Consider Me Influenced
For well over a decade, Influencers and Content Creators have become the real deal when it comes to shaping how young people think about products, trends, media, and lifestyles. Sure, social media influencers may have seemed like a punchline, getting paid for sharing their #relatable daily lives. But the amount of time and attention young people give to these influencers is no joke.
With this kind of reach comes a lot of influence - one would assume - but the truth is that when a generation has learned the intricacies of a business model as well as Gen Zs have, actual “trust” grows into a more complicated and scarce commodity. This would mean that true “influence” becomes the holy grail achieved by tuning the dials of the right channels to the right frequency in order to find that “sweet spot."
Today, it’s clear that the influencer scene is not just a passing trend. It has evolved into three key influencer types, and each plays a different role in the lives of young people.
While one group has the ability to reach masses with one post, thus helping with brand and product discovery, another group will have earned greater trust and can influence actual purchases, while yet another group is so perfectly aligned with and tuned in to its audience, they will help their followers find exactly the thing they didn’t even know they were looking for. These folks have cracked the code, using social media and content tools to build their communities tailored to specific passions and preferences of their audience.
It's vital for brands to understand how each influencer group resonates with audiences and how they can play a role in a brand’s social strategy. Brands that get on the right frequency will win, while those who don’t will get nothing but static.