Influencer Culture: How Vlogers and InstaModels Can Help Or Hurt Your Brand
- Mar 21, 2018
- 3 min read
Graphic created by author
In a world driven by social media and a need to connect, and with a rising generation who feels attached to their online communities, we're beginning to see an ever more dramatic rise in the popularity of influencers and influencer marketing. Brands are recognizing the power of harnessing a familiar face in their desired target audience to act as a friendly mouthpiece for their product or service. Through these partnerships, they often hope to increase recognition, drive sales, and reap the benefits of a celebrity sponsorship without the costly expenses, restrictive contracts, or "commercialized" feel. These influencers are seen as leaders within their communities, and as such hold tremendous persuasive power. But, as we have seen in the past, this kind of relationship doesn't come without some risk. So how do public relations professionals make the most of this potential resource, and why is it so successful anyway?
To put it simply, an influencer is far more engaging and convincing to a consumer than any catchy slogan or impressive celebrity endorsement could hope to be. These influencers gain their fame by earning their stripes in the communities in which they are popular, starting as an average content producer and growing their expertise to become a respected voice and recognized name (or rather, username). They are relatable to consumers because they began as, and often still are consumers themselves. Their content, found largely on Instagram, YouTube, and blogs is seen as "unfiltered" and "organic" representations of themselves and their opinions. Through consuming this content, their audiences feel connected to the influencers, and view them as a trustworthy peer rather than an unattainable idol.
This is why influencer marketing is so effective. Influencers are seen as an honest source of review and recommendation. When brands partner with them to help promote their product, the influencer has a targeted audience with whom they have already build recognition and trust. This relationship, in addition to being due to the nature of their content, is also thanks to the high level of audience engagement that influencers participate in with their followers. This means that while their following might not have the same size as a mainstream celebrity, those that are within their network feel more deeply personally connected to them. While big name celebrities such as Emma Stone and Selena Gomez have more followers, influencers like Amanda Cerny and Lele Pons who engage with Generation Z hugely have engagement rates in surplus of 10% per post. This is paramount in building that trusting connection with their followers that would lead them to make purchases based on their recommendations.
This doesn't come without some potential for risk, however. Using influencers can be tricky because of their casual content nature. Because they are their own brand, they can be unpredictable, and often times controversial. Logan Paul, for example, is a popular YouTube personality that gained his start to fame on the Vine platform. He now commands a huge following and a six figure salary, partnering with corporations such as Walmart and Dunkin Donuts in the past. Late last year, however, he posted a controversial video on his YouTube channel of him visiting Aokigahara, a Japanese forrest that has become infamous for the number of suicide attempts that it is host to. He experienced extreme backlash from his viewership and the YouTube community, and has since been a taboo name in the influencer community. This potential for scandal is inherit in the nature of influencers, and furthermore partnerships with them.
Influencers are no doubt an important part of any modern promotional plan, especially those geared to younger audiences. They can be an easy way to reach niche groups, target consumers directly, and utilize the trusting relationship that consumers have with their influencers. But practitioners should be weary, sometimes these often young influencers are susceptible to incendiary behavior, which can always reflect on the brands that they endorse.
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