What exactly is an influencer? What do they do and how can they help you or your business? What traits or characteristics make someone an influencer? In this blog post, we will explore the answers to these questions and more. We will discuss what are the characteristics of an influencer and what makes an influencer successful and outline some tips for working with them.
Finally, we’ll give you a few examples of well-known influencers in various industries. By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of what it takes to be an influencer and why they’re so important.
Why Are Influencers So Important?
According to a recent influencer study, 70% of respondents said their audiences have sought their advice on the crisis and the stay-at-home directive. Seventy-three percent said they’d already started covering the situation in their posts, and 36 percent said COVID-19 had increased interaction on their Instagram pages “significantly.”
Why does influencer marketing appear to be the most stable of all industries? Finally, the qualities that distinguish influencers from traditional marketing methods are the same qualities that distinguish them during times of crisis and normalcy: authenticity, content creation expertise, trustworthiness, communication skills, and passion.
The Boom of AI Social Media Influencers
Characteristics Of An Influencer
1. Approachable
Someone who is nice, amiable, and friendly. You don’t want your social media marketing plan to backfire because one of your brand’s influencers doesn’t get along with their fans. Take a look at their profile and pay attention to how they engage with others in their community.
- Is there a connection between them and their followers?
- Are they warm and friendly?
- What are the reactions of their fans?
- What do they do if they receive bad feedback?
2. Perfectly Aligned
They don’t have to agree with everything you believe in, but they should be aware of your company’s core principles and make sure they align. Would you want someone representing your brand who is constantly blogging about excessive drinking or smoking if your company is health-conscious? Most likely not. Consider the following questions:
- Does this person appear to share the same values as the company?
- Are they outspoken about their views?
- How do their opinions align with what your company believes in?
- Do they support other brands? If so, do these brands contradict or compete with yours?
3. Believable
Take note of how a potential influencer interacts with others. Because they can put themselves in the shoes of the people they’re speaking to, relatability and empathy are attributes that create a great influencer.
- Does it appear that their followers connect with the content they share?
- Do they sympathize with other people’s problems?
- Is it true that their posts are genuine and authentic?
4. Receptive
Don’t get caught up in the idea that an influencer has to upload material every day; instead, make sure they’re active on their chosen social media site. Take note of how successfully they communicate with you after you’ve shown interest in partnering with them.
- Do they interact with their fans on a regular basis?
- Do they reply with intelligent remarks rather than just likes?
- What is their response time to you and their followers?
5. Continuity
Not only with you, but also on their social media, consistency and reliability build a firm foundation between an influencer and a brand. Ideal influencers’ pages usually have a theme, which makes it more enticing to followers.
- Do they publish high-quality articles on a regular basis?
- Do they use all of the tools on their social media sites, such as stories, videos, and boomerangs, on a frequent basis?
6. Computer savvy
An influencer must be tech-savvy in order to continuously post high-quality material with a theme. You want to uncover influencers that know their way around their preferred social media platform, from photo editing to automated publishing.
- Is their material well-crafted?
- Do they use high-resolution images?
- Is their aesthetic on their page consistent?
- Is their page appealing to the eye?
- Are their photos well-edited?
7. Be inventive
For many people, social media may be a creative outlet. The options are unlimited with all of the different editing tools and updates. Look for an influencer that edits like a pro and keeps up with the latest news. To keep their content fresh, the best influencers are constantly experimenting with new apps.
- Is their content unique and innovative?
- Do their posts pique your curiosity, or do they appear generic and uninteresting?
- Do they come up with interesting captions for their photos?
- It can be difficult and time-consuming to find the right influencers.
- It is critical to have a clear grasp of your company’s aims and values.
It’s critical to set criteria and locate influencers who are a good fit for your brand. In what is hoped to be a long-term partnership, the influencer will represent your firm. And, not to brag, but that’s one of the reasons why Localfluence’s concept is so brilliant.
Influencers and businesses come to us, and we match them with the proper opportunities. Simply by signing up and answering a few questions, we provide influencers with opportunities to try new items or support their favorite local businesses. We assist companies in creating incentives that will significantly increase sales and online exposure at a low cost.
Application of AI in Social Media
8. Authenticity
An article about influencer marketing would be incomplete without a discussion of authenticity. And there’s a reason behind that.
