Even the most casual of social media users will have come across an influencer or two. Having seemingly taken over social media platforms in recent times, influencers use their large followings and reputations as subject experts to promote various brands within their niche.
It’s easy to see why companies are flocking to work with them. Statistics show that 50% of millennials trust product recommendations from influencers, and 33% of Gen Z-ers have purchased a product based on one’s recommendation in the past three months. Meanwhile, 92% of marketers believe that influencer marketing is an effective form of marketing.
Consequently, brands like yours should be chomping at the bit to work with influencers to help promote your products or services. But with so many types out there, which influencers specifically should you be looking to partner with?
1. Sports stars
The power of sport is unparalleled — what else brings billions of people together like a major sporting event such as the Olympics or the World Cup? Many athletes have huge followings and therefore represent the perfect influencers, particularly when you consider their ability to inspire others.
As sports marketing agency Pitch explains: “Working with sports teams or stars gives brands a great opportunity to reach those who aren’t familiar with what they do. Considering the huge fan bases those in sport have, there’s significant scope to hugely increase brand recognition.”
Although superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo or LeBron James may be slightly out of reach for most brands financially, there are always sports influencers out there brands like yours can partner with. Search for individuals that specialise in a distinct niche that may interest your target demographic, or for athletes that have goals and motivations that align with your brand’s.
2. Actors
Like with sports stars, actors can have incredible reach and ability to inspire — particularly those in the movie industry. This has driven massive interest in the lives of actors on social media, and partnering with them gives brands a perfect way of stimulating interest in their products and services.
The likes of Dwayne Johnson, Zendaya, and Shraddha Kapoor boast over 600 million followers on Instagram alone between them, and have promoted brands including Ford, Valentino, and Power Gummies on their profiles respectively. Beyond these megastars though, there are again lots of opportunities for brands to target more attainable influencer actors.
For example, former Hollyoaks star Jorgie Porter has promoted a range of baby brands, from Storksak to Happiest Baby. Meanwhile, Inbetweeners actor and comedian Emily Atack has partnered with various fashion and beauty companies, including New Look and Soap & Glory.
3. Entrepreneurs
As Elon Musk has proven in recent times, entrepreneurs can be just as big celebrities and have just as much reach as the megastars discussed above. People also give massive weight to their opinions because of their success, and both aspects combined can make entrepreneurs incredible influencers for brands to work with.
Just look at Tony Robbins, for example. The American business strategist has over six million Instagram followers, and has used his platform to promote brands including hair growth company Harklinikken and meditation app Tapping. Another example is Summer Fridays founder Marianne Hewitt, who has over one million Instagram followers and has partnered with brands such as Astral Tequila and jeweller Lagos.
Fortunately, there are an array of smaller-scale entrepreneur influencers in the UK, meaning brands of all sizes are sure to find influential business-minded individuals to work with.
