The Different Types of Influencers
Are you an influencer?
Obviously by now, you’ve heard of social media influencers. But let’s put an explicit definition to the term. Social media influencers are people who have garnered a massive follower base on social media and often perceived as role models or industry experts by their fans.
Collaborating with the right influencer can benefit your business in multiple ways. But since the spectrum of influencers have jumped off the roof, marketers are left with a massive pool to choose from.
Viral Access segment these influencers into different categories to help you generate awareness, engagement and sales with influencer marketing.
By followers
Mega influencer
One word to describe them: celebrities. Think of Selena Gomez or The Rock. They typically have more than a million followers from different backgrounds and interests. They are not necessarily experts in the industry, but one post from them can still be an instant hit that send online community into havoc. Be prepared to pay a hefty amount of fee if you’re looking into partnering with mega-influencers.
Macro influencer
With followers in between 100,000 to one million, they mostly gain fame through the internet, either as vloggers or content creators that produce content that resonates with their audience. Obvious example? Kendall Jenner. They can reach a larger and often very inspirational audience, but they do come with an expensive price tag. Also, with the rising issue of “fake” influencers, macro-influencers unfortunately possess higher risk of being part of the influencer fraud.
Micro influencer
Here in Viral Access, we categorize micro-influencers as those with followers between 1,000 to 100,000. They often boast authentic, relatable, value-packed and higher quality content. They have very specific niche and are usually regarded as industry experts by their followers. The best thing about them? Their strong relationships with their audiences. @reginapeipei and @bei_jhu_ are some of the micro-influencers that have worked with us.
Nano influencer
With followers around 1,000 or less, the idea behind nano-influencers is “regular, everyday people” that can influence a brand’s product or service to their friends and family. They have the highest level of engagement because they usually have personal interactions with their followers. Some of the nano-influencers that have gained popularity are Kelsey Rosenberg and Alexis Baker.
By content type
YouTubers
YouTube is one of the world’s leading video sharing platforms. A number of influencers have taken advantage of the platforms to share their creativity. Also known as YouTubers, they gained massive popularity globally for the videos they publish. From sports, comedies, tutorials, DIYs, you can find practically any type of influencers here. Lately, we’re into thrift-stores fashion, so you can check out @bestdressed for some affordable fashion inspiration.
Bloggers
Before influencers, you have bloggers. These are people who love to share their hobbies, interests, expertise, or just their lives in general. Influencers generally use blogs as tools to connect to their relevant audience or to send quality leads to certain websites. There are plenty of interesting blogs out there. One of our favorites is Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor. If you love colorful design, travel and fashion, this might be the right blog to stop by!
Podcasters
With the advancement of technology, podcasts are on the rise, especially for people with “on-the-go” lifestyle. Along with that, you get podcasters, basically the voice behind the podcast. These influencers gain fame through their interesting narratives, creative content and the way they delivered the topics. One of our favorite podcasters is Gary Vaynerchuk with his AskGaryVee podcasts.
By industry
Fashion and makeup
These are the most common industry for influencers. They earned fame by popularizing tag such as #ootd (outfit of the day) and tagging the brands on their posts. Some of them also branch out as entrepreneurs where they launch their own clothing lines or perfume brands. Aimee Song and Molly Chiang are some of the famous fashion influencers.
Food
If you scroll down Instagram feed, pretty sure you’ll find pictures of mouth-watering food in less than 5 minutes. These foodie influencers diligently take pictures of food from different angles to arise their followers’ appetite. Interestingly, there’s an even niche branch in this category, i.e. gluten-free or vegan. You can check out @4foodie to explore Taiwan’s culinary world or @skinnytaste for a healthier option.
Travel
Ever stumbling upon pictures of an influencer relaxing on a beach in the Maldives or the amazing Northern Lights taken by the same person? Yes, the wanderlust are what we think of as the most fortunate influencers. They travel around the globe for free in exchange for reviews of resorts, activities, adventures, or amenities. For gorgeous images of Taiwan, check out the social media pages of professional photographer Josh Ellis.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to finding the right influencers, it’s evident that brands and digital marketers are spoiled by the vast amount of choices found all over social media. At the same time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer variety too.
The most important thing to remember, as our CEO Folke Engholm once mentioned, is to ensure that the influencers you choose match with your brand image, values, and send out the right messages to your targeted audience.
So, what types of influencers are you?
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Viral Access is an AI and data-driven social communication company — we help you tell your story through social media. We pair your brand with relevant micro and nano influencers that help you increase awareness, engagement and conversion. We have the systems and team in place to support large scale communications throughout Asia.
For business inquiries, contact us at: info@viralaccess.asia
