Influencer marketing isn’t new. The concept itself isn’t too far off from the idea of using celebrities to endorse and promote products. However, in the age of digital media, you can’t deny the fact that that influencer marketing has significantly evolved—mostly due to social media.

Social media essentially leveled the playing field—for both consumers and brands. If I had to identify exactly how social media did this, take a look at this list below.

1. The explosive adoption of social media allows for more targeted influencer marketing 

Where traditional promotional or endorsement efforts offered a generic message, social media allowed brands to find specific influencers that are more relevant to specific audiences. This ultimately makes marketing to niche groups more effective and engaging. You no longer have to rely on expensive TV or newspaper ads. You can now tap into an influencer’s circle, adjust brand communications to fit their voice, and engage more people.

The continued rise in adoption of popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, just to name a few, means influencers and the brands backing them are also free to use the platform to reach out to audiences on a more personal level.

2. Advertisers are creating more immersive marketing experiences

To compete with the convenience and affordability of digital advertising, traditional marketing upped their efforts and customers were bombarded by ads left and right. As a result, customers started to grow very tired of ads; and turned their attention elsewhere. To that end, more brands are now making an effort to create more immersive, relevant ads for their consumers, with the help of relatable influencers who can underscore their message.

3. Social media is also diversifying the playing field

Social media is so deeply ingrained in everyone’s lifestyle and culture that the need to find influencers that audiences actually respond to had to go beyond the traditional categories of who “influencers should be”.

Today, we are beginning to see more diverse influencers who are gradually becoming some of the biggest names in the industry.

4. The rise of non-celebrity influence

There was a time where relevance meant you had to be a celebrity with major star power—preferably from Hollywood. But today, thanks to social media, influence doesn’t have to be limited to celebrity status. You could be an Instagram or YouTube celebrity. Maybe you have a massive Twitter following. Whatever the case, non-celebrities are slowly establishing themselves as viable influencers able to deliver more engagement among users.

5. There’s a greater demand for authenticity

Social media has a reputation, rightly or wrongly, of being inauthentic. In an era where consumers are gravitating towards material that’s presented to them with trustworthy information about a product or service, it’s important for brands to partner with the right influencers. It’s not just about their number of followers anymore. There’s a lot more focus on their advocacies, personalities, their values, and what these influencers actually stand for. Sincerity plays a huge part in how effective an influencer is for a marketing campaign.

Interested in tapping into social media for your own marketing efforts? Get in touch with me today to discuss what we can do to help.