In the marketing world, working with influencers has become inescapable and necessary for success. Despite jokes speculating about the difficulty or the actual purpose of an influencer, there is no doubt that they have changed the game. An influencer is a person who uses their ability to influence consumers by promoting items or services on social media, as well as increasing overall brand awareness. If you have heard the phrase ‘run, don’t walk to buy this, you were likely subject to an influencer. On average, 9 out of 10 companies use influenced marketing to help grow their brand’s customer base. Influencers can range from micro-influencers, who generally have about 1,000-10k followers, to A-List celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian or Billie Eilish. Companies have really honed in on their influencer marketing because of social media’s immense impact on buyers. The influencer marketing market was valued at $1.7 billion in 2016 and is estimated to reach a whopping $16.4 billion this year.
In the world of influencer marketing, there are many things to consider when choosing an influencer to partner with for companies. Companies must define their goals, research different potential influencers, vet them to ensure their followers are real and active, and lastly strategize with them. Influencer marketing shows its importance because consumers trust the people that they follow. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 61% of consumers trust influencer recommendations, as opposed to 38% who trust brand-produced content. The content, when done correctly, shows authenticity and channels both the influencer and the brand’s personality.
An example of an influencer well-known at the University of Oregon is Sedona Prince. The college and sports community loves the six-foot-seven forward who has around 3.5 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. A few months ago, Sedona began a partnership with Crocs and represents their brand on her social media pages. She had been often seen wearing slip-on shoes after games and practices. Sedona is the perfect creator to assist the brand in expanding its audience because she is an authentic lover of the famous shoe.
Along with good influencer marketing campaigns, some always miss the mark completely. Just recently, TikTok and other social media platforms raved about Aritzia announcing a fall collaboration with their brand Sunday Best and Emma Chamberlain. TikTok fashion aficionados were outspoken about their excitement. Aritzia, known for its self-proclaimed timeless style, was seemingly the perfect fit with Chamberlain. Chamberlain has been an influencer that took the YouTube world by storm and is known for having a relatable personality, as well as a killer wardrobe. After the drop in clothing, many were disappointed in its lack of originality. Many fans were disappointed to see that the “collaboration” was nothing more than the brand putting her face on one of their collections and there weren’t actually any new pieces created or selected by Emma herself. This collaboration was one that definitely could have been a match made in heaven but fell short.
With social media usage already at an all-time high among this generation, influencer marketing is bound to rise further. Although TikTok has been around for almost a decade (formerly known as Musical.ly), its popularity remains and new content creators are rising to fame on the platform every day. With so many viewers, more and more influencers are collaborating with businesses and promoting products on social media. Marketing campaigns done with content creators can really resonate with people when done correctly and authentically. People value authenticity, and that will shape the future of influencers, as well as the end of marketing with them.