Who are the influencers and what do they bring to the brands?

The growth of the digital world has prompted the emergence of new strategies for the positioning and expansion of brands. The use of new “communication leaders or references” called influencers is an example of these new digital trends.

If you are thinking of adding an influencer to your digital strategy, to a campaign on social networks or you simply want to know more about the subject, you have come to the right place. Here we will tell you what influencers are and how you can exploit them for a brand, as well as their main pros and cons.

What is an influencer?

An influencer is a public figure who, as his name suggests, has the ability to influence the masses. That is, a recommendation from him, a complaint or a comment has the ability to impact the masses, be replicated and even influence opinions.

It is said that they are the opinion leaders of our times due to the great reach and number of followers that they usually accumulate. In addition, they have a great capacity to be heard and even to encourage their mass of followers to carry out certain actions, and it is precisely this that makes them so valuable and dangerous.

Characteristics of a good influencer

Quality influencers, since they exist both of good and bad quality, meet the following characteristics:

· Great reach: A good influencer has a great reach which is not necessarily proportional to the number of followers. Many times an influencer who reaches 80% of his 10,000 followers is worth more than one who reaches 1% of his 200,000 followers.

· Engagement: In addition, a good influencer has a great connection and engagement with their audience. It is loved, valued and its opinions or comments are taken into account, as well as people interact with it, not only follow it and now.

· Quality in content: There are influencer who are famous for a simple viral video and in reality, they do not contribute anything to users or brands. That is why a good influencer is one who has quality and value content.

· Versatility: As if that weren't enough, influencers have the ability to be versatile, adapting not only to different platforms, but also to different content. A perfect example is found in the Streamers who have become Youtubers or the Instagram influencers who have jumped to TikTok and vice versa.

Influencers and brands: How do collaborations work?

Brands have found in influencers a good way to reach niche markets. A perfect example is found in Nike and the use of influencers and content creators, for example, from the Sneakers or Runners segment to promote their tennis shoes.

While there are many types of collaborations with content creators, the most basic is an exchange, be it money or product, for a mention. That is why we find influencers talking about certain brands in stories, as well as photos, videos and posts about the product while it is being used by them.

What should brands take into account when working with an influencer?

Before hiring a Streamer, Youtuber or content creator, brands must take into account some points. Here we will tell you the 3 main points to take into account.

1) Quality of the followers: It is very important to take into account not only the size of the community of the content creator, it is also essential to evaluate the quality of the content. Brands will have to evaluate whether the followers are organic and authentic or bots, as well as the engagement with them.

2) Quality of the influencer: Many brands overlook the quality of the influencer when it is very important to evaluate the quality, for example, of the content published by the YouTuber or the prestige of the Streamer. This is because problematic influencers, for example, can bring more problems than benefits to brands.

3) Reciprocity between influencers and brands: This is a very common mistake when choosing Youtubers and Streamers for brands since many marketing managers only seek reach when in reality, reciprocity must be sought. There is no use reaching 10 million people if less than 1% is your target market.

Advantages of working with an influencer

Choosing good influencers can bring many benefits for brands as long as the objectives and strategies are well defined. If you picked the best YouTuber or Streamer, then you are likely to get the following benefits from working with a content creator.

· A great reach: This is undoubtedly one of the best benefits of working with influencers because with just a story, for example, or a post, the reach of brands can be enormous. This is a great advantage if we compare costs with a TV commercial, for example.

· Segment your niche: To reach the right people it is necessary to choose the right influencers, if you do, the results can be very good. For example, when a brand launches a new video game, inviting Streamers to try it can boost your sales more than telling kitchen YouTubers to do so.

· Options for everyone: Also, you should know that there are influencers for all brands and budgets. That's right, there is a term known as Micro influencer, for example, for people with few followers, but great influence capacity. These are usually cheaper without sacrificing quality in impact and reach.

The risks of working with an influencer

There are many risks brands must take before working with a content creator. One of the clearest is that the followers feel like a false and forced attempt to sell some mention of the Youtubers in their videos, for example.

Another is that many influencers or Streamers tend to be involved in controversy because in the end, they are human. An improper act by an influencer can lead to collective hatred and rejection that can negatively impact brands.

These risks are minimized with the appearance of AGENCIES, which mediate between both, in order to maximize the possibilities and interests of the parties.