Smartphones have evolved greatly over the past 10 years. Due to its widespread use around the world, the number of SNS users has increased dramatically, and the dissemination of information and SNS advertising on social media have become effective. Among them, influencer marketing has been attracting attention in recent years.
In SNS, where information senders and receivers connect and two-way communication occurs, what role do influencers play and how much influence do they have? We will analyze the basic usage methods and benefits of influencer marketing, as well as key points for achieving effectiveness.
What is an influencer? Source of reviews
Influencer marketing
has been adopted by an increasing number of companies in recent years.
Influencer is a word that means inspiration or influence, and is “a person who can have a great impact on society.” Specifically, it refers to people who are active on Instagram, Twitter, blogs, video sites, etc. and have a certain number of followers and viewers. In other words, he is the person who serves as the starting point for disseminating information (word of mouth). From there, information is spread and expanded, creating a trend.
pyramid influencer
The diagram above is a pyramid diagram of influencers who influence SNS users. The people at the top are said to be entertainers, talents, and celebrities.
“Top influencers” have more than 1 million followers. Next is “middle influencers” with over 100,000 people. It is said that there are more than 10,000 “light influencers.” Although it is not a clearly defined number, it seems that people who have a higher level of communication power than general users and have around 10,000 to 100,000 followers are considered “micro-influencers.”
specific influencer marketing
What are some ways to leverage the influence of influencers, who are highly influential among the pyramids, to get users to suggest your company’s products and services?
Generally, the most common method is to have influencers use a company’s products or services and share their impressions on SNS.
If you use Twitter, you can summarize the process of using a product or service, take a photo, and post it with a hashtag. The content varies depending on the individual, but it must be clearly specified using a hashtag etc. so that it can be clearly identified that the post is an advertisement. This is to distinguish it from “stealth marketing,” or so-called “stealth marketing.”
Steal marketing is similar to cheating and shilling, and involves posting reviews from a neutral standpoint even though the company is paying you. It is important to clearly state that your company is an “advertisement” because if users judge that your company is engaging in stealth marketing, your brand power will decline and you may end up with an image that is not clean.
Three beneficial effects
There are three main benefits that can be gained by leveraging the influence of influencers in SNS advertising.
The first is its advantage in expanding information. It will be possible to provide users with information many times more quickly than the company itself can.
The second factor is “easiness of acceptance.” The key point is that information from people you like and follow is more approachable than regular advertisements, and tends to generate empathy that corporate advertisements don’t have.
The third is “efficient targeting.” By using influencers who are liked and followed by users in the purchasing demographic that companies are looking for, companies will no longer need to target users based on age, genre, hobbies, etc. The key is to select influencers according to the type of product or service and deliver effective advertising.
summary
It is expected that the number of influencers disseminating information on SNS such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok will continue to increase in the future. It is important for companies to have the “optimal influencers” disseminate information about their products and services at the “appropriate time.” The key to business growth will be whether you can utilize influencer marketing as an effective strategy.
