Who is an influencer and what is influencer marketing for?

An influencer influences people through their behaviour and communication. Millions of users go to social media for distraction, but also for inspiration. When can we consider an influencer someone who can genuinely help us build a brand and support sales? We have summarised all of it for you in today's article.

Who are influencers?

Influencers are people who create content online with which they have managed to engage and attract an audience. It is precisely thanks to that audience that an influencer has great value for marketers. The relationship between an influencer and a fan is more intimate and personal than the relationship between a brand and a client. These are, after all, human beings sharing common interests or experiences. What is shared is a good feeling, even if only through a screen. An influencer can connect that good feeling with your product. You also have to think about an influencer's past. A negative association can just as easily stick to you.

How do we divide influencers?

• By the type of content they create we divide them into:
  • Bloggers
    They use the oldest medium of all - the written word. For people who like reading, though, it is a favourite format. They can build firm, lasting relationships with their fans. Readers have good attention and patience.
  • YouTubers/TikTokers
    They create videos, which are very popular content online. Their content often takes the form of a consumable, though, and their fans need not be as loyal as they are to their favourite bloggers or podcasters.
  • Podcasters
    The modern successors of radio. With their fans, and with guests, they have plenty of room for discussion and specialisation. They are not as attractive as video creators.
  • Social media influencers
    Today it is probably entirely standard that influencers creating content on one of the channels mentioned also have their own social media pages. But there are also influencers who create their content purely for them.

• By level of influence we divide influencers into:
  • Celebrities
    These are the original influencers. Their importance is gradually declining, though.
  • Opinion leaders
    This group includes journalists, experts in a particular field, advisers and so on.
  • People with significant influence
    These are people who have built a reputation in a particular field informally through online activity.

• By follower count we distinguish:

1. Nano influencer (fewer than 1,000 followers)
   It may seem this type of influencer will not have great reach, but the opposite can be true. They do not have many followers, but those followers interact with them all the more. Often it is an expert in a particular field with great influence over that group. This group includes influencers whose followers often know them personally too. They trust their experience and reviews all the more.
   
   
2. Micro influencer (1,000 to 10,000 followers)
   This group is often taken as an intermediate step between the brand and the customer. These are very authentic influencers with great influence over their followers. They are also very willing — if a given product or service is close to them and they genuinely identify with it, they will do their utmost so that their followers learn everything essential about the product and the brand.
   
   
3. Macro influencer (10,000 to 100,000 followers)
   This is a publicly known person who may in time become a celebrity too. They have great reach and a high rate of interaction with followers. People often follow them for sharing their private life or expert, valuable content. It is the type of influencer who works to have a good-looking feed, engaging videos and generally takes care over content. They choose their collaborations conscientiously and are often rather expensive.
   
   
4. Mega influencer (more than 1 million followers)
   Here we place most celebrities, athletes, singers, actors and presenters. With such a huge number of fans, though, it is not possible for them to have a close, firm relationship with their followers. That is why such influencers are often chosen by brands coming to market with a new product that needs to become known. Or brands that need to become known to the public.
   

How to go about choosing an influencer?

Do not focus solely on follower count. Bear in mind that an influencer with fewer subscribers who focuses on one specific topic can have greater impact than a celebrity with no specialisation. An influencer with a large number of followers need not reach your target group at all.

It is a good idea to ask the influencer for the built-in statistics of their Instagram account. On the basis of these statistics, such as demographic data (gender, age, geographic location), you can find out whether this collaboration is relevant for you.

When first deciding on choosing an influencer you need to set what goals you want to achieve through the collaboration, what the target group and budget are. Do not forget to check which platform the influencer works on, what tone they use with their audience and whether they are suitable to represent your product.

Be as responsible in choosing as in creating a marketing strategy.

• target group - as we mentioned above, choose on the basis of which target group you want to aim the product or service at. If you want a serious collaboration, ask the influencer for the built-in statistics of their Instagram account.  On the basis of these statistics, such as demographic data (gender, age, geographic location), you can find out whether this collaboration is relevant for you and how far it overlaps with your target group.

• follower count - this is the first thing most of us notice when clicking an Instagram account. If you are choosing an influencer for your brand, though, remember that if your prospective influencer has millions of followers, it does not yet mean your business will grow by that number of real customers. It all depends on the goals you set. We also divide influencers by followers into micro, macro, nano and mega. We will explain this division a little later. 

• way of communicating - influencers also differ in their type of communication. One addresses their followers formally the whole time, another informally. One uses more slang, another a more official register. Precisely for that reason it is worth following an influencer before entering into a collaboration and looking at it from the target customer's point of view. We cannot, after all, ask an influencer suddenly to communicate differently.

• the influencer's personality - with this attribute it is worth noticing how believable their communication is, their communication abilities and skills. How they come across to you overall.

• platform - if you are choosing an influencer, it matters that most of your target group is on the platform they work on — only then will it make sense. 

• public standing/controversy - if you are a serious company and a big brand, it is essential to know a given influencer's past too. So that no negative experience accidentally becomes associated with your brand. It is also good to choose so that it is not a person who takes every collaboration going, because that does not inspire trust. 

What should a collaboration with an influencer look like?

In a collaboration, pay attention to:

• do not hide the collaboration - if you are doing something with a goal and responsibly towards your customers, there is no reason to hide serious collaborations with influencers from them. 

• let the influencer be themselves - in our view the only proven recipe for influencer marketing is naturalness. That is precisely what works on people, so you should not ask an influencer for something in which they do not feel themselves and comfortable. That will not raise the credibility of the brand or the product. Besides, genuine influencers usually will not agree to such a collaboration if they do not identify with the product or brand.

• keep to the requirements set - this should apply on both sides. That is why setting goals in a collaboration matters greatly right from the start. Usually it works so that you agree the number of posts/stories on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, and decide whether you will reward the influencer financially or by barter. With cosmetics, for instance, it really is more credible when the influencer tests the product so they can give an authentic review. 

• favour long-term collaborations - we recommend this mainly because a collaboration that does not end after one post or story is far more authentic and credible. The influencer can genuinely try the product, has more time to identify with it and can also come up with ideas of their own.

• let them think things up - of course, if you are a big brand and have some competitive advantage, you cannot stray entirely from your identity. But that does not yet mean the influencer cannot come up with a creative idea that you can then adapt to your brand. Sometimes they may come with something that genuinely gives your business a new dimension.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing used as part of an online communication strategy to engage and reach the target group more effectively. Its essence lies in the influencer trying to present a particular brand's product credibly so as to interest people.

Influencer marketing brings various advantages, such as:

• building brand awareness,
• winning new customers,
• supporting sales.

In principle it is a simple trade. You have a product and the influencer has fans, or followers if you like. You pay the influencer to show, use or review your product. The theory is that if people see it in the hands of their favourite, they are more likely to buy it. The growing budgets for this kind of marketing speak clearly: a properly chosen collaboration with an influencer can be a great benefit for your business.

A good piece of advice to finish

Do let your influencers create freely. Their creativity is the reason they became successful and the reason you know of each other at all. Always check, though, that what you agreed on was kept to. Do not hide the collaboration. If you are responsible towards your customers, there is no reason to hide serious collaborations from them. Build your brand's trust and transparency and customers will certainly reward you for it.

Is it a little clearer now? We believe it is. Choosing a suitable influencer need not be so demanding if you follow all our advice. We are rooting for you!