THE psychology of being influenced is not a new concept of course, but the power of the online influencer is a marketing strategy that is surging during the pandemic.
An ‘influencer’?
We have all taken a tip from someone here and there through the years, but an influencer is much more than that. It is essentially a person who wields the power and ability to influence people to buy a product or service that they promote or recommend on social media.
So they are paid to do it?
Sponsored posts by influencers across social media, from Instagram and Facebook to TikTok and YouTube, are becoming increasingly expensive, with rates dependant on the influencer’s online reach.
It goes from ‘nano’ to ‘mega’?
’Nano influencers’ have up to 10,000 followers and can earn around £100 per post, but moving through the ranks from ‘micro influencers’ - with up to 50,000 followers - to ‘mid-tier’, with up to 500,000; 'macro' with up to 1 million and then the peak ‘mega influencer’ with over 1 million followers, sees the prices rocket. Mega influencers can earn thousand, with celebrities potentially earning millions.
The concept is on the rise?
In our increasingly social media driven world, influencer marketing is a juggernaut. According to influencer marketing agency, Takumi, 73% of marketers have boosted their influencer spending during the pandemic.
The public are on board?
It seems the public are open to influence, with 38% saying they happy to see influencers incorporated within traditional advertising.
Not all influencers are paid?
Loose Women presenter Stacey Solomon has 3.8 million followers on Instagram and does promotional work for firms including Butlins and Dove, but even her non-promotional work can be influential. She recently holidayed at a hobbit-style cottage in Wales and when her followers learned the location, the holiday firm’s own Instagram followers skyrocketed by tens of thousands, their website crashed and their hobbit cottages booked out for 2021.
Who are the top influencers?
Cristiano Ronaldo, with nearly 240 million Instagram followers, earns around £45 million from his online posts alone. American media personality, Kylie Jenner, who stars in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, has 197 million followers and is said to be paid around £1 million per post.
YouTube’s in the mix?
Swedish YouTuber PewDiePie is a gamer who has 107 million subscribers on YouTube and makes around £3,000 per minute of YouTube video.
A nine-year-old is a global influencer?
American Ryan Kaji, 9, has more than 25 million subscribers to his Ryan’s World videos, mainly reviewing toys. Forbes last year named him the highest earning YouTuber for the second year in a row after he earned £20 million by “influencing” children’s toy box contents.
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