For many years, new media has dominated our lives. Generating information, perspectives, and dialogues that help us curate revenue and establish personal and professional relationships in the internet era. Its connectivity and ability to disseminate information quickly and effectively have had both positive and negative impacts on our lives and enabled us with a sense of who we are and how we see ourselves in this fast-paced, ever-growing dynamic community.
However, it has paved the way for a brighter future for a select group of people involved in it. Based solely on subscriber count and likes per minute- the influencers. As "influencers”, these people share their life events and minor details on social media in exchange for likes, follows, and comments and generate revenue with this content. Influencers are people having specialised knowledge on a particular subject which they utilise for endorsement purposes and product placements which generate sales and in return benefit the organisation they are working with currently. Their pre-existing presence allows them to reach out to a wider audience and helps in brand building and deepens the trust of the client and customers in the said brand. Influencers have a pre-set image and credibility attached to them which makes the users respect and value their content and then they form opinions based on the opinions of these influencers.
How Do Influencers Work and Where Do They Come From?
Every brand needs a face to represent its product in the global market. Earlier, celebrities were the only option for advertisements, as they carried the credibility and trust of the people. They acted as opinion leaders and people purchased goods and merchandise when a product was promoted by these celebrities. Consumers trust these celebrities due to their identity and image. It was a win-win situation as it helps both in sales, building a brand image as well as establishing a global image. But, the current scenario is a lot different because of the addition of "influencers"into the equation. An influencer is a person who is very noticeable in an open market; in other words, the "brand face". Through comments, followers, and strategic content, they gain followers on social media. These influencers have the potential to become opinion leaders and influence a large audience’s buying decisions through their content. They generate revenue just like celebrities do through brand endorsements. The noticeable niche audience follows their daily routine through various platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat. They keep the world up-to-date through their content, and they update users with daily trends on social media. In short, audiences are so fond of influencers that they see them as an inspiration and they even take guidance from them before making any big decisions.
Industry-Based Influencers:
These influencers work in a particular industry and generate strategic content to be unique in the said specialised field unlike other influencers who take up any promotional jobs just to mint money.
Industry-based influencers are problem solvers who are well-versed in a variety of fields and have a sizable following across many niches. Celebrities, public officials, and journalists are examples of such influencers. Area influencers are subject-matter specialists who are well-versed in a certain industry. They can be regarded as experts in that particular field and are further divided into subject matter specialists, such as trend influencers, leisure influencers, beauty and grooming bloggers, etc.
Why have we moved from Celebrities to Instagram Influencers for inspiration?
Just like other professionals, they work in their selected sector to curate content and cater to the needs of their audiences. The story remains the same for influencers, too. Celebrities earn revenue not just through various movies but also through brand endorsements. Influencers, too, act in front of cameras and appeal to their audiences just like celebrities. Influencers' contents are not like advertisements or movies; instead, they are more personalised, focused, and calculated as per the SOPs provided to them by the companies.
According to a study, 35% of people use social media apps rather than television. People nowadays want everything at ease. Currently, advertisements are overdone and sensationalised in the market, which makes them lose their essence, which blinds and confuses the customers. The problem is, that celebrities have a wide range of reach but are unable to reach the exact audience, unable to reach the niches. While on the other hand, influencers target a niche audience and curate content that caters to the needs of that said audience. For example, thanks to influencers like Dolly Singh, Mostlysane, or Technical Guruji, audiences find various original content like information, entertainment, trends, beauty tips, etc. on their smartphones within seconds. From information to entertainment, audiences are more dependent on social media for original content than on any other network channel. The influencer’s blogs, vlogs, and posts are easily accessible through smart devices. Users select their favourite star in a minute and, through social media followers and likes, they encourage them to generate quality content.
Future of Influencers:
For anything to thrive in this world and for its sustainable growth it is important to have a working understanding of the same and just as it goes for any other industry the same is the case with influencer marketing. With new technologies emerging daily it is important to be able to analyse and pinpoint the revelations made and then dissect them in a way such that they could be used to your advantage. The influencer marketing sector without a doubt is set for a breakthrough in the marketing and networking world. But the threat that it possesses is the rise of AI and the rise of CGI-based influencers. CGI-based influencers are created using machines and the latest technologies and are tough competition for real influencers. CGI influencers unlike real influencers are designed and have a story in a place that would be appealing to a wider audience which increases their chance of being liked online.
Yet another threat that lurks over the heads of influencers is stricter guidelines for advertising which will get more intertwined with the times to come as consumers demand a higher level of transparency to redefine their trust levels with the influencers. With influencer marketing seeing sharp growth there are more and more people coming into the industry which has increased the competition to severe levels, and influencers need to get innovative with the way how they present them to the world, or someday, someone better might just steal their spot. In conclusion, the influencer marketing industry is an ever-growing one and is full of opportunities and potential for anyone smart enough to identify these opportunities and pave their way into the industry.
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