers with sponsors.
How to be an influencer
Becoming an influencer can be relatively easy, but still, it requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and consistency. There are different ways and techniques, but on average you need to remember the following:
- An influencer should provide interesting, funny, and useful content regularly.
- It will take time to gain followers and become an influencer.
To encourage people to subscribe to your channel and engage them in commenting, sharing, and reposting your videos, you have to provide top-notch content. Then, it’s always a good idea to edit your videos and come up with different ideas, such as outfit change, timelapse, mirrored video, etc.
As for the influencer video platforms, the main three are YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Facebook is losing its position but still remains quite significant. And of course, there are more niche resources, such as Twitch and others.
Influencers are an interesting phenomenon that is going to evolve over time. Becoming an influencer might not be for everyone, but with the right approach, you can make it happen and influence others!
