With the spread of SNS, the term “influencer” has become widely used, but do you know its specific meaning and definition?
Nowadays, SNS is as powerful as other advertising media, and influencers play an important role in
marketing
.
In this article, we will explain the meaning and definition of influencer, what role influencers play in marketing, and how to utilize them.
meaning of influencer
The term influencer has been used frequently since around 2007 with the rise of blogging.
The word “influence” comes from the word “influence,” which means to influence, influence, influence, or effect, and means “a person who has a great influence on the world.”
Traditionally, influencers were typically celebrities who were exposed to the media. Nowadays, with the spread of SNS, there has been a rapid increase in not only celebrities but also influencers who are active on various SNS such as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Definition of influencer
There is no definitive definition of an influencer, and each media may explain it slightly differently. Here, we will divide them into four major categories, using the number of followers as an indicator of influence.
top influencers
Influencers with more than 1 million followers are classified as “top influencers.” Because they have a tremendous influence on society, many celebrities who appear on TV, athletes, top models, politicians, and other celebrities fall under this category. It is characterized by the fact that it is often popular among a wide range of people, not limited to a specific genre.
The strength of top influencers is that they have a very high reach ability to deliver advertisements and posts to users.
middle influencer
Influencers who are active in specific genres such as writers, manga artists, beauty, and cooking are called “middle influencers.”
The average number of followers is between 100,000 and 1 million, and although they do not have as much exposure on large media such as TV like top influencers, some influencers do appear in the media and publish books.
They are characterized by having great name recognition and influence in their specialized fields and in specific media.
micro influencer
The number of “micro-influencers” with approximately 10,000 to 100,000 followers has increased not only among celebrities but also among ordinary people, such as office workers and some students. There are many people who are active in more specialized genres or narrower fields than middle influencers, such as reader models and fashion people.
Compared to top influencers and middle influencers, they are closer and more familiar to users, making it easier for them to receive information to each of their followers.
Another feature of micro-influencers is that they are cost-effective in “influencer marketing,” which will be explained later.
nano influencer
Influencers with a few thousand to 10,000 followers are called “nano-influencers.” They have a close relationship with their followers, are more likely to receive comments and likes on their posts, and tend to have high engagement rates.
Since there are many people who specialize in specialized fields than micro-influencers, it is possible to send information directly to the target audience.
What is influencer marketing?
”
Influencer marketing
” is when companies use information sent by influencers on SNS to conduct advertising and promotions.
People’s product purchasing standards are changing with the times, and influencers’ messages have become an important factor in influencing people’s purchasing behavior, such as people purchasing a product because their favorite influencer recommended it. I am.
The market size of influencer marketing is growing year by year, and it is currently the most popular marketing method.
Advantages of using influencers for corporate advertising
How is influencer marketing different from traditional marketing? Here, we will explain three benefits of using influencers for corporate advertising.
Easy to reach target users
Traditional advertisements also feature celebrities, but due to the nature of advertisements, it was necessary to broaden the target audience in order to reach as many users as possible.
Additionally, because it relied on advertising systems such as Google, there were cases in which the ads were delivered to untargeted users.
In this respect, influencer marketing has the advantage of being able to send out information in a pinpoint manner to target users.
For example, beauty influencers can directly convey the goodness of a product by posting reviews such as “How the cosmetics actually feel to use” or “What kind of color does the makeup look like?” This is the deciding factor in purchasing the product.
By advertising according to the gender, age, and hobbies of followers, it is possible to efficiently make products and services known, and companies can expect to purchase a certain number of products.
more likely to be accepted than regular advertisements
Product reviews and word of mouth by influencers have less of an advertising feel than regular advertisements, and tend to be accepted by followers as opinions from the same consumer’s perspective.
Since there is a trust relationship built between followers and influencers, influencers using your products can give you a sense of security.
You can expect word of mouth and spread through SNS.
Information sent by influencers can be spread through the functions of SNS, so it can increase brand recognition and spark trends.
Information is spread from one follower to another, reaching more users.
In this way, using influencers in advertising is considered to have a great influence in marketing.
How to effectively utilize influencers
The effectiveness of your marketing will vary greatly depending on the influencer you choose.
Here are three points to keep in mind when doing influencer marketing.
Clarify purpose and target audience
Many influencers are active on SNS, but each person has a different genre of expertise and the concept of posting. There are fans who sympathize with their activities and policies, and there are often core fans who specialize in their specialty.
Therefore, it is important for companies to clarify the purpose of “what kind of people they want to reach” when advertising and promoting their products and services.
Then, make sure to carefully determine whether the age group, gender, hobbies, etc. of the influencer’s followers match your image before choosing one.
Don’t choose just based on the number of followers
The most important thing in marketing is to maximize cost effectiveness and ensure the success of your initiatives.
Don’t you think that the more followers an influencer has, the better?
No matter how many followers you have, if your product or service doesn’t match the influencer’s characteristics, your followers may be less responsive.
In particular, micro-influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers are relatively closer to their followers than top influencers or middle influencers, and have a greater influence on each user. .
Therefore, it is incorrect to say that “number of followers = spreading power”, and you can expect a higher effect by appointing multiple micro-influencers than by having one top influencer do advertising and promotion.
Make sure to clearly state that it is PR.
Hiding the fact that it is an advertisement or promotion, and pretending to be a general consumer to promote the service may develop into “stealth marketing,” which can actually damage the trust of users. .
When conducting influencer marketing, it is best to clearly state that it is PR, and to use influencers whose posts you can trust.
Influencer summary
Influencers can be classified according to the amount of influence they have, and the number of influencers with expertise in various fields is increasing.
Search engines
display a huge amount of search results and are overflowing with countless products and services. At times like this, if an influencer whose hobbies and tastes are similar to mine or whom I admire introduces a product, I feel like I should try it. The strength of influencer marketing is that it can deliver information directly to users in just this way.
On the other hand, as companies increasingly use influencers, some users are becoming skeptical about advertising.
In order to avoid losing trust in a company, it is important to select influencers that match the image of the product or service and have them post and communicate with enthusiasm.
If you are a company that is new to influencer marketing and are wondering, “How should I look for influencers?” or “I want to know the deciding factors for choosing influencers,” please refer to this article.