‘Influence’ a term we could only attach to the political leaders, movie stars and sportsmen of the world. But in the age of social media, we have a new breed of influencers, the bloggers and Instagram stars who have amassed millions of followers by posting aesthetically pleasing images, tutorials and curating niche content.

Scroll through your timeline and you’ll definitely come across a ton of ads. These ads don’t necessarily come from the brands themselves, they come from the ‘Social Media Influencers’ they hire. Watching your favourite blogger strutting around the streets as if it were a runway is somehow more appealing than seeing a famous model do it, no? These social media influencers give you an inside look into their lives, take you behind the scenes and have a more personal approach to ‘influencing’. Their audience care for their opinions because they are more approachable and their lives are more relatable than that of a celebrity.

The online influencer community have further gained the power of people’s perceptions because of the expansion of social media channels that has given them more ways to communicate with the audience. While they can promise you the ‘reach’, purely based on their fan following, the actual ‘influence’ may never be known. That being said, how often do you see a digital marketing campaign that does not involve an influencer outreach? Not many. Because nothing works better than positive word of mouth to sell a product. The trust these influencers share with their audience is their biggest strength and somehow, when a blogger promotes a product, it is more believable that they use it. It may be hard to digest but these people have more influence on us today than world leaders do. But influencers don’t have it easy either. They have to constantly curate unique content, break through the clutter and be relevant. Anybody can become a somebody on social media, but successfully and sustainably doing so is where the real task lies.

There are also several questions that arise when associating influencers with a brand or product – Can we owe the success of the campaign to the worth of the product and creativity of the campaign or the people associated with promoting the product? And can a brand solely depend on influencers for promotions? There are some brands like Daniel Wellington who only use influencers on social media, both big and small, to promote their products. Does that mean they owe their success to them or to the quality of the product itself? While the answer may never be clearly defined, we can definitely conclude that influencers do have a positive effect owing to the successful brand campaigns we have seen over the years.

Another important feature of social media influencer marketing is the windows of opportunity it has opened up for smaller, lesser-known brands with lower budgets. There are different categories of influencers based on various categories and this makes advertising accessible for local businesses. Niche targeting based on the influencers forte further ensures that brands don’t waste their time or money while advertising through them. Traditional media outlets don’t give you this opportunity. Content on social media does not have to be heavily produced. Screen time on television, a space in the newspaper and a shout out on the radio will cost you more money and consume more time than influencer marketing. Today, your local bakery, designer or restaurant can target the right audience and advertise without having to invest big numbers.

The same can be said for the influencers too. Creativity, talent and quality content can turn an individual into an influencer. Social media has become a platform that can kick start and enable talented individuals to succeed. From where we see it, it’s a win-win.

Now, the agencies are left with the task of making sure that these brand-influencer associations succeed. As Harriet Hall put it, ‘Essentially, the age of the influencer presents massive opportunity for all types of brands but it is crucial that it is done well.’ (https://www.thoughtsparkagency.com/the-age-of-the-social-media-influencer/ )

The key is to have fresh, innovative ideas that will keep the audience engaged. Curating a unique experience for your influencers that will break through the clutter is what works best. Think Tree has conducted several successful influencer outreach programs over the years and here’s a glimpse at some of them!

About the author: 

Saroj Prabhakar is a copywriter at Think Tree Media House. She believes in the gym, veganism and Shawn Mendes.