Over the past few years across most social media platforms, you have been able to find people labeled/seen as "influencers". Especially now people are turning it into a career and earning a steady enough income to live off in cities such as Phoenix or New York City. Not the most traditional job so most people make jokes or look down on people for trying to become said "influencer".
What is Influencing in Social Media Terms?
It is exactly what the name says, being an influence. This has a different definition depending on who your asking because some people might say to be an "Influencer" you need millions of followers or some, might only say hundreds of thousands to be successful which both are kind of correct because having that large of a following
would give that many more people to have an "influence" over. However, this is now able to be seen on smaller scales and nearly anyone could become an influencer as long as they wanted to because the whole point of doing so is having an audience of some sort to sway or influence. This can be for anything, bringing in web traffic to certain websites, buying certain products, etc. (Left Pictured College Blogger Sarita Cuervo)
The Rise & Need for Influencers
This isn't something that was born out of social media but it definitely has made it more of an attainable job or even career. It's known as a marketing strategy and usually involved well-known celebrities and figures to bring positive ideas and thoughts surrounding products which have been used for over the past 70 years. In the past 12 years, we have seen a new kind of celebrity formed online from different platforms such as YouTube, Vine, or Instagram. As the years have gone by being a sort of public figure has almost become easier since so many people are online anyone is able to build their own small "community" and with that can come brand deals and free stuff in exchange for promotion on your account. The need is younger generations growing up and having these public figures they are all following promoting the kinds of clothes, or coffee drinks they want/are targeted towards their age group, etc.
Over the Years
For me, I saw this come up with people I watched and looked up to online, Which is different than other generations seeing it on TV or in Magazines. This newly growing industry is beginning to take on its own role solely with online figures both in small and large scales. The biggest deal that is happening right now is with Tik Tok star Charlie D'Amelio who has a coffee drink named after her at Dunkin' Donuts. She
loved drinking coffee from them and would tweet about how much she did or constantly had their products in the back of her videos so naturally, they were able to come up with a deal. (See Right, Charli D'Amelio on Instagram for launch of "The Charli"). In years past we have seen this with people who grew large and strong followings on YouTube or through blogging and have had opportunities to directly collaborate with a brand on their own product. Which is the dream for many influencers who often talk about or are asked the question of "Dream Collaboration". We've been able to utilize social media as a marketing strategy aside from buying ads directly through the app itself but rather the users on it to market to the followers they've acquired. Moving beyond using these platforms to communicate with family and friends but turning it into something more. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/12/19/end-decade-heres-how-social-media-has-evolved-over-10-years/4227619002/
Realistically, Anyone Could Do It
As I stated in the beginning, this is not a traditional job and is constantly bashed on. When simply looking at someone's social media page or blog it's easy for people to view it as something simple and extremely basic. Anyone can take a selfie and post it, but does everyone know how to filter their photos a certain way to match a "theme" and write the relatable caption that matches the photo and is tagged the right way with hashtags or brands to bring the most engagement to their account, bring more followers and people that won't unfollow within the following week? as simple as it is, it's also a lot of hard work behind the scenes, especially for those that do work with "bigger" companies on a larger scale because not only do you have to worry about the kind of photo you're taking or how you are writing about a product or brand you have to make others want it and get it approved by said brand of course and continue to adjust based on what they are ideally looking for. Everyone is different on how they creat their content and what it's about and the kind of audience they are going for, social media has made it easy as long as you put in the work and effort. This Bloomberg article hears from an Instagram influencer and how she makes it work creating enticing posts and was able to turn it into a career.
Why Bother? Where Would You Start?
Social Media has given any ordinary person an opportunity to become something bigger. You are able to take something you're passionate about and show the world, to your own community that wants to listen and is just as passionate as you are. This can be on any scale for just about anything. Whether you start a blog or create a separate Twitter account, Tik Tok, or Instagram you can pick your platform, pick your topic, and roll from there. That is the seed, plant it, and having consistency as your water, you can grow, and so many people are out there dedicated specifically for growth and
how to even build your own space. It's so accessible which is why so many people have started doing it in their own way. Plus, not to mention all the opportunities that could stem from it as well, working with brands you like, getting sent free goodies of all kinds for an exchange of an Instagram post (See left, Brooke Miccio promoting BondiBoost). Influencer Marketing is its own thing at most companies and people are always seeking out other passionate and willing individuals to work with or help promote. This how-to from a blog called Tribe gives even more insight on turning it into a more "real job", though even if you want to do it just for fun, plenty of businesses are still looking for people even if you have less than 3 thousand followers. https://www.tribegroup.co/blog/how-to-become-an-influencer-full-time
This is almost a trend within itself and is seen through photos, tweets, or laced in podcasts and could definitely be a side job or even a creative outlet. It's something I myself have recently started working on doing myself through my own Instagram account. (See Right, Photo from myself promoting a new movie I got to watch for free at their online premiere and was paid for producing with only around one thousand followers)
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