Why Are Influencers so Influential Today?

Why Are Influencers Like Itsmetinx So Influential Today?

Personalities that achieve success or notoriety on social media platforms are seemingly everywhere. You’ve got YouTube stars boxing with professional fighters, Scandinavian computer nerds influencing millions of adolescents and wives of pop stars amassing fortunes on various platforms.

Photo credits: GraziaUK | Photographer:  Chantel King

What the survey says for their influence

According to a survey, influencers currently yield the biggest power over people’s purchasing decisions in Brazil, China and India.While influencer power fluctuated in some countries, the trend to follow their lead when deciding on a purchase mostly gained traction. Moreover, Influencers’ influence grew most in Russia, Brazil, India and Germany. Very few people – only 12 percent – in France said they paid influencers any mind.

Among the ever-growing number of famous internet users are many fascinating personalities that are gaining ground in certain niches. Itsmetinx is one such influencer that brings her followers into her world and tries to add value to their lives.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

The definition 

The concept is very familiar. You can probably recollect all the celebrities throughout the years that associate themselves with established brands. Some of these famous people do one-off deals with brands and others stick around for years and become closely associated with their clients.

The idea of the influencers may not be new but the move to the online space brings a different playing field. In past decades, an influencer emerged through tightly controlled channels.

Actors and actresses, sports stars and even people that became famous circumstantially, could leverage their popularity as brand ambassadors. This is a narrow pool of people to choose from and may not fit your specific brand’s needs.

Along comes the internet in the mid-1990s and changes the playing field. As social media platforms began to solidify their hold on people’s lives, a new day emerged.

Becoming viral

Suddenly, internet users started becoming overnight sensations and gathering massive followings. With the advent of Instagram in 2010, the online personality known as the influencer takes off. Every day people can now share their content with the world. This is a phenomenon that gives social media users the chance to captivate audiences and sway opinions.

Brands were, of course, quick to catch on and recognize the opportunity for their products. If you want to find the leverage this tactic, you’ll have to go back to the early 1900s. For example, “Fatty” Arbuckle, a comedian, is the first person to ever be hired to promote a cigarette brand publicly.

If you want to find the first online influencer, you’ll have to go to 2006 and the Blogstar platform, the launchpad for what the online influencer use is today. 

Is It a Fad?

If you’re thinking of promoting your brand by employing influencers, your first concern might be if this method will endure into the future. After all, you don’t want to throw a portion of your marketing budget at an influencer campaign only to find out that the concept’s time is up.

For instance, you’ll be surprised to know that approximately 90% of brands are promoting their products using an influencer. From local businesses to international corporations, internet personalities are a mainstay in the marketing of virtually every niche in existence.

Here are a few reasons why you can expect influencer-based marketing to stick around for a long time.

Agencies Are Using Them More

Marketing agencies are seeking out and employing more and more prevalent social media users. Specialized agencies that leverage these online celebrities on behalf of brands are growing at rates that are outpacing legacy advertising houses. 

More Influencers Are Made Everyday

The rise to prominence of new online personalities is not slowing down in the slightest. If anything, more influencers are becoming established as new platforms enter the space. 

Variety of Social Media Platforms Is Growing

Instagram might be the platform most people associate with the concept of influencers, however, that’s changing fast. TikTok, Clubhouse and even old-timers like Twitter are allowing their users to grow large, loyal followings. New sites are offering innovative ways of interaction while older players are rushing to tap into a more decentralized model.

Does It Work?

The fact that demand is increasing and that more and more companies are trusting influencers as opposed to rigid ads from legacy agencies is proof enough. An influencer like @Itsmetinx can connect with users on a level that conventional ad campaigns often wish they could achieve.

Users love engaging with real people they can relate to. Even celebrities are finding renewed success when interacting with fans online. While users like to be in awe in a movie theater or a sporting arena, a peek behind the scenes into a person’s life is a real-world human thing to do.

Consumers trust organic human activity and react positively to testimonials that aren’t filmed with a production crew. Getting to see your favorite influencers use a product will show how that item is a part of that person’s life.

About @Itsmetinx

Her influence

Tinx is a vibrant woman that, as you’ll find on her Instagram description, is an amalgamation of all five Spice Girls. With a following approaching 400,000 users on Instagram and with other platforms gaining steam, Christina Najjar, the person behind the username is a bona fide influencer.

Photo credits: https://www.instagram.com/itsmetinx/

A stroll through her Instagram will find her in the kitchen, lounging in the living room or modeling clothes. Her fans love to comment on her posts and Itsmetinx returns the energy with inspirational content and a feel-good vibe.

Why Is Itsmetinx So Influential?

Itsmetinx is an influencer that is going back to the roots that the label entails. That is, she offers an attainable image of a woman that’s down to Earth yet aspires to reach her full potential.

Over the years, popular social media personas resorted to heavy filtering of their images. Many went as far as renting mansions and posing in front of private jets in an attempt to attract massive followings. 

While this worked to a certain extent, people started to see through the false image. Furthermore, these overly ambitious individuals lost clout with their followings over time. People don’t tend to relate to someone that’s driving around in supercars and posing in front of elaborately staged sets.

