Micro-influencing and influencer marketing has taken the social media world by storm lately. “Influencers” and wanna-be’s are popping up everywhere attempting to promote the cutest of coffee shops, murals, outfits, table spreads, hiking locations and so much more. I happen to be one of these millennial try-hards but fortunately for me, I’ve found a way to gain an authentic following and have been able to successfully monetize my instagram page.
After about a year of hustling in the outdoors and creating content for companies I’ve been facing more and more challenges in this digital world. These issues include determining how much each post is worth, creating invoices, budgets, media kits and now balancing the dangerous line between keeping my brand identity and selling myself to brands because of a handsome paycheck.
This has me asking the question: What is influencer marketing and how can we trust it?
Influencing is a new part of paid media and differs from earned media as it takes social influence and turns it into a paid campaign. So far I’ve personally understood influencer marketing as creating content for brands. The work I do is with brands that select to work with me because of my following and reach as well as my brand identity and feed. Originally I began this venture believing I would never sell myself to a brand that didn’t match my values which are health, fitness and outdoor adventures and lifestyle. Yet recently I was offered a pretty penny to promote a Vitamin C brand. I struggled with this offer, as it seemed a bit random and obscure considering you can catch me frolicking in gorgeous locations which generally don’t make you think about taking vitamins. So how was I supposed to incorporate Vitamin C into an ad that doesn’t mesh with my own brand or the company’s per se. The campaign turned out, and I was able to make the Vitamins fit into my feed. But I still couldn’t help but think about my position as an influencer and if it’s my job to represent with brands that fit my image or if it’s my job to pay the bills one way or another… After some deliberation and research on what other influencers are doing (with accounts ranging from 5k to 350k followers) I noticed that influencers promote things they would usually buy and that the natural turning point of a monetized instagram is to sell the social space to brands. Other influencers were promoting health drinks, shakes, vitamins, clothes, hotels, yoghurt, teas, snacks, bars, camping gear really anything they could incorporate into a post.
But why do we trust Influencers? Research shows that digital influencers are a brilliant at building meaningful relationships with consumers, especially a younger demographic which can be hard to connect to as they generally steer away from traditional media channels such as TV ads, the radio and commercials. Young people are glued to their phones and to their Spotify playlists, meaning that traditional advertising doesn’t reach them. Furthermore, people find celebrities unreachable and unrelatable. The average Joes on the other hand are seen as much more trustworthy and personable – which creates that trust between consumers and brands if an influencer would recommend the product. This is the conclusion I’ve come to regarding why a multimillion dollar Vitamin company would want to work with lil ol’ me. My followers trust me and know I wouldn’t sell them something that I wouldn’t use and respect my lifestyle.
