10 Truths We Can Learn from Young Social Influencers
A huge bulk of the market belongs to young people, the millennials. For many businesses, it is a challenge to market to these people, an initiative they can’t disregard because if they do they’re ignoring a big chunk of the market.
But there’s more.
Millennials are the most active people on social media. Thus, without looking influencer marketing statistics, it’s reasonable to say that most social influencers are millennials.
What’s the big deal?
The big deal is that these influencers affect consumer behavior actively or passively. That is why companies are after them, something we’ve said like a bazillion times.
Today the goal of a lot of companies and entrepreneurs is no longer just to attract social media followers. One of the things they do is attract influencers, because doing so expedites the process of increasing reach and engagement.
Of course, our smart clients would then ask, what do these young influencers know that they don’t?
- The social media is largely for millennials.
A huge portion of people who use the internet are millennials. We’re talking about people in their late teens, twenties, and mid-30s. These people are the most active on social media, sharing posts, and engaging with other users. Social media influencers know this. Or at least they recognize that most of their followers are people their age.
Most influencers are these young people, too, if our influencer marketing statistics are right. Social media is their platform. Thus, it makes sense that social media, in general, is a major influencer marketing platform as well.
- Millennials understand millennials.
This is where you probably can’t beat them. This obvious truth sometimes escapes even the best marketers.
Who would understand millennials but millennials themselves? Young influencers have this direct advantage. They’re part of the crowd you’re trying to win. They know their language. They speak their language. They think like this group of people do.
Influencer marketing companies know this brute fact. That’s why they tap into the already established influence, instead of trying to influence this demographic on their own.
- Young people are the future.
This is just obvious. Today’s young audience are tomorrow’s profitable consumers. Today’s young consumers are tomorrow’s business partners, entrepreneurs, and business entities. Today’s young social media influencers are the CEO’s and business leaders in the future.
If you’re a budding entrepreneur yourself or a owner of a startup company, capitalizing on this salient truth is one of your best initiatives today. Influencer marketing may bring you engagement and traffic today. In the future, the partnerships you build with key people in your industry become your ticket to success.
- Social media is today’s seat of influence.
May old marketers and entrepreneurs fail to realize how fast the world is changing. The old ways may have their place in today’s marketing, but they don’t stand a change against what the digital world can offer. Teens know this. Young professionals have used this as a leverage.
Whereas you need to be on TV back in the day to get your message across, today the TV is hardly a staple advertising medium. Most people are on their Facebook or Twitter or Instagram accounts. If you want to talk to your audience, meet them on these platforms. You have to be on social media whether you’re doing content marketing or influencer marketing. Instagram and Facebook teem with activity from celebrities, bloggers, authorities, and other influencers and their followers. These are where you find people who influence other people.
- Connection is everything.
The essence of social media is connection. It builds friendships. It builds organic relationships. Influencer marketing companies are out there hunting for signatures of influence, finding out where influence is coming from and where people are building organic connections and networks. However, we do more than influencer outreach. We understand what’s going on, and we know the rich connection between an influencer and her followers.
Social influencers establish connection in different ways. They talk in the language of their peers, thus creating a familiar atmosphere. They share experiences so many can relate to. But let’s get to the next point.
- Sharing helpful tips and advice makes people listen.
The most effective social media influencers attract new audience and keep the old ones by providing helpful material. Advertisers don’t help people remove carpet stains. But a DIY expert does. Salespeople don’t teach people how to choose the right sunglasses. But a fashion vlogger does.
- This is a generation with short attention spans.
If you want to say something, say it right away. This is no longer the era of poets and lengthy introductions. This is an era of people catching their bus, hurrying to go to work, having their bagel on the train, and scrolling through their Twitter feeds. They won’t spend more than a few seconds on your campaign unless it’s truly helpful, interesting, or entertaining. Young influencers know this.
- Millennials value their individuality.
Young people value independence more than their elders do. They value uniqueness. They understand everyone is different, and these differences make our world a beautiful place. Social media has encouraged these values, and celebrities and influencers even helped foster the celebration of our individuality.
What does that mean for your brand? It means a greater need for customized marketing. It means interacting with each of your customer. That’s why getting to know your target audience is one of the best practices in marketing. The same is true for influencer marketing.
Influencer outreach, being an important aspect of today’s digital marketing, involves understanding your potential influencers, knowing their interests, and using what you know about them in partnering with them.
- This is a highly critical generation.
People quickly make opinions about anything. Careless campaigns get torn down on social channels. It’s bad for the brand. It’s bad for business. This is a progressive generation that doesn’t have room for bigotry, racism, or stereotypes. It kind of makes companies work on tiptoe to make sure they don’t offend even the smallest minority. Even a slight blunder creates nasty ripples across the internet and dent sales.
Your reputation is of prime importance for influencers, who mostly refuse to work with people with questionable social opinion and reputation. Yes, your attitude on certain societal matters affect the success of your influencer marketing strategy.
- Millennials hate advertising.
The baby boomers and the generation Xers had no choice but to watch TV and flip through pages of newspapers and magazines during their pastime. So they had to deal with ads, and that was how they come across brands. Millennials grew up in the digital age. They’re on mobile handsets. They talk to each other on their devices. They’re deaf to ads. Brands have to reach them in creative ways. Direct marketing doesn’t work.
This is where influencers and brand advocates come into the picture. Millennial influencers have become brands’ gateways to millennials. Their natural ability to communicate with their peers is something most companies can barely replicate. Their organic rapport with their audience is hard to duplicate. Hence, companies do influencer marketing instead of relying on their own resources to get to this young generation.
In today’s marketing, content is still king, but influence is like the old horse that gets a new digital makeover.
