What Exactly Is An Influencer?

Analyzing the ways in which social media is restructuring the framework for the marketing and advertising industries is difficult to say the least. However, identifying and conforming to these changes in a time-efficient way is essential to one's survival as a brand or influencer on social media. While my central focus is specifically on the current role that "influencers" play in marketing, this focus may shift as the modern-day relationship between social media and marketing continues to evolve.

First off, we must understand where exactly social media meets marketing as of right now. Most successful businesses in this day in age have an online presence via different social media platforms. These social media channels serve as a place for a business to create and distribute content that best represents its service, product, inspirations, culture, etc. This helps a person or company build their "brand," as does the presence of a service or product on outside social media channels. This is where the term "influencers" comes in. Influencers are people with (typically) large followings, who promote a business through posts on their own personal social media channels (and are often paid to do so). Now, people can see what kinds of people use a product or service, which helps to further understand the brand as a whole. In addition, businesses use influencers to gain exposure, which, in turn, should result in new/more consumers.

What companies would once spend to get their product on a billboard is now being used toward promoting their business online, more specifically, through influencers. Is this new marketing technique here to stay? Will social media continue to take marketing into uncharted territories? How must we adapt, both as consumers and producers? Times have clearly changed and I am here to discuss and explore these changes.