The rise of the influencers

The rise of the influencers

by | Sep 25, 2018 | Influencer, Social

Glossy Instagram images, brand endorsed videos… influencer marketing has paved the way for the social influencer. And it would seem there are little to no boundaries or barriers. Yes, the Kardashian empire may spring to mind, but it would seem that anyone can become an influencer in our digital world.

Kim Kardashian West – Olay Ad

I’ve now even heard people talking about being an 'Instagrammer’ as a legitimate career. So what does it mean to be an influencer?

Most influencers have two things in common – reach and a specific topic. Having reach, or large social following, brands see influencers as a critical ally in their marketing activity. Why? Because people are no longer searching for brands, people are eager to trust people, especially those of influence. Influencers also tend to focus on a particular topic – fashion, travel, food, technology – this can all be attractive to brands trying to win new custom, and attractive to people looking to purchase, a win-win for the influencer.

View this post on Instagram

GOOD MORNING!! It’s the first day of @phxmarathon training and I am feeling so positive and excited, especially after watching @kipchogeeliud smash the WR yesterday and saw so many others run the Berlin Marathon! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This week’s training; 👉🏻Mon – Barrecore 👉🏻 Tues – Track (I’m doing an 800m and 1600m all out test to see where I am with my soeedwork!) 👉🏻 Weds- 4 mile run commute 👉🏻 Thurs – 1 mile easy, 3 x 1 mile at 7.30-45 min mile, 1 mile cool down. 👉🏻 Friday – crosstaining and barrecore ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m working with @upbeatdrinks who are promoting the idea the ‘mindset is everything’ – that the way we go into each workout can affect the quality of our workout. Going in to your speed workout feeling confident and positive that you’ll nail the paces helps you keep pushing when it gets tough, rather than believing you can’t hit the splits and giving up prematurely. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We can’t control our natural ability when it comes to running but we can train smartly and work on our mental strength. So as part of my training, I’m listening to motivating podcasts, reading books like @karagouchers Stronger to help me get into the right mindset for each workout. Plus I’m excited to go to a Mind Mastery for enhanced performance at @triyogauk Plus it helps that I’m working with the most positive coach ever in @ahappypace ❤️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m loving the @upbeatdrinks protein water as a post workout energy and recovery boost. I’ve been put off protein waters in the past because I thought they tasted artificial but these taste great! I’ve been able to try these early and loved using them after particularly sweaty workouts during the heatwave! They’re low sugar and high protein and seriously thirst quenching #mindsetiseverything AD #marathontraining #projectBQ #pheonixmarathon

A post shared by Charlie-Running/Active Travel (@therunnerbeans) on

The Runner Beans – AD

But does it all need to be about fashion, food, and travel? The simple answer is no. Forward-thinking organisations are looking to recruit influential people to their business and also use this model to develop their current teams into people of influence – after all, people buy from people – so what better way for personal growth, business development and to win new contracts!