Influencer Marketing

"Hello my dears, welcome to my new video!" A sentence that everyone knows who has ever searched for product testings, e.g. from the beauty sector on Youtube. We are talking about the greeting of the viewers on Youtube who watch the videos of Bibi's Beauty Palace. A Youtube channel that has made Bianca one of Germany's biggest internet celebrities - starting with instructions for a braided hairstyle. 

In addition to Bianca, many other channels and people have emerged over the last 10 years who have dedicated themselves particularly intensively to a topic and presented this to a growing community via Youtube, Instagram or even TikTok. 

The world of influencers is growing day by day and - who would have thought - also offers opportunities for companies and brands.  Welcome to our new article on the topic: Influencer Marketing. 

What is Influencer Marketing? 

Another way to draw attention to a company's products or services - influencer marketing. This involves the targeted use of people (influencers) who have a wide-ranging community, are known as opinion leaders or already enjoy attention through their actual activities (e.g. singers or actors). 

The goal here is to leverage the existing trust in influencers, e.g., to increase brand awareness, boost sales of products or services, enhance brand credibility, and so on. 

Influencers act as advocates for brands or companies and their products and services, presenting them to their community and thus also influencing the assessment and evaluation. Influencer marketing has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, because the reach of, for example, a YouTuber or a Youtuber can be in the multi-digit millions and is therefore also the audience for the promotion of, for example, a product. 

Influencers can include the following: 

• Social media users (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.) with a high number of followers who are active in a niche (e.g., sports, beauty, ...). 

• Journalists

• Bloggers 

• YouTuber 

• Celebrities and public figures (musicians, actors, athletes, etc.) 

• Politicians 

• Subject matter experts

So, at its core, influencer marketing is about paying a person with a high reach and name recognition to introduce products, brands or services and promote them within their community. 

Differentiation from Affiliate Marketing 

 In one of our last articles, we introduced you to affiliate marketing. Influencer marketing sounds very similar - so what's the difference? 

Affiliate marketing is, among other things, about increasing the sales of products via an external advertising space. So if an influencer promotes a product in his or her own story on Instagram, for example, and also provides the followers with a discount code and link, which is then used to make a purchase, then we're talking about affiliate marketing. Influencer marketing can therefore be considered a sales channel of affiliate marketing. 
⁠But influencer marketing is even more: Influencers are not only paid for promoting products with the aim of sales. Also for a comprehensive evaluation and testing of products, the pure mention by name to the community or even, for example, the benefit (e.g. wearing a pair of pants or a sweater) is a service for which companies pay influencers money. This is because, in addition to sales, it is also about publicizing or pure presentation. 

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The biggest influencers in Germany 

The size and reach of each person depends on the channel. Let's take a look at the different channels and the biggest celebrities. 
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Instagram 

Right at the top you can find footballers like Toni Kroos (36 million followers) and Mesut Özil (24 million followers), the twins Lisa and Lena (18.4 million followers) and also the German-Filipino model Pia Wurtzbach (13.9 million followers). 
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Youtube 

Bibi's Beauty Palace was in first place for a long time with 5.8 million followers, but has since been replaced by sports influencer Pamela Reif with 9.2 million followers. Youtube also features influencers from the online gaming scene, such as Gronkh with 4.9 million followers. 
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TikTok 

We already have an article on this online video channel, which also presents the biggest German TikTokers. You can find it here. 

 In addition to these 3 channels, there is also Snapchat and also the streaming platform twitch are channels of influencers of different genres. On these various channels, famous people now present products or brands in return for payment. Sounds simple at first, but are there any disadvantages? 
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Advantages and disadvantages 

As is always the case, there are pros and cons to choosing a business sales channel. Let's take a look at them. 

The advantages

• Reach: Influencer marketing can reach a lot of people. What used to be possible only through television, radio and newspapers can now be done through Instagram stories, Youtube or TikTok videos. 

• Targeting: For every pot the right lid - for every niche there is today the right influencer.

• Relationships & trust: Influencers have a personal connection to their own community and many follow you because they have built trust and identify with the opinion and attitude of the respective influencer. This can have a positive impact on presented products. 

• Creativity: Influencers thrive on the fact that they also distinguish themselves from others and stand out. In doing so, the ideas for videos and posts are creative and unusual. This doesn't end with the presentation of products and can add a creative touch to companies.

• Easily measurable success: In addition to the insights on Instagram, for example, companies have the opportunity to see directly in the comments how the content is received by the target group. 

The disadvantages

• Image damage and scandals: As public figures, scandals are equally public. This can also lead to image damage for brand partnerships. 

• Loss of control: If a collaboration runs negatively, an influencer can also decide to stop a collaboration or even make a negative statement. Even if names are often not mentioned, it is clear to the community what is being talked about. Damage to the brand or company is possible. 

• Prizes: Influencers know their value and the price is also measured by the reach, among other things. This can become really expensive among other things.

• Distorted message: If the choice falls on the wrong influencer, it can harm the actual message of a company. The values of the company and those of an influencer should be checked in advance and only considered when a collaboration matches. This also applies to influencers. If you are committed to sustainability, you should also choose the influencer or the brand to be promoted accordingly. 

Summary 

 37% of Instagram users interact with influencers, 4 out of 5 brands use Instagram for influencer marketing, 81% of users discover and click on shopping posts every month. A huge market, a huge potential - continuously growing. 
⁠Influencer marketing is smiled at, controversially discussed, ignored. But there is a lot of work behind it, it needs intensive and continuous care and will continue to hold its ground in the years to come. It has changed our buying behavior and can create orientation. It reveals niches and shapes our everyday life. Starting with a braided hairstyle, now known for their own brand - influencers like Bianca from Bibis Beauty Palace are many. And companies can benefit from the reach they have gained.  

Let's go - and move on to the next exciting topic? Sure - just this way, please.