Influencers and their Impact on Social Media
Influencers have blown up since Social Media has taken over the digital world. Influencers have become another type of marking; one that creates a loyal following and builds trust with the consumer. “Influencers have built relationships, trust, and credibility with their fans. People respect their content and recommendations,” (Huff, 2017). But, a successful influencer can promote a product or a brand and their followers will purchase from that brand or product because their favorite influencer uses it and loves it. Personally, I have even bought products because I trusted the review and opinions of an influencer I’ve followed for years. Influencers have a responsibility to be genuine and honest with their following. Over time, this builds trust between the influencer and the follower. If not, the influencer will lose their credibility, their following, future sponsorships, and also quite possibly their career as an influencer.
One of my favorite influencers on Instagram is Nicol Concilio. She is most well-known for her makeup and skincare-related content. She also has a Youtube channel, TikTok, and Twitch. Nicol currently has 1.1M followers on Instagram and has partnerships with companies like Savage X Fenty and Colourpop Cosmetics. She has a wide variety of content all across her channels ranging from makeup reviews, skincare routines, vlogs about her life, trendy-TikToks, to even streaming games like Animal Crossing and Among Us with her followers on Twitch.
I have followed Nicol for several years and I am a big fan for several reasons. I have always liked that she is very genuine and authentic. I met Nicol once at a meet and greet a few years ago and she was very authentic to who she portrays herself to be online. The beauty community online can be very toxic, but she has done a fantastic job of keeping herself out of the drama while also being a positive force in the online community. I have always enjoyed her makeup reviews because she is honest. She understands it is her job to be honest about the products she receives and she wants to be the best she can possibly be for her followers. She is always upfront about what she receives from brands to review and what content is sponsored. I have even bought makeup products that she’s loved because I trust that she’s honest.
Due to the pandemic, Nicole has branched out and incorporated different things into her content. She has also become a big advocate for small businesses and is constantly purchasing products from small businesses on Etsy. Nicole is always looking for small business recommendations from her followers (great engagement) on her Twitter account.
The Perfect Pair
Nicol has always supported small businesses, especially since the pandemic hit in 2020. She is always engaging with her followers and asking for recommendations on small businesses to support. I think a partnership with Etsy would be excellent for Nicol. Etsy has plenty of small businesses to chose from, but all of the options can sometimes be overwhelming. Etsy does a great job of placing products/shops in certain categories and giving consumer recommendations based on Etsy search history. “If you partner with influential bloggers for features and reviews of your products or services, it will help you build high-quality links to drive traffic and improve your search engine ranking,” (Barker, 2016).
Nicol always posts content on products she purchased from small businesses and it’s a great opportunity to engage with her followers that share the same love for supporting small businesses. Nicol offers discount codes to her followers for different brands that she is affiliated with (and is always honest about when she receives a commission from the discount). A partnership with Etsy should include a discount code her followers can use during checkout and also have Nicol set up a “shopping guide” that can be found on Etsy’s website. “It’s important to work with influencers who are both relevant to your niche and will appreciate your products,” (Barker, 2016). I think this would be a great partnership for both Nicol and Etsy. Etsy would get additional traffic and Nicol would benefit as well. Her followers will benefit by getting a discount and she would receive increased engagement and build trust with new followers.
Influencers are increasingly becoming important for brand marketing. Everyone is on social media now, especially younger generations. It is the easiest and most convenient way for brands to reach out to their audience. “The beauty about influencer marketing is that the audience is already there, all you need to do is establish a win-win partnership where both parties are offering amazing value to each audience,” (Huff, 2017). Influencers are seen as trustworthy; if a brand can successfully build a partnership with influencers, it can greatly improve a brand’s success.
Resources
Barker, S. (2016, December 06). 5 benefits of working with social media Influencers: Social Media examiner. Retrieved April 02, 2021, from https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-benefits-of-working-with-social-media-influencers/
Huff, T. (2017, May 09). 6 big benefits of using influencer marketing in your social strategy. Retrieved April 01, 2021, from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/6-big-benefits-using-influencer-marketing-your-social-strategy
