Choosing the Right Influencer

From a PR perspective, it’s crucial to set your client up with the right influencer. Remember, it’s not all about the “pretty picture” or large number of followers someone may (appear) to have – you should consider the three “Rs” when navigating through the influencer marketing landscape.

Something else to keep in mind is that today’s influencers typically require some sort of payment – whether that means receiving a free product or an all-expense paid destination visit, there is likely some sort of barter or cost associated with the partnership.

While a fashion influencer may post a beautiful bikini shot on the beach that looks like pure #goals, there’s often much more than meets the eye: Just one photo can take hours to shoot on top of more time spent editing, and the influencer likely has an overarching strategy of their own that’s needed to keep their feed cohesive. There are also analytics to consider before posting – do images with more blue tend to do better? Do the followers tend to engage more early morning? Are the likes higher when the influencer’s boyfriend joins the shot?

Real Life Proof That Influencer Marketing Works

One of the most recent and most outrageous influencer marketing case studies out there is focused on Fyre Festival. Whether you watched the Hulu or Netflix documentary (or maybe both…#guilty), one thing is certain – the power of social media influencers is immense. Thousands of people viewed posts from various and well-respected social media stars about an infamous music festival, and because people have established a trust with these influencers, countless amounts of consumers bought tickets to this event without knowing anything more than the soundbites the influencer pushed out. The result? A mess that left thousands stranded in the Bahamas with little more than hurricane shelter-like tents and bad sandwiches.

On the flip-side, social media outlets can be so successful that the influencer can leverage their popularity and admiration into a full fledged business. Social media influencer and entrepreneur Julia Engel, who currently has over 1.2 million followers, started her blog, Gal Meets Glam, in 2011. From the start, the blog featured style, beauty, travel and home content that appealed to a large audience. Julia’s love for “all things feminine” inspired a dress line in 2018, with products carried on her site and in major luxury department stores, like Nordstrom and Dillards.

The real reason influencers continue to make such breakthroughs is yet another “R” word: Relatability. The relationship the public builds with social media influencers is unlike any relationship the media landscape has seen before. Social media influencers have the ability to create a conversation with their followers regardless of location and, as a result, consumers can ask questions in real-time and get authentic feedback. It’s not Jennifer Aniston selling them lotion, but someone they have grown to admire and trust.

Many lifestyle influencers are also posting about their personal lives in addition to a destination they just visited or a unique piece of clothing they received, to help their followers experience the type of person they are and establish other avenues of connection. Despite their large size, many influencers and their followers share the same demographic traits and interests, creating the feeling of having an established relationship with the person.

As technology continues to evolve into the future, social media influencers will adapt alongside it. In the meantime, give some of your favorite influencer’s photos a few double taps – after all, it’s much more than just a pretty picture.