“…brands can also access influencer marketing specializing in farming, nursing, botany, DJ/entertainment, gaming, teaching and automotive to name a few.”
Influencer marketing is the art of connecting brands and the powerful voices of digital content creators to drive authentic conversations around a product message, conclusively driving awareness and engagement.
In 2013, Find Your Influence launched its SaaS platform to help brands scale their influencer marketing programs efficiently. In nearly nine years, the technology powering the Find Your Influence (FYI) platform has helped to execute more than 12,000 influencer campaigns.
Industry conversations have been buzzing of late a series of reasons influencer marketing doesn’t work or that the influencer marketing bubble will soon burst. At FYI, our mission is to ignite connections to impact and inspire and we believe this is the heartbeat of successful influencer marketing campaigns.
Whether you’ve executed influencer marketing campaigns before or you’re starting to build your influencer marketing strategy, FYI reveals the truth about some popular myths related to influencer marketing.
Myth #1: Every Influencer is a Female Fashion Blogger
Although influencers traditionally skew more female than male, not every influencer is a fashion blogger. 84 percent of influencers on the FYI platform today are female. While there are many fashion and lifestyle bloggers, brands can also access influencers specializing in farming, nursing, botany, DJ/entertainment, gaming, teaching and automotive to name a few.
And there are men of influencer marketing too. In 2018, we did a blog series featuring the men of influencer marketing. From fashion and lifestyle influencer Parker York Smith to dad blogger Alan Lawrence, men are just as effective when working with brands to create sponsored posts.
Some exciting male influencers making waves within the creator space today include YouTuber and professional skateboarder John Hill and illustrator Timmy Ham.
Myth #2: It’s Easy to Be an Influencer in Influencer Marketing
For those of us who aren’t influencers ourselves, sponsored posts may look simple to create. Snap a photo, add a pithy comment and BOOM – successful Instagram post. False.
Travel blogger Alicia Tenise takes a unique approach to her role. “I take an editorial approach to the content I create,” says Tenise. “Storytelling is a huge component of what I do and what sets me apart.”
And storytelling doesn’t happen in an instant. Tenise creates content not only with brand messaging in mind but also personally invests in a third-party to aid in SEO.
Many influencers also act as editor, web developer, art director, model, stylist, makeup artist and even as their own accountant! Influencing is far from easy. Last year, influencers shared 5 things they wished brands knew about them. As you can see, influencing isn’t easy!
Myth #3: There is No Value in Blogs
The most successful influencers have blogs. An influencer may have a significant following on YouTube, Instagram or Twitter but a blog adds credibility and is a force with SEO.
Blog posts carefully crafted with keywords and a target audience in mind can have a significant impact on furthering an influencer’s reach. Piper Martin, Influencer Manager at FYI, sat down for an interview to discuss why it’s still important for influencers to have a blog.
“A blog is the only piece of the web content where you have full control,” explains Martin. “Although your entire business may take place on Instagram, you are not a shareholder and you do not pay for Instagram. The truth is Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter could all disappear tomorrow and where would your content live? Committing to maintaining a blog ensures your ability to communicate with your followers at any time.”
At FYI, our vision to facilitate global conversations delivered by revolutionary technology. Simply put, we want to make influencer marketing simple and available to everyone.
If you’re considering influencer marketing as part of your content marketing strategy in 2020, request a demo with FYI today.