Influencers have been around for as long as humans have been on earth.
Contrary to pop-culture belief, there’s no such thing as an exclusive cool kids’ club that holds absolute power to shape perceptions and the concept of influence is not this unique trait or particular skill available only to a select few. We are all perfectly capable of influencing the opinions and behaviors of those around us, and we actually do so on a daily basis even when we are not aware of it. The reverse is also true.
Typically, it is those closest to us who have the greatest impact in shaping our thoughts and actions.
Your parents, for example, were probably the biggest influencers in your household when you were growing up. Chances are that your mother may still be your top influencer if you call her from the store to ask what brand of dish detergent to buy. Fast forward to today, and we’ve now arrived at a moment in time when influence has at its disposal a massive infrastructure that is freely accessible to anyone on the digital space.
Thanks to ever-increasing internet usage rates, with more than 4.5 billion internet users at the start of 2020, mobile adoption at an all-time high, with 5.19 billion unique mobile users worldwide, and the explosive growth of social media, content creation, and dissemination is now ubiquitous. The way consumers discover, interact and decide on brands has forever changed. People are looking at each other more than ever to inform their purchasing decisions and marketers who are facing the effects of fragmented media consumption habits that strongly favor social channels see in influencer marketing an effective alternative to reach consumers right in their natural habitat. But traditional influencer marketing is being gradually disrupted once again as we speak.
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There is a clear shift towards the use of a more inclusive model as the ecosystem expands and extends beyond professional content creators to make room for regular everyday people with a social media presence. The future of digital marketing is in micro-segmentation and hyper-personalization, and for influencer marketing, this translates to doing away with the one-size-fits-all mentality or the popularity over substance approach. If we look at the mindset and intent of modern consumers who expect a high dose of authenticity in their interactions with brands, it’s clear that influencer marketing 2.0 will consist of small-scale collaborations with the objective of reaching atomized and hyper-focused audiences.
With trust in big businesses at an all-time low and a greater and palpable demand by millennials and Generation Z for more honesty, inclusivity, and diversity from brands, the influence scale will tip even more in favor of family, friends, and consumers’ chosen network on social media who appear more genuine and trustworthy. Real influence is in its most potent and action-driving form in more intimate, close-knit communities and many brands have already had a taste of this when working with micro-influencers, and more recently, with nanoinfluencers, hailed as the next big thing in digital marketing.
These influencers with a more modest but highly engaged audience are relatable and personable. They have a closer relationship with their followers because their content feels real and down-to-earth and, thus, it deeply resonates with their community. Renowned brands like Clean & Clear have pivoted to the use of nanoinfluencers or social media users with less than 5,000 followers.
Other companies like H&M are looking in-house to create influencer teams made up of their own employees. It is proof that marketers are nowadays more open than ever to leverage the full spectrum of influence in their search for striking the right balance between reach and engagement. After all, the true measure of an influencer is in their power to sway the opinions of their followers and drive them to take action and if we look at the data micro-influencers and nanoinfluencers consistently deliver higher engagement rates than influencers with larger followings.
Today’s consumers are pushing marketers to reconsider where true influence lies.
It is no longer only celebrities, sports figures, or big businesses who dictate what the next trend or cultural movement will be. Everyday people can now make their voices heard on a public platform, amass a loyal following on social media and create a community of like-minded individuals with shared interests, bringing influencer marketing back to its origins and harnessing what made it successful in the first place: word-of-mouth marketing.