Itsmetinx is a fabulous, down-to-Earth internet star if we can put those terms side by side. Her followers can trust her not to cram products down their throats. At the same time, @Itsmetinx’s users exhibit a genuine interest in her life and surroundings, a great combination for brands that are geared towards women. 

What You Can Learn From @Itsmetinx for Your Business

The jig is up with advertising. Well, to a great extent, anyway. Users do not want to be sold to when they’re online. They would much rather relax while they check in on their favorite content. 

Most legacy advertising agencies believe that the answer to declining sales is ads, ads and more ads. While there is a place for ads in any marketing campaign, the trend is pointing to smarter use of advertising. 

Itsmetinx understands that people don’t follow her to be battered with sales messages. She knows how to embrace a product so that her followers become acquainted with it. 

Influencer Marketing Tactics

The better you understand how the social media influence landscape works, the better the results you will get from working with online personalities. Influencer marketing tactics are nuanced choices you make that will produce the desired result. 

Some tactics may force you down paths that may seem uncomfortable for your brand. Depending on how tight a grip you keep on your image, you may have to think outside the box. Luckily, we’re here to help established brands formulate result-driven strategies that don’t mess with your brand’s essence. Rather, we prefer to work with the influencer of choice to grow a client’s authority and bottom line.

1. Working With an Influencer That’s a Fan

While it isn’t a requirement, finding an influencer that is a fan of your brand will be beneficial. They will promote your product in a genuine way that builds audience engagement. Working with someone that detests your product or is lukewarm about it might be a thin curtain and users will see through it.

Your influencer of choice can be a long-time fan or they can embrace your brand upon pitching the collaboration to them. You don’t have to scour the internet for an influencer that’s already a die-hard fan. 

2. Influencer Collaborations

What’s better than one influencer? More than one, if your campaign calls for it. Social media users follow multiple personalities and engagement between these internet stars can have a synergistic effect. 

By setting up an influencer collaboration, you are multiplying your brand’s exposure while increasing the opportunities for users to react to a call to action. Conventional advertising tells us that it takes your audience seeing your message seven to eight times before they internalize it. Using two or more online personalities can ensure that your audience is coming across your brand in different settings.

3. Allowing Free Reign on Creativity

This is where some brands show some pushback. You’ve built your brand ever since your company was in the startup phase and it’s difficult to place your business into the hands of an influencer. 

When you find the right influencer, you won’t have to worry about your brand being on the wrong side of a creative effort. Working closely with your chosen influencer can put you on creative paths that will transform the way you interact with your customers.

An influencer that has experience working with established brands will know how to bring your message to their audience. Contests, podcasts, events and even funny videos on TikTok can make your products viral beyond your expectations.

4. Using a Micro-Influencer

On first thought, most business owners would want to get a massive celebrity with tens of millions of followers to promote their brand. However, this may not be the most cost-effective way to achieve your goals. Bigger online personalities tend to have followings that aren’t only massive, but diverse in their interests.

This means that by paying for a big-name influencer, you will be broadcasting your message to millions of followers, many of which will be completely uninterested in what you have to say. On the other hand, entrusting your brand in the hands of a micro-influencer can have a high return on investment.

The key to finding the right micro-influencer is having the right criteria in place. Someone with a following that matches your target audience’s interests and preferences is a perfect choice. Other criteria may be things like geographic location, presence on specific platforms and personality.

5. Metrics, Metrics, Metrics

The tactic that will guide you safely in your promotional efforts is the proper tracking of metrics. While social media is an organic experience and may not always be quantifiable, the ability to track analytics is paramount. 

When considering an influencer, there are KPIs that you need to keep in mind. Your marketing budget is the lifeblood of your company as it leads to sales. Being able to look at metrics and make improvements will only increase your return on investment, allowing you to grow and climb the ranks of your niche.

Your cost per lead, return on investment and customer retention are just a few metrics you should monitor regularly.

What’s Coming Next?

Learning about Influencer Marketing

If you want to learn influencer marketing, there is no shortness of excitement in the space. The playing field is evolving and the upcoming transition is taking social media for a ride. Those with a solid understanding of influencer marketing will be able to thrive in the decentralized model that is unfolding.

Since the advent of social media, the end-user was the product, as you may have heard being said. This means that users dedicate their time to a platform only for its owners to collect data and use it to make money. The platform user as well as the influencer end up not getting rewarded for their time on the social media site.

A new wave of platforms is looking to change this. Twitter is pivoting its business model to include content creators in a revenue-sharing model. This means that influencers will have greater control over the growth of their online presence.

What this means for your brand is that you need to consider adapting your business model to the new social media landscape that is developing. Create an environment in your marketing department that interfaces well with an influencer-driven marketing agency rather than a rigid, outdated way of looking at promotion. 

Where can you learn more about it

You will find that if you place more of your efforts in creating an organic online presence, your audience will engage more with your message. With someone like @Itsmetinx, you can create a direct line of communication with your desired target market. 

The best way to learn influencer marketing is to work with an agency that has a deep understanding of how the organic social media ecosystem works. To get started on the right foot, check out our influencer marketing course that will ensure you make the best choice for boosting your brand.