When someone asks you what you do for a living, the answer ‘I’m an online influencer’ is not surprisingly, a completely real job nowadays.
Influencers come in many different shapes and sizes, from high-profile celebrities, to a fashion and lifestyle influencer, a food blogger, journalists or even a photographer.
Yet they have one thing in common: they influence, entertain and sometimes inspire people.
They all have somewhat large followings of people on social media platforms and have the power to influence them on what they buy, where they should travel to or even what restaurant to eat in.
Often these influencers are paid by brands to publish online campaigns through Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Youtube or Snapchat and these pictures/videos/campaigns are viewed by up to millions of people.
Many of these influencers are ‘managed’ by social media influencer agencies. These aren’t the same agencies which manage celebrities. These marketing agencies manage online campaigns, help optimize their social media pages, sort out contracts and a bunch of other behind-the-scenes necessities.
Some examples are a fashion/lifestyle influencer which promotes a fashion brands new clothing line. A travel photographer might promote the best hotels to stay in by photographing their vacations. The possibilities are endless and these agencies have a big job to manage and ensure the influencers are being authentic as well as making enough money at the same time.
So, what could these agencies possibly be doing wrong?
The answer is quite simple: they haven’t quite used their power to the fullest. There is no doubt these agencies are managing influencers who have very real power. However, they aren’t making the most of this.
A Stackla report of 2000 adults in the US, UK and Australia concluded that 23% of consumers say that content from celebrities and influencers are impactful. However, 60% of consumers said that the content from their families or friends influences their decision making.
Why is this?
Authenticity.
86% of consumers said that authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. This makes sense to the above statistics, where a celebrity or influencer that they may not relate to or believe is authentic, has less of an influence than their family or friends who they know and trust.
How can agencies make their influencers more authentic and increase their influential power over consumers?
The answer again is very simple.
Influencers need to support initiatives of the businesses and brands that they are promoting.
For example, if a business is using 10% of their profits for their jewellery to help protect sea-turtles in an endangered area, the influencer needs to focus on this. Not just on how pretty the jewellery is, but the initiative.
If a hotel in Bali is the most beautiful place that the influencer has ever visited, see if the hotel has an initiative set up to give back to the community or land around them. Promote this at the same time as to how beautiful the hotel decor is.
If a sports brand is using recycled plastic bottles in their clothing, promote this at the same time as to how comfortable the clothing is and how great it looks. It is that simple!
This will not only increase your influencer authenticity but also is an easy way to give back at the same time. Gen Z and Millennials are fully aware of the problems that the planet faces in the upcoming years.
From melting ice caps, pollution, global pandemics, extinction, climate change, right down to the Black Lives Matter movement.
A lot of people from these generations have taken to social media to use their voices to speak out and to fight against this, such as by spreading campaigns, videos and posts about these problems.
Many have openly shown support for brands and influencers who have taken a stand and shown support to fight against these problems. Yet more can be done.
Now, it’s time for influencers to take action. It’s time they use their large followings and their social media power by increasing their authenticity and doing good at the same time.
However, what about the celebrities and influencers that are already doing this? How can your influencers stand out against the others whilst doing the same thing?
By using the ‘Swipe Up for Good’ campaign.
Brands are already being encouraged to give 1% of their advertising budget to fund a social or environmental project which is activated by user interaction, powered by by Boon.Today technology.
Influencers can get involved in this campaign too!
They can receive a link to add to their Instagram stories or Snapchat stories, which asks for their followers to ‘swipe up’.
The follower is then redirected to the website of the brand or to watch a short video.
At the end, this user interaction adds up and once the maximum amount of user interactions end, the money will be sent to fund the social or environmental initiative.
This type of campaign means that the influencers will gain authenticity as they will have supported a brand which is funding a worthwhile cause, as well as promoting the brand at the same time!
Contact Boon.Today for more information about how you can get your influencers involved. Or if you are an influencer reading this, contact the brands you are promoting encouraging them to get involved, or better yet to contact us here to find out more!