Influencer
What Does An Influencer Do? 5 Social Media Influencer Roles
Did you know that in 2021, the influencer marketing industry was worth $13.8 billion? This is a colossal increase from 2020 when the industry was only worth $9.7 billion. As this industry becomes more mainstream and apparent, a large flux of influencer marketing job roles is flooding in. But, what does an influencer do? Netinfluencer uncovers the lucrative world of influencer marketing and discovers how social media can benefit your brand. Here are some social media influencer roles that we know.
What is an influencer?
Social media has brought a wealth of opportunities to an array of businesses, helping them to break into highly competitive and untapped markets. As influencers become more prominent within our job markets, we begin to see their profit potential. Indeed describes an influencer as ‘an online personality who impacts their followers’ purchasing decisions based on their reputation.’ This impact can be carried out in a variety of different ways, such as through blog content, social media, or liaising with brands to create unique advertising campaigns.
Different Influencer Roles In Marketing
An influencer can partake in a number of different roles, all focused on helping a business achieve its goals and extend its reach. Although a lot of influencers make content for themselves and for their audience, they can also create specialized content alongside a brand. Described below are just five roles an influencer can do.
Educate a brand on their market
When an influencer has worked hard to establish their platform, they are usually well versed in the needs and wants of their audience. Therefore, this gives them a unique insight into the workings of that respected market. Influencers can then communicate with this audience and describe why a particular product or service would best suit them. Not to mention, influencers are able to use a range of platforms to communicate their messages, giving businesses a wider scope of their entire customer base.
Collaborate on a product or service
A successful influencer will know how to collaborate effectively with a brand in order to secure the best results. For example, they could produce a series of videos on their YouTube channel about your product or use Instagram stories to ensure that your audience is engaged with the updates within your business.
This can help to set up a strong and helpful relationship between your brand and an influencer, creating a plethora of future opportunities. Moreover, many brands see influencer marketing as one of the main factors of a successful campaign. Data shows that ‘64 percent of these marketers stated that including influencers in content creation is a major stepping stone when the time comes to broaden the exposure for their content.’
Become the face of your brand
Over the last 10 years, many social media influencers have become admirable figures, giving them a sense of fame and status in our popular culture. As influencers grow in popularity, they can become associated with various brands or products. For example, Amelia Dimoldenberg, known best for her YouTube series ‘Chicken Shop Date’, has now become the new brand ambassador for Olay. This shows that brands are moving away from typical celebrity figures and shining a light on popular and contemporary social media influencers.
Emphasize the value of your brand
If your brand is struggling to defeat heavy competition or establish a USP, an influencer can help revitalize your business and promote its worth. Influencers have the abilities and resources to discuss your brand in more depth, offering a lot more information to your consumer base. This is a benefit that cannot be found in TV or radio advertising as the campaigns are usually a lot shorter.
Offer constructive criticism
Every business needs to feel grounded at times. Often, leaders and managers are held to a very high standard, with their ideas and inputs seen as gospel. Working with an influencer can offer some much-needed perspective and allow a new figure to give their opinion. This can help to change your marketing strategy and become more aligned with the ebbs and flows of your specific market.
Types of influencers
With the influencer marketing industry growing at a rapid speed, influencers themselves have been able to segment and diversify themselves. As such, there are now four main different types of influencers, all of which serve different roles for each brand.
Mega-influencers
Mega-influencers are almost like standard celebrities. They are well known across a selection of demographics and have at least 1 million followers across all of their social media platforms. These influencers may not be entirely knowledgeable of a particular niche, but they are able to communicate with a much larger audience. Most large corporations work with these types of influencers, as they are usually very expensive to hire.
Macro-influencers
Macro-influencers are often well established in their field and have around 500K followers on their various platforms. Furthermore, this type often has the ability to communicate with a large audience, but because of their high follower count, they are less likely to engage with them on an individual level. Macro-influencers are best suited for businesses looking to make an online marketing campaign, as these influencers are usually not well known across other forms of media.
Micro-influencers
Micro-influencers have around 10K-100K followers, making them suitable for brands who are looking to gain expertise in a specific niche. Often, these influencers have built a strong following through a YouTube channel or Twitch platform, where they are free to discuss their unique area of interest. Usually, micro-influencers can promote small products or services to their engaged audience for a very reasonable price.
Nano-influencers
Nano-influencers are most known within their own communities and audiences, amassing less than 10K followers across all social media accounts. For example, they might be most known for their family content or food content. Nano-influencers are the perfect choice for businesses who want to work with word-of-mouth marketing, helping their product be recommended through this influencer’s small audience.
FAQs
a) How much does it cost to hire an influencer?
The cost of an influencer can vary with their size and what platform you wish to use to promote your product or service. A report from WebFX states that:
- A Facebook post costs $25 per 1,000 followers
- An Instagram post costs $10 per 1,000 followers
- Snapchat costs $10 per 1,000 followers
- A YouTube video costs $20 per 1,000 followers
b) Why are the top influencers in social media?
As of January 2022, the most popular influencer on YouTube is PewDiePie, a gamer with over 111 million subscribers. However, TikTok’s leading influencer is Charli D’Amelio with an incredible 134.4million followers. Finally, one of the top influencers on Instagram is Huda Beauty, a makeup artist with nearly 47 million followers across both of her accounts.
c) Where are the best places to find influencers?
There is an abundance of influencers, all of which can easily be found on social media. Once you have found the right influencer for your brand, email them using the business account stated in their bio. If they do not have one, try sending them a DM. Ensure that you explain the deliverables for your campaign and offer an extended mode of communication to help build a working relationship with the influencer.
d) How do I hire micro-influencers?
Micro-influencers operate on a smaller scale in comparison to their counterparts. Therefore, you can reach out to them via social media or email. These influencers often work full-time jobs and see their social media presence as a hobby or side-hustle. It could be beneficial to send them coupons or a sample of your product to promote on their accounts. Therefore, they can share your product with a wide range of their followers, without them being tied to a large contract.
Discovering more about what influencers do can open up a multitude of new opportunities for your business. With a collection of influencer roles, these individuals can guide your brand into dynamic markets and offer a lot of wisdom and experience. To learn more about the benefits of influencer marketing, visit our website.
