Influencer 101: Just thought I should share my two cents with aspiring or new influencers focusing on the faqs I usually get. A thread.

First of all there's a difference between an influencer & a content creator. An influencer is usually also a content creator but a content creator isn't always an influencer.

By definition, a content creator is someone who is responsible for the contribution of information to any media & most especially to digital media. In simpler terms, creating the content be it pictures, videos & more, which could be for themselves or for someone else.

An influencer is someone who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his or her audience.

Now that the difference between the two has been outlined I'd like us to go back to the subject matter, influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing is a hybrid of old & new marketing tools. It takes the idea of celebrity endorsement & places it into a modern-day content-driven marketing campaigns.

The main differentiator in the case of influencer marketing is that the results of the campaigns are dependent on the collaborations between brands & influencers.

Influencers are categorized in various ways such as by followers, by content type & by industry or niche.

By followers: There are 4 common categories namely mega influencer, macro influencer, micro influencer & nano influencer, respectively.

Mega influencers can also be described as celebrities with a following of over 1 million & they charge or earn more than the other 3 types of influencers.

Macro influencers have a following of over 100 000 to 1 million. They mostly gain fame through the internet, either as vloggers or content creators that produce content that resonates with their audience.

Micro influencers have a following of 1000 to 100 000. They often boast authentic, relatable, value-packed & higher quality content. They have very specific niche & are usually regarded as industry experts by their followers.

Nano influencers have a following of less than 1000. They are regarded as “regular, everyday people” that can influence a brand’s product or service to their friends & family. They have the highest engagement because they usually have personal interactions with their followers.

As for the other two categories I won't go deep, I'll just add examples to give you an idea.

By content type: YouTubers, Bloggers & Podcasters.

By industry or niche: Lifestyle, fashion, beauty, food, travel & more.

The important platforms I'd recommend you to be on as an influencer are Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & YouTube. Instagram is the usually preferred platform which I'd suggest you focus on while YouTube is the main platform for Youtubers.

In the South African context, influencer marketing is still new but fast growing. Companies & brands are slowly realizing the importance of it thus incorporating it as part of their marketing & PR.

Influencers have built their own engaged & loyal audiences on social media which is something many companies & brands struggle to do thus turning to influencers to drive sales, awareness or any other aim of their campaigns.

This is because consumers are more likely to trust a third-party recommendation than a brand’s, so it’s common for companies or brands to partner with influencers to get the word out.

Influencers are remunerated in various ways such as cash payments, free products, discounts, vacations, vouchers, free rides, etc. In some cases it's a combination, e.g. a cash payment plus free products.

There are platforms you can use to get campaigns such as Humanz, Brand Advisor, Beauty Bulletin, IndaHash, etc as well as signing up with influencer agencies.

Another way of getting campaigns is by brands themselves directly approaching you or you approaching them, as for me, the latter is not my favorite because in many cases I've realised that you are more valued when they approach you rather than the opposite.

Be it approaching a brand or a brand approaching you it's important to have an updated media kit & rate card at all times. Below is a definition of the two.

An influencer media kit is a digital portfolio that tells your clients everything they need to know about you. It is an opportunity to highlight your achievements & showcase your USP (unique selling proposition). It includes your bio, contact details, previous work & more.

A rate card is a document that contains your rates or prices for the various services you offer & the different social media platforms. Items included are posts (picture or video), stories, tweets, event appearances, product reviews & more.

There are many platforms you can use to create your media kit & rate card such as photoshop, canva & more. If you think you can't do it yourself I can do it for you at a cheap price, just DM me.