Never mind I’ll buy, from someone like you.

Since the magic world of marketing came to fruition, celebrities have been at the forefront of campaigns, PR stunts and advertising. They make products seem more desirable, aspirational and something we NEED. Because, let’s face it, if Mariah Carey can’t persuade you to buy a packet of Walkers crisps, then who can?!

Well… as an influencer marketing agency, we can tell you who else. While the word “influencer” has been used in the English language since the mid-1600s, the term has definitely evolved into something more today. The word was used to refer to someone or something that had the power to alter beliefs of individuals and in turn, impact the course of events. That doesn’t seem a far cry from what the job term influencer means now. 

These days an influencer is someone that has a high following on social media, achieved by posting fun and engaging content that accumulates to a dedicated audience. It’s most commonly seen on Instagram, with 67% of brands using Instagram for influencer marketing. An influencer differs from a celebrity in that people follow them because they simply enjoy what they post, rather than being an aspirational figure from traditional media. 

Trust and Authenticity in Influencer Marketing

However, the main word that comes to mind when talking about influencers is trust. Followers trust the opinions of the influencer as they have built that rapport. Celebrities would not typically engage with their fans on social media but influencers? They take the time to interact with their audience, get their input on what content they’d like to see and what products they want a review on.

This all comes back to how the customer then feels about the brand too. People are 6 times more likely to protect brands that have an established social purpose in the event of a public misstep, and 4 times more likely to trust them.

Influencers will usually have a niche, whether that be fashion, beauty, gaming, health…the list goes on. It’s now easier than ever to customise our own Instagram feeds with the type of content we want to be seeing. Thinking of turning vegan? There’s a whole squad of influencers out there whose main goal it is to provide you with easy, vegan recipes that you can create at home. 

Now for the promotions. Since ads have become more of a thing within influencers content, it can be hard for followers to know what are genuine recommendations and what are not. The good thing is that most of the time, partnerships are authentic and will be agreed because the influencer really loves the product and wants to share it with their audience. Besides, they need to get an income somehow but more on that in another post. 

Millennial and Gen Z Consumer Habits

We are all swayed by advertising whether we admit it or not, and we’re sure you’d rather it be for something you would genuinely purchase. In fact, 51% of Gen Zers say that they would be more likely to buy a product because their internet online celebrity recommended it. When we follow our favourite influencers, we’re looking to see what lipstick they’re using or which restaurant they’re trying at the weekend, as well as having that person we can relate to because they’re interested in the same things as us. That’s why influencer ambassadors are the future of wider digital campaigns.

Ambassador Influencer Marketing

This can be seen in our own work with ECCO shoes. Rather than recruiting a celeb for their digital marketing campaign for Autumn/Winter, we helped facilitate a partnership with fashion and lifestyle influencer Alanna Doherty. Alanna starred in a photo and video shoot featuring key shoes from the new collection which was then put on the brand’s website. Alongside this, Alanna posted content on her own Instagram channel with the shoes, promoting the brand and her involvement. This partnership was a natural choice due to Alanna’s genuine interest in fashion and the ECCO brand. So, when those shoes pop up on your IG feed, you’re seeing how an actual customer would style the product and use day to day. 

Don’t get us wrong, we still love seeing the likes of Owen Wilson promoting a sofa (WOW), but our passion is putting people like Alanna at the forefront of brands’ marketing strategies. Authenticity is key with any influencer campaign and with 37% of people who follow influencers say they value realness and authenticity in their content, we strive to do just that within our work. 

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