Everything You Need To Know About Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers are people who have created a huge army of loyal followers of their social media accounts. So when they upload a picture or video or some content, their fans will view it, like it, and share it. They are called influencers because of the influence they have over their fans. If they back a particular product or service, you can bet that lots of the people that follow them will want to buy that product or use that service too.

Social media influencers have become an important part of business marketing. Many companies now pay influencers to promote their products and service via their social media accounts. The bigger the following, the higher the pay check. 

The reality is that famous faces sell products, and this has been true for some time. TV advertising regularly uses celebrities in advert to try and increase the chances of people being persuaded to buy. This is because, on a conscious or subconscious level, many people want to be like celebrities, they want a slice of their seemingly lavish and perfect lifestyle. So if we see them using a certain type of conditioner or promoting a new type of herbal tea we want in on the action too. 

Social media has opened up the playing field for those who want to put their hat in the ring when it comes to fame and fortune. It is possible for anyone to create their own blog, video channel, radio show, and so on. It has also given people the opportunity for everyone to join others who are interested in the same sorts of things as them, to set up communities. If you like makeup, for example, you can join the followers of an influencer like Zoella. If you want to learn more about a raw food diet, join the ranks following FullyRawKristina.

These tribes of people act as a ready-made audience for businesses to showcase their relevant products and services. Take the audience who follows FullyRawKristina, for example. If you are a manufacturer of juicing machines, you might pay for FullyRawKristina to talk about the benefits of your product via her social media channel. Before you know it, your product is selling out.

The beauty of this marketing channel is that influencers have these very specific audiences and niche areas of interest. All you need to do is find the one that aligns with your product or service and you’ve got a massive perspective cohort of customers who could be influenced to buy what you are selling. 

So how do you find social media influencers?

All you need is a computer, an internet connection and social media profiles. Once you do you can search using keywords and hashtags to find the types of influencers you’ll want to connect with. If you are trying to find a way to market your book, for example, you might want to search these hashtags:

#bookblogger, #books, #amediting, #bookstagram, #amwriting #bookreview

From your searches you can narrow down accounts that have the biggest following. Generally it’s best to consider influencers anyone who has a following of 10,000+. You can also look at the levels of engagement on their posts – the higher the engagement, the more likely the audience will be influenced by a post about your product. 

Influencer marketing is here to stay. So the sooner you take advantage and develop good relationships with influencers, the easier it will be to benefit from them in the long term. 

Social media is evidently not going away anytime soon and the influencers who dominate social media platforms can play a significant part in helping to establish your brand and sell your products.