The various social media that continue to grow in 2020 have created a new concept that is also interesting for the marketing world, namely the ‘influencer’. The definition of an influencer is a person who builds his or her own audience through the use of social media platforms. This can be, for example, by sharing texts, photos and/or videos via these platforms. And as the name suggests, an influencer has a major influence on that audience. Influencer marketing is about using these influencers as a communication channel to convey a company’s message.
The ‘influencer’
An influencer is someone who builds a large audience by sharing content through social media platforms. This content can be, for example: texts via Twitter, photos via Instagram or videos via YouTube. Because influencers have built up such a large audience, you could also call them a brand. The influencer has a great influence on the audience of his or her brand. And that is something that companies in 2020 are eager to use as a marketing tool. Examples of influencers are PewDiePie, Enzo Knol, NikkieTutorials, OnneDi, Dylan Haegens, Kalvijn and Kaj Gorgels. Depending on the number of (loyal) followers they have and the type of content they create, it is often very attractive for companies to advertise through these influencers.
The growth of influencer marketing
In 2019, just like the influencer, influencer marketing is also on the rise. Companies communicate via influencers to a larger and more specific target group. There is more and more talk about influencer marketing and research also shows that more and more companies have increased their budget for influencer marketing. For example, 63% of companies in the United States increased their marketing budget for influencer marketing in 2017 (Gross & Von Wangenheim, 2017). Because influencer marketing is a fairly new concept, there is still much that is unclear about the correct application of this new form of marketing. For example, companies often do not know how to approach influencers and which message and context suits which influencer.
Which influencer suits which marketing campaign?
To find a good influencer for a company’s marketing campaign, it is important to determine the purpose for which the campaign is being launched and what organizational goal generally applies to the company. It is important that the organizational purpose and the purpose of the marketing campaign align with the influencer’s purpose. In general, there are four different categories of influencers, each with their own goal(s), visible in the content they share. There are explorers, information sharers, entertainers and infotainers.
Explorers
Some influencers simply enjoy creating content and discovering the possibilities it offers. They follow other influencers and want to discover whether they can do this themselves. The content is often about things that the person experiences in daily life. The influencer wants to take the audience into his or her life and, where possible, also inspire this audience. There is often great contact with the audience, which also includes loyal fans.
Information sharers
Information sharers are influencers who are mainly known for sharing certain knowledge or expertise. They excel in a certain profession, sport or hobby and share the knowledge and experiences they have through social media. The contact they have with the public is often extensive.
Entertainers
Other well-known influencers mainly aim to entertain their audience. There are influencers who are known for their music or comedy sketches. They often include topics in their content that play a role in their personal lives. Contact with the public is usually less than with ‘discoverers’ and ‘information sharers’. There is therefore a little more distance between the influencer and the audience.
Infotainers
The purpose of infotainer content is to both inform and entertain the audience. So they share their knowledge and expertise like the information sharers, but they also want to entertain people. They often also include a lot of personal information in their content. The contact they have with the audience is less than with other types of influencers and therefore there is more distance between the influencer and the audience.
These four categories can help provide guidelines when it comes to scouting an influencer for a marketing campaign based on the type of content they create and the social presence they have. When the right influencer has been found for a campaign, it is of course important, as with any marketing campaign, that a clear goal has been established and an accompanying message that is conveyed in such a way that the audience can understand it.