Just How Important is Influencer Marketing for Online Marketing?

What is Influencer Marketing?

The influencer is a person that creates a relationship with a brand or company. The influencer promotes the company’s products or services through various online or social media outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram. Influencers should not be confused with celebrity endorsements, though both aim for the same objective. Unlike known celebrities such as actors, singers, or professional models, influencers are ordinary but trusted figures that have created a niche following community and retain their loyal following. Also, influencers typically have the proper knowledge or experience in relation to what they are advertising.

For instance, a professional weight trainer and nutritionist who became a popular fitness vlogger on YouTube may be asked to advertise a new vitamin supplement or the opening of a new fitness gym. But there are times that an influencer may not have experience relevant to what they are getting into and rely more on personal experience. For example, some popular blogger-influencers try out newly opened restaurants and give their personal opinion on the taste of the food served and customer service.

Other common influencer categories include nature travellers, photographers, DIY experts, beauticians, and artists, just to name a few. Influencers are independent and create their own content on their own blogs or websites, integrating a company’s advertising into it.

How Important is Influencer Marketing?

With many social media platforms available on the internet with massive numbers of users, companies are aware that their target market is always among these masses. A big part of the solution to reach this target market is through influencer marketing. It allows companies to advertise directly to their target market without the need for the company to do it themselves. Consumers become less sceptical because somebody else seemingly unconnected with the company is talking about that company’s products or services since the influencer is trusted by his or her loyal followers.