After all, who are these digital influencers? An influencer is a person who has a good reach on the Internet, more specifically on social networks, due to the content they share publicly. This content can be segmented by influencers specializing in certain subjects, such as finance, entrepreneurship, beauty, tourism, etc. Or it can be more general and lifestyle content; that is, the influencer shares the behind-the-scenes of their life: their daily routine, the trips they take, and the places they frequent, among others.
This influencer can be someone who already had a public impact in another work, such as an actor, for example, who migrated to the Internet, or someone who was anonymous and gained a considerable audience directly on digital platforms. The important thing is that for someone to achieve this role of influencer, they need to combine two factors: reach and trust. You must get a considerable audience and convey credibility to your followers. One of these two pillars must be revised to support the influencer’s role.
As for the scope, it has a touch of subjectivity. There is no minimum number of followers for a person to be considered a digital influencer.
It is conventionally considered that those with between 10 thousand and 100 thousand followers on the network are micro-influencers because they impact a more restricted, but still considerable, network. From 100 thousand onwards, the person is already an influencer! And above 100 100,000, it is still possible to infer two more categories: medium influencers, who have between 100 100,000 and 1 million followers, and macro influencers, who have more than 1 million followers. In this last category, there are usually big celebrities.
The social network with the highest concentration of influencers is Instagram, not least because of its visual potential. Typically, those with this job use other platforms simultaneously, such as YouTube or Facebook, but most of the time, the largest concentration of audiences will be on Instagram. One of the reasons for this is the stories tool, which, although present on other platforms, ended up being more successful on Instagram. Influencers use this tool to establish a more direct dialogue with their audience and interact intensely, increasing their engagement rates and, consequently, their audience.
Therefore, a digital influencer is a professional dedicated to creating and sharing content on the Internet to impact their audience.
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Where does the impact of these influencers come from?
In recent years, one can notice the “boom” of digital marketing influencers: it is quite possible that in your social circles, you have seen friends and family commenting more on these figures, following their work. And this happens because big brands have given these professionals visibility and are using their media channels to advertise.
According to a survey entitled X-ray of digital influencers in Brazil, there are 7,500 digital influencers duly cataloged across the country, excluding those with less than 100 100,000 followers.
But where does this impact of influencers on society come from? Several factors contribute to this, and we will explore the main ones.
Identification And Projection Process
We like to follow the lives of people with whom we identify or on whom we project our own life goals. So, a young woman who likes makeup, for example, and who dreams of becoming a successful makeup artist will probably follow digital influencers in this segment. Someone who enjoys traveling and exploring different destinations or dreams of living this type of experience but doesn’t yet have the opportunity will also follow influencers who show this type of routine and content.
What happens is that, over time, it was realized that the identification process is more potent than projection. And following this trend, most digital influencers also changed their stance towards the public. For a long time, it was common for these professionals to open only a minimal facet of their lives to the public, restricting themselves to moments of luxury and ostentation. Nowadays, on the contrary, the tendency is to expose what makes this influencer “people like us,” that is, the little mishaps of everyday life.
In the tourism segment, it is expected to find influencers who show the “troubles” of the trip. All of this makes the audience identify even more and have more desire to follow along.
Trust
We said previously that trust is a pillar in this segment. A Nielsen survey showed that more than 80% of consumers make decisions based on opinions from trustworthy sources, above other advertising sources. When a digital influencer builds an image of credibility, he becomes that source.
Thus, people start following to see what the influencer recommends, such as products, services, brands, and travel destinations. That’s why consolidating this trust is one of the daily efforts of those who work in this field. It is expected to see influencers explaining to the public how careful they are before closing a paid partnership with a brand. They know their indications are responsible for a large part of the engagement.
Another survey worth mentioning from the opinion app MeSeems showed that more than 40% of respondents have already purchased a product or service recommended by a digital influencer.
Direct And Interactive Communication
Admiring specific public figures has been part of society since the first communication channels emerged. It happened a lot through TV shows and magazines specializing in celebrities. However, in these contexts, the audience was very unilateral; there was no interaction. It placed these personalities on an unattainable level.
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