There is constant talk around the state of influencers in relation to what is happening on Instagram. With algorithm changes and the idea of likes disappearing, many marketers are worried about what this means for their influencer campaigns and many influencers are worried about what this means for their livelihood. But, we have to get rid of this idea that that the words “Instagram” and “Influencer” are synonymous with one another. Influencers existed long before Instagram did, and they will exist long after.
Instagram is not the end-all be-all
Social media is hard to predict, and Instagram has every right to make every rule in the book that makes influencer marketing feel impossible. Instagram right now knows they have the power. That marketers will do anything and everything they can to continue running campaigns through their site, because it’s Instagram! And it’s universally considered the best. And sure, right now Instagram dominates, but let’s not forget that there was also a time when Myspace dominated, and Facebook, and Snapchat, and etc. etc. This is not the end all be all of social media spaces. The reason they have stuck in there for so long is because they have been such an easy tool to use and to market on. But once that is not the case, it will not be long before a competitor rises. Instagram’s fall may seem impossible right now because of its popularity, but it’s social media and like all social media it can lose its “cool factor” in a matter of days.
Influencers aren’t giving up
For many, this is not a part time hobby; this is a full-time career that they have put their blood, sweat, and selfie game into. Influencers are influencers because they set trends in their categories. They are not ones to be afraid to step into unknown territory. This could be the case when it comes to other social media platforms. Remember several years ago when Vine was all the rage? You had Vine influencers with 4 million followers that maybe had 200 followers on Instagram. But the influencers that were smart and took seriously the threat of the app being deleted were proactive and took their talents to greener pastures. And surprise surprise, the good ones survived! Many of the top Vine creators went to YouTube and Instagram where their audiences followed and made the breakup with Vine a little less hard to deal with. Most good influencers are probably already building credible followings on other social media sites anyways.
Where influencers go, the others will follow
People enjoy following influencers. They have become this more approachable celebrity, like your best friend’s big sister, or your cool cousin. They are someone you feel comfortable dming and asking where they got that new jacket or how they can afford to go on the trips they take. At the same time, they are also living a heightened sense of reality; a life people envy and strive for. This is what makes their possessions desirable and why it’s so interesting to keep up with their lives. People want to be like them, and they feel like it’s possible to. Influencers have perfected walking that thin line between relatable and untouchable. These audiences have grown over the years and they look forward to hopping on Instagram and seeing what that influencer is doing or wearing today. When you become invested in the lives of an influencer you are going to follow their lives over to other platforms.
Influencers Find a Way
If you really think about it, influencers have technically existed before any social media, since the idea of an “influencer