All About Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has taken the world by storm, allowing content creators to make a mark for themselves and offer plenty of opportunities for brands to have a much wider reach in a specific niche.

Influencers are everywhere. You can find them in almost every industry – from entertainment to academia. They are on every social media platform. In today’s scenario, it is their opinions that matter to consumers more than what brands have to say. So, let’s explore what is influencer marketing, the meaning and types of influencers, and how they are growing in demand. 

1. What is influencer marketing?
2. Who is an influencer?
3. Types of influencers
4. Why influencer marketing is so popular

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is a strategic approach under social media marketing where brands endorse influencers or content creators to promote their products or services. Such promotion is done through Instagram posts or stories, as well as, YouTube videos, and podcasts. 

Influencer marketing is a great way to reach niche social audiences. Just see how any business can increase Instagram followers by collaborating with influencers. But that’s not the only advantage for a business. The blog will cover more below from the perspective of influencers today. 

But who are influencers? Let’s find out first. 

Who is an Influencer?

An influencer is any individual who has expert knowledge of a product or service and has a large follower base on social media channels. 

The influencer has great power to shape the target audience’s perception of a product. They are also responsible for allowing brands to grow their reach for lead generation or create viral marketing campaigns. 

Do check out how top brands have used influencers for the most popular digital marketing campaigns in India. 

Types of Influencers

Influencers are categorised based on the number of followers they have on a social network. 

Mega Influencers 

These influencers are those who have over 1 million followers. Celebrities from any industry have such a large following. In the beauty industry, you have Huda Kattan with 50.9 million followers on Instagram. 

Others include Cristiano Ronaldo (477 million), Jamie Oliver (9.2 million), and many more. While these are mega influencers on Instagram, there are several mega influencers on YouTube too. Some notable names are PewDiePie (111 million), Vsauce (18 million), and so on. 

Mega influencers do not generally have expertise on a subject but because they have a wide reach with a single post, businesses sponsor them. 

Macro Influencers

These influencers have a following of between 100,000 and 1 million on social platforms. Unlike mega influencers, they are subject-matter experts and different from A-list celebs. They usually gain popularity through the internet by blogging or producing unique content. 

Some examples of macro influencers include JohnnyJet (28.4K), Fashion Jackson (839K), and more. 

Micro Influencers

These influencers have 10K to 100K followers and are often considered subject leaders in their domains. They also have an active follower base that they can influence more. That’s why startup brands usually work with micro-influencers more than others. 

Nano Influencers

These influencers have a following of around 10K followers. They also have a highly curated follower base and are on the starting path to becoming macro influencers. 

Why Influencer Marketing is so Popular

Let’s see some of the top reasons why influencer marketing is growing in popularity. 

It’s Not Too Difficult to Become an Influencer

Earlier, brands would endorse only celebrities. Nowadays, with the easy availability of budget content creation tools, and the growing scope of digital marketing, any content creator with great subject expertise can become highly influential in persuading their followers on social networks. 

Check out courses such as Influencer Marketing on Great Learning to know the best practices in the field. Or take up TikTok Marketing 101: Grow your brand & business on Skillshare to know about the best content formats on the platform, how the platform works, etc. 

And if you are completely new, it is recommended that you take up a few free social media marketing courses to get started. 

Demand for Influencer Marketing in India

Statista states that in 2021, the influencer marketing industry in India was INR 9 billion. By 2025, it is estimated to grow up to INR 22 billion.  According to Financial Express, about 2/3rds of the entire Indian population follow an influencer. 

The reason for brands quickly resorting to this demand is the trust that followers/audiences have for influencers. According to GroupM, the top four categories for influencer marketing in the country are 

1. Food & Beverage
2. Personal care
3. Fashion and Jewellery
4. Mobile and Electronics

Influencers Offer Transparent Communication

Part of influencers’ popularity is that they are able to show their followers the reality of the sponsored product or service. This can be a great strategy for a business to collaborate with influencers who can strip the veil of obvious, sugar-coated marketing, and focus on the use cases only. 

Also, influencers create a sense of transparency for the products they market. The follower/consumer gets to have an inside look and make a better decision to buy. 

Parting Thoughts

So this was about influencer marketing in a nutshell. It is a growing field in digital marketing and continues to evolve, making marketing communication more personal to the right consumer. If you are completely new to it, you may want to take up some free digital marketing courses to get up to speed in the online marketing scene.