Welcome back to our follow up blog in the series Brands Vs Millennials. If you haven’t read our first article, you might want to check it out here.
When Brand2D started, social media in Kenya was a new space for brands. There were no benchmarks and hardly any businesses had an online presence. 9 years later, it’s a completely different narrative. Brands are using their own unique voices to engage people on social media and embracing personalities. KCB, for instance, engages their followers online in a humorous manner while Britam prefers to take a more educational approach.
Millennial aspirations lead them to look up to people they admire. These are individuals who’ve gained success in certain fields and are seen as ‘role models’. Since social media in Kenya simplifies how people connect, it also makes it easier to follow those they look up to.
They were more visible and easier to follow.
They came into the limelight under a new name;
Influencers.
Let’s start by defining who an influencer is-;
An influencer is someone with a strong relationship with his or her audience and can affect their purchase decisions because of their knowledge and authority. They have a strong online presence demonstrated by their relatively large following.
We can classify influencers in two ways
Based on their following
- Micro-influencers – Smaller number of followers, loyal followers, maybe niche or slowly gaining popularity.
- Macro-influencers- Command a relatively large number of followers.
Based on status
- Celebrities
- Industry experts – In respective fields i.e Doctors, journalists, e.t.c
- Bloggers and Content creators – Writers or bloggers who’ve gained popularity from the stories they write.
Now that we know who an influencer is, what makes a great influencer?
Is it the likes or engagements, number of followers or the type of content?
‘Content is King, Data is KingKong, Consumer is Queen’ Patrick Quarcoo
A great influencer is able to weave meaningful data into great content in an effort to convert his/her followers. Posting relevant content regularly makes them consistent and dependable.
For clients however,
Influencers are everywhere,
but the real question is,
who brings in real value?
We like to call them Real-Fluencers
They are empathetic with their followers making them relatable and ‘human’. They command a following through knowledge and experience they have gained over time making them an authority. These, in turn, means they are able to educate consumers on certain issues. Anything from insurance to finance and real estate.
Clients are now asking for value. Out of all the followers you have, what percentage is loyal or even better, what percentage can you convert. The definition of conversions varies based on the objectives. It can be anything from awareness to leads and actual sales. This means the Return On Investment (ROI) is calculated differently.
The value of a real-fluencer is in their loyal following resulting in higher conversion. They can be a micro, macro, celebrity who is able to connect with the followers in a human way.
They can also be niche like drummers, jazz players, accountants and travel bloggers all the way to college students, fashion designers, backpackers and cooks.
Influencers as brands
As businesses continue to engage influencers, they are becoming brands. As a brand, they have their own thing that they are able to chose products that align with their values. This approach differentiates them from inanimate objects like billboards. They are also more relatable with their followers which makes them authentic.
As a real-fluencer, there is need to define and sell value, not just the fanbase. This can be in investing in professionalism, great content, user engagement or other unique and creative ways that help you tell better stories for the brands you work with. This allows you to deliver more value while putting out great content.
Influencers are not only selling to clients, but to their followers as well. It is therefore important to ensure you engage both parties equally so that they can keep growing. The people who follow you, however, are your holy grail. The task is to create and deliver great content to your followers while tracking & reporting to your clients.
Clients
The choice of influencer depends on the objectives, target audience and the budget. Your business objectives define the expectations you have of the influencer you choose to engage. They should represent the views of your brand and command a following from your target audience.
Background research on influencers in terms of the content and their followers can help you narrow down on your list of potential influencers.
So there you have it. Hope we’ve enlightened you on not only what it means to be an influencer but also how to choose one for your brand. Why do you think it’s relevant for brands to use influencers? Let us know through the comments.
