Nonetheless, the concept of “influencer marketing” is spawning a plethora of new resources, including articles, podcasts, and even job titles. The impact of social media is having an impact on the economy as well as the professions that rely on it, such as marketing and public relations. It’s now ingrained in the discipline itself, but it’s also evolving into a subfield that presents challenges and opportunities depending on how they’re approached.

Let’s talk about how to deal with a low number of social media followers. We’re still observing the criteria used by businesses in the field when looking to hire a particular speaker, secure relationships with brands and organisations, and take advantage of other incredible chances.

In other high-profile fields, such as the entertainment and sports sectors, this is also playing out. Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) has said that having a large social media following helped her land roles. Crossfit competitors have used their online communities to expand the sport, which has resulted in more prospects for collaboration and endorsements.

The competition for these openings is fierce, making the situation feel like the Wild West. Put away your fear of missing out on the newest and greatest gadget forever. Instead, in other circumstances, the fear of losing out causes people to turn out lucrative partnerships and other opportunities.

It’s also been brought out again and again that it’s quite simple to create a “false” impression of influence by purchasing a large number of followers, likes, and comments. Kerry Flynn of Mashable wrote a fantastic piece emphasising the importance of this topic for businesses and educators to read. This is immoral because it creates an inaccurate impression of you, and it may even constitute fraud in some circumstances.

Is there a way to tell if someone is “truly” influential? The following are some suggestions:

Have a look at the stats.

Examine the following records to see if they correspond to your platform activity. To not do so calls their veracity and reliability into doubt. More and more people are talking about it, and in some cases they are naming names when it comes to professionals who have established themselves as “influencers” in particular fields.

See how well their online group is doing.

We are witnessing an increasing number of influential people establish their own communities and networks around this topic. Consider checking to see 1) if a certain influencer has done this at all and 2) if they have, how they are interacting with their followers. How involved and interesting are they, or are they just trying to sell you something?

Check to see whether they are “keeping in their lane” while making judgements.

There is another another problem with influential people. Occasionally they call themselves an influencer, and increasingly they utilise the term “content producer” when introducing themselves at major events or giving keynote speeches. Do content creators and influencers serve different purposes? Not at all; instead, you should evaluate whether or not a candidate is striving to reinvent themselves in order to better serve the needs of brands and campaigns.
Instead of counting the number of individuals who are trying to get in touch with the influencer, you should focus on the content of their messages. But, sentiment analysis may also be applied to the assessment of social media influencers, not just companies. How “genuine” or “fake” are the messages that the influencer is receiving? Here, identifying the actual audience members from the pretenders will need careful analysis of their language usage.

Consider if you are contacting the proper people in your search for influential people.

Adidas undertook this investigation and found that bloggers, rather than athletes, were more effective brand ambassadors for their company. To ensure that your campaign’s message reaches its intended audience through its chosen spokesperson (or, in this case, influencer), you will need to put in some extra time and effort into your research.

Expose the people who have been purchasing likes, followers, and other forms of social media engagement. There are, in my opinion, several approaches to tackle this problem. Some people, I know, have done this in closed networks like closed Facebook groups. That has been done in the open before. I agree that these discussions are best held in private, but I also think it’s crucial to inform the profession at large about not just why this is unethical, but also how it may be addressed and included into professional ethical rules.

In conclusion

The widespread belief that these celebrities are in a class all their own will continue to spread. They may have a large fan base and impressive statistics, but that is precisely what they are capitalising on. Are they trying to promote their expertise and originality in the field? Possibly; there are undoubtedly some incredible individuals working in the industry who are genuinely exceptional at what they do in terms of capturing and holding the attention of their target consumers. 

Having several qualities in tandem is essential for an influencer to succeed. Not only will a distinct brand voice and a commitment to building an authentic community be critical, but so will content. Nonetheless, this will remain a problem unless the industry and others together call out people who try to drug and pull a quick one on the business by using methods to convey phoney influence and credibility.