While it’s easy to dismiss “authenticity” as marketing jargon, it’s long been seen as a crucial characteristic of successful and prominent public people, including influencer marketers. “The public has a sixth sense for detecting insincerity; they know when words ring true instinctively.”
Bruce Barton Barton, an early twentieth-century advertiser, is conveying a fundamental fact in communications.
Modern audiences have been educated to constantly scrutinize what they see and hear for any symptoms of inaccuracy or inauthenticity as a result of their widespread exposure to commercial communications.
Brands, public figures, celebrities, and even influencers who say one thing and do another are all susceptible to scrutiny. This effect could explain a lot about today’s viewers’ general mistrust of traditional media and advertising.
The persuasive power of influencers, who, if they’re truly authentic, practice what they preach, is amplified by this modern-day commercial dynamic. Influencers, perhaps even more so than celebrities, are well-suited to the role of spokesman because of this trait.
9. Professional Content Creation
To become an influencer, you don’t need a master’s degree or specific training. However, in order to build a large and genuine following, one must be able to create material that stands out in a sea of content vying for consumers’ attention.
Today’s influencers must master a variety of disciplines in order to establish, sustain, and engage loyal audiences, including writing, photography, community management, project management, and marketing, and synthesize them into their own unique voice and perspective.
While this information may be consumed nearly instantly, the process of creating it is everything from simple. Depending on the topic, influencers can spend anywhere from a few minutes to many months creating content.
Location scouting, wardrobe selection, styling, hashtag research, writing, and rewriting content with business partners—all the way to the mechanics of planning and organizing picture shoots—are all part of this.
10. Community Management
Beyond establishing a following, an influencer’s work entails fostering an authentic relationship with their audience. Answering questions from their followers, organizing competitions, and resolving heated arguments are all part of the job. Elle Ferguson, a fashion influencer, attributes her success to her time spent communicating with her community.
“I always respond to my direct messages.” That community has aided in the development of my brand. So I usually spend three hours a day, morning and evening, responding to my DMs on Elle Effect and Elle Ferguson, because they’re essentially my consumers, and it’s critical to maintain that relationship.”
Influencer marketing relies on the strength of the influencer-follower relationship above all else. Authentic influencers, like Ferguson, take an active role in their followers’ lives, commenting, liking, and clarifying—all of it leading to a powerful bond.
12. Trust
Maintaining trust between influencer and audience, like authenticity, is critical; good influencers are well aware of this. After all, trust lies at the heart of every decision we make, whether it’s in the information we trust, the people we surround ourselves with, or who we trust to help us make difficult decisions. Eighty-one percent of customers polled stated they have to trust brands to “do the right thing.” However, according to the same Edelman survey, one-third of consumers buy from a variety of companies they don’t trust.
Trust is essential not only in the interaction between influencers and their audiences but also in the relationship between brands and influencers.
This includes, among other things, offering openness surrounding sponsored material, being fair in product reviews and content, admitting mistakes, and judiciously contacting sponsors who meet their audience and needs.
Anyone familiar with the celebrity apology news cycle intuitively understands the gravity of betraying that trust. According to the Edelman survey, 45% of consumers stated they would never rebuild trust in a brand after unethical actions, and 40% said they would quit buying from that brand entirely.
13. Dedication
If passion is the glue that holds influencers and audiences together, then honesty is the glue. Passion, like genuineness, cannot be faked. For their following, influencers function as aspirational role models. Whether it’s fashion, woodworking, home décor, or cooking, influencers allow viewers to see relatable, likable people pursuing their dreams and ideas right in front of their eyes.
As a result, influencers’ enthusiasm, ingenuity, and passion are contagious and compelling. Followers can not only learn more about a passion of theirs, but they can also follow along every step of the way, ask questions, share their experiences, and receive encouragement in their shared creative enthusiasm.
In both sponsored and original content, the top influencers can show their passion. This passion must be shared with both their fans and their brand partners.
Influencers will not gain a following unless they are passionate about their field. Without a genuine interest or love for a brand’s products, the persuasive amplification that makes truly authentic influencer marketing so effective will be lost.
14. Maintain Your Brand’s Identity
Influencer marketing appears to be effortless at its best. The influencer relationship is intuitive, reassuring, and aspirational to followers. Their partnership provides fascinating new audiences to the brand. And it’s all because of dedication, ingenuity, and never-ending devotion to authenticity.
