In regards to Online Content Marketing, an influencer can be identified as someone who creates and shares content to set of loyal followers. An influencer has the ability to educate and inspire their followers to action. The best influencers have highly engaged followers who comment and share the content to a further set of followers, creating a viral loop that can move mountains.
The idea of being an influencer used to be limited to a select few individuals. However now because of the ease of exposure due to social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Buzzfeed and Twitter anyone living anywhere in the world can essentially become an influencer overnight.
Oftentimes, influencers are thought leaders and trendsetters in particular niche topics. Followers interested in those topics consume influencer content that is being produced across an increasingly rich media landscape.
Today influencers can be divided into 6 types based on their background and chosen platform. These include celebrity, online publications & magazines, bloggers, youtube, and social media influencers. By leveraging their fan base of dedicated followers, influencers have been come the a must use content marketing strategy for every modern brand.
Celebrity
A celebrity influencers is an individual who has gained popularity from public media. This includes people like actors, musicians, and other notable figures. With this popularity celebrity influencers leverage their power via thought leadership platforms such as social media and blogging. Audiences look up to ‘celebrity’ influencers as aspirational figures and because of this there opinions can be very valuable. Celebrity Influencers are identified by data such as: Number of Social Media Followers and Media Popularity.
Pros:
-Already highly recognizable by Audiences
-Content likely to go viral through sharing
-Possibility of Content being picked up by Major Outlets
A few examples of notable celebrity influencers include: Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, and One Direction.
Online Publications & Magazines
Online Publications and Magazines are often considered as traditional advertising methods. From advertising campaigns to sponsored content , brands have been gaining notoriety and sales through publications for decades. Now with the increase of digital publishing and online zines it’s more more accessible than ever to share your brand’s message on one of these platforms. Publications use their platform as editorial news outlets to inform and persuade readers about what’s currently trending in the world around them. Influencer Publications are Identified by data such as : Number of Subscribers, Number of Reads, and Shares.
Pros:
-Followers read publications because they trust the information. This creates engagement between featured brands and followers
-Publications guarantee great reach for the thousands and sometimes millions of readers that visit their sites and flip through their pages each day
-Because publications are presenting a portfolio of work, you can depend on them to do most of the marketing leg work.
A few examples of notable publications include: Vogue, Refinery29, Fashionista, and StyleCaster.
Bloggers
Bloggers are a component of the new age of Influencer Content Marketing. In the past ‘bloggers’ were people like journalist, editors, and politicians. Today this group includes everyone from fashion obsessed high school teens to celebrity chefs and fitness gurus. With the increased accessibility of the web and quick site building software, bloggers are able to create content from almost every corner of the world. Bloggers gain their power from their audience. Readers visit blogs to gain information and suggestion on topics. For example a new parent may visit a ‘Mommy Blog’ to gain insight on what’s it’s like to raise children or a young professional may visit a ‘Fashion Blog’ to stay on track with the latest trends for dressing. A blogger/influencer is identified by data such as: Number of Pageviews, and Page Rank.
Pros:
-Readers view bloggers as real people just like them
-Bloggers have fewer overhead costs than celebrities and publications and provide less expensive rates
-Allows brands to reach a targeted audience demographic
Some examples of a few notable bloggers include: The Blonde Salad, Cashmere and Cupcakes, Street Etiquette, and Scout 16.
YouTuber
Youtubers and Vloggers create informative content about products and brands through video. These individuals create content across a wide variety of topics including beauty, fashion, and lifestyle. Often times content is geared toward informing audiences on ‘how to achieve a certain look’ or ‘how to properly use a product’. Because of this ,youtube vloggers are able to produce richer content than traditional blog posts making it the go to platform for instructional videos. A Youtube Influencer is identified by data including: Number of Followers, Views, Comments, and Likes.
Pros:
– Allows viewers an opportunity to see how a product works
-Allows influencers an opportunity to create content that can be paused and watched again and again
-Add even more ‘proof’ that a product actually works.
A few examples of notable Youtube Vloggers include: Michelle Phan and The Nailasaurus.
Social Media Influencer
A Social Media Influencer uses platforms such as (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter) to connect to followers and share information. This is the newest influencer type and lends itself to a variety of Content Marketing Methods. Because each social platform is optimized for different media, a person may be an influencer on one platform and not the others. These influencers share original images, reviews, and commentary with their audiences. In return, followers in essence ‘vote’ with social actions such as ‘likes’, ‘comments’, ‘shares’, ‘retweets’, and ‘favorites’. A Social Media Influencer is identified by Social Data including: Number of Followers, Engagement, and Aesthetic.
Pros:
-Relatively Easy to Create and Publish
-Produces Instant Feedback
-Allows brand to create viral content
-Has the ability to reach millions in a short amount of time
A few examples of notable Social Media influencers include:
Influencers occupy every corner of the Content Marketing landscape and brands are beginning to leverage this influencer and more and more pivotal ways. Who would have ever thought that an average person with an Instagram account could influence millions or that a youtube video could move hundreds of thousands of beauty products off of store shelves. That future is now- welcome to the world of Influencer Content Marketing.
