Let’s face it. Advertising has changed over recent years. Companies are finding more value in having social media influencers market their products than traditional advertising methods. And it makes sense. As a community, we’ve grown immune to billboards and magazine ads, and we rely on reviews before we trust new products. Influencers serve as that missing link—sharing their experience with a product with fans and serving as the ultimate review. But how do influencers actually feel about being called influencers? In our recent Influencer Insider series, we decided to ask a few of them their thoughts on the term…
The term “Influencer” has been tossed around a lot in recent years, and as a result, people have developed mixed feelings about it. Missy Damon Moore thinks that because it’s been tossed around so much, the term is losing its impact. This could make it bad news for the Influencers that really put a lot into their careers. Francis Kenneth and Steffy Degreff agree that they dislike the term. “Anyone can be an influencer, but I feel that most “influencers” aren’t using their platform to actually influence anyone to do anything impactful, let alone meaningful,” said Francis in his Influencer Insider interview.
With negative connotations surrounding the most common title for this particular career, it leads to the question of should we be calling these individuals something else? We asked our Influencers what they preferred to be called and the majority here agreed that they preferred the terms blogger or content creator. Francis Kenneth said he prefers to be called hyper-creative “because no one has time to hear me say musician/blogger/stylist/creative director/etc.” That being said, there are still those who prefer the term Influencer, such as Jessie Barber. Hayden Cohen prefers the term blogger, because he feels the title is more widely known and more understood.
So how do you know which term to use when reaching out to Influencers in your marketing efforts? Our advice is to check out their Instagram description. Most will title themselves how they want to be addressed. Take a look at Jessie Barber’s account. As stated above, she prefers the term blogger, which is also how she addresses herself on her profile.
At this point in the game, if you aren’t already using Influencer Marketing in your marketing strategy, you’re falling behind. Over 83% of brands have already adopted the use of Influencer Marketing into their overall brand strategy. If it’s the price tag that’s holding you back, check out this post on the best way to budget for this style of marketing. It may be more accessible than you think.
Whether an Influencer likes the term or not, at the end of the day they’ll make a great asset to your business endeavors. In most cases, these individuals have spent years curating a community of loyal followers who trust them and trust that any products these Influencers share will be worth their time and money. Be sure you’re looking out for individuals whose values align with those of your business and you’ll knock marketing right out of the park!
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