Trendsetters: How Influencers Influence Public Opinions

Contents:

• Who is an influencer and what do they do?
• From a few hundred subscribers to several million. Understanding the types of influencers
• How influencers help brands with advertising
• Ethical issues in the influencer environment
• How to become an influencer
• Useful resources for aspiring bloggers from the editors of Skillbox.by

Who is an influencer and what do they do?

This is a person with a large audience on social networks, video blogs, or other online platforms. They create content on various platforms: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, VK, blog, and record podcasts. Such individuals are also called opinion leaders. The audience (subscribers) follows their activity and trusts their opinion. Influencers can be experts in different niches. In fashion, beauty, fitness, technology, cooking, etc.

Influencers earn the trust of their followers in the following way:

• Through content.They take photos, record videos and audio, create publications, reviews, and posts on social networks. Content can be entertaining, educational, socially relevant, but its goal is the same - to attract attention and engage the audience in dialogue.
• Through trust in their expertise.Influencers are experts in their niches. Their expertise and style attract followers looking for new information, advice, or inspiration.

Through this, influencers establish contact with their audience. They can recommend products or services, and when followers see their favorite blogger using a certain product, they are more likely to trust their advice. Influencers often teach their audience new skills and provide information about events, trends, and new products. This helps the audience expand their knowledge and see the world from a new perspective. And from the perspective of the influencer.

Another popular and effective method of two-way communication is interaction and public opinion. Influencers influence audience behavior, encouraging them to take certain actions. For example, they can motivate people to take care of their health, participate in charity events and marathons, buy certain products, conduct surveys, etc.

From a few hundred subscribers to several million. Understanding the types of influencers.

In the world of influencer marketing, there are several types of influencers, each with their own niche, audience, and methods of influence. Niches are not very important here, since the methods of communicating with the audience are constantly expanding.

Some of the most popular influencers today include bloggers, viners, pranksters, unpackers, show hosts, and musicians.But it is much more interesting to consider influencers depending on the scale of their influence on the audience. And according to this feature, three types can be distinguished:

• Micro- and nanoinfluencers.They have a small but devoted audience with a reach of several hundred to several thousand subscribers. They often specialize in niche topics: fitness, psychology, beauty, cooking, travel, etc. Due to the small number of subscribers, microinfluencers interact more actively and closely with the audience, including directly. Because of this, subscribers see them as experts and trust their recommendations more.
• Midi- and macro-influencers. Their audience ranges from ten thousand to a million subscribers. Due to this reach, the list of topics that such influencers work with is more extensive. However, interaction with the public is much less here, as are responses to comments and messages. Nevertheless, subscribers still see macro-influencers as authority, but the distance between them is greater, and the level of trust is slightly lower.
• Mega-influencers. Their audience is huge and numbers in the millions of subscribers. Usually, these are celebrities, athletes, actors, or other public figures. Two-way interaction is severely limited here. Followers perceive mega-influencers more like celebrities; their influence is less personal and more superficial, but it reaches a large audience.

How Influencers Help Brands with Advertising

Thanks to their connection with their audience, influencers have become valuable partners for brands. Their ability to create a strong connection with followers and influence them has allowed companies to more effectively influence their audience's purchasing behavior. This is how influencer marketing came about - a strategy based on collaborating with influencers to promote products and services.

Among the main advantages of this marketing solution are:

• Audience trust.Influencers already have an established connection with their subscribers, they trust them. Recommendations from them are perceived as recommendations from a friend.
• Reaching the target audience.Each blogger has a specific audience that matches the brand's target group.
• Authenticity.Influencers can integrate products or services into their content in a way that feels natural and doesn't offend.
• Creativity and diversity. Influencers can present a product or service in different formats adapted to the preferences and behavior of the audience.

Many foreign and Belarusian brands use this marketing technique to promote their products. Let's look at a few striking examples.

• Apple. This company always includes its products in influencer marketing, especially the iPhone. Famous actors, athletes, and musicians share their experiences using Apple products. This creates an association with success and wealth, attracting the attention of a success-seeking audience.
• Coca-Cola.Famous football player Cristiano Ronaldo collaborated with Coca-Cola during one of the World Cups. He posted a photo with a bottle of Coca-Cola on his Instagram page, which made the drink even more popular.
• Savushkin Product.The Belarusian dairy plant collaborates with young influencers on Instagram, who create content using the brand's products. This helps popularize them among young people and create associations with a healthy lifestyle.
• BELITA.To promote its products, the Belarusian cosmetics brand actively collaborates with local micro- and macro-influencers. Influencers share their experiences using BELITA products, talking about their benefits and results. Such guidelines help brands establish a close connection with their target audience and convince potential customers of the effectiveness of their products.

Ethical Issues in the Influencer Environment

Influencer marketing undoubtedly benefits not only brands but also the influencers themselves. However, it also raises some ethical issues. Let's look at the main ones.

• Opacity of advertising.Transparency in the relationship between influencers and their audience is extremely important. However, bloggers can publish advertising content without warning the audience. From an ethical point of view, this is misleading.
• Support of low-quality products.Bloggers, in pursuit of advertising contracts, can promote low-quality products that they themselves do not use. When this is discovered, it undermines the trust of the audience.
• Influence on youth.Influencers, especially those whose audience consists of young people and teenagers, have a strong influence on their views. The question is what values ​​​​they promote.
• Artificial image creation.To increase popularity, bloggers create an artificial image that does not correspond to their real life. This way, subscribers develop illusions and a false idea of ​​​​what a successful life should be.

Influencer marketing has emerged relatively recently, so in most countries, the activities of influencers are not yet regulated in any way. As a result, opinion leaders may violate the principles mentioned above. Therefore, to prevent audiences from being misled, it is crucial to create rules that regulate this area. For example, set standards for influencers and brands, monitor and control the quality of products and services that brands promote through influencer marketing, educate people about marketing practices, the importance of verifying information, etc.

How to become influencer

Influencer marketing benefits brands. This industry is constantly evolving and transforming. While this type of marketing initially focused on media personalities, it is now finding new heroes. Businesses have begun to focus on microbloggers. And today, influencer marketing unites creative individuals, experts, and enthusiasts from all over the world. However, becoming an influencer isn't as easy as it might seem at first glance. It's a process that requires time, effort, and dedication.
The Skillbox.by editorial team has developed basic steps that can help you get started in influencer marketing, benefiting brands and people:

• Choose a niche. Decide on an area that interests you and where you have knowledge or experience. A narrow niche is more attractive, as there is less competition.
• Create quality content. It should be interesting and useful for the target audience. Experiment with different formats: photos, videos, articles, podcasts.
• Optimize your social media profiles. Your profiles on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok should be filled with complete and up-to-date information about you and the niche you occupy. Use keywords and hashtags, create a recognizable name and logo.
• Build an audience.Aim for a quality audience, not a quantitative one. Attract people who are genuinely interested in your niche and content. Actively engage with your followers by responding to their comments and questions.
• Publish content regularly. Maintain consistency in your publications. Regularity creates expectations in your audience, so plan your content several weeks in advance to avoid gaps.
• Collaboration and interaction.Collaborate with other bloggers, take part in challenges. This will help expand your audience and create mutually beneficial relationships.
• Constantly learn and develop.Keep up with changes in your niche, study new trends and technologies. This will help you stay relevant and interesting to your audience.
• One of the main rules is to be authentic.Don't try to copy the style of other influencers - stay true to yourself and your beliefs. Authenticity attracts an audience.

Useful resources for aspiring bloggers from the Skillbox.by editorial team

Being an influencer isn't just about glitz and glamour. It's serious work that requires creativity, constant development, and accountability to your audience. Anyone can find their way in the influencer industry, but success comes to those willing to put in the effort and share valuable content.

The Skillbox.by editorial team has selected useful materials and resources for you that will help you find a path to this profession or hone the necessary skills.

Films and books:

• "The Social Dilemma" is a 2020 documentary drama film that talks about the influence of social media and shows the lives of opinion leaders from the inside.
• Sarah Shepard, Lilia Buckingham "Influencers" - a book about the fierce competition between opinion leaders.
• Robert Cialdini "The Psychology of Influence" - a book written by a doctor of science and professor of psychology, a guide to persuasion and motivation.

Communities and blogs:

• AKMA is an association of marketing agencies of Belarus, where you can find useful resources and events for influencers.
• LabelUp Community is a professional community with over 48,000 registered bloggers working on various platforms.
• Gary Vaynerchukis an American influencer and entrepreneur originally from Belarus who specializes in marketing and business. His content is filled with motivation, advice for entrepreneurs, and personal experience.
• Casey Neistat is an American vlogger and filmmaker who creates engaging and inspiring content about travel and creativity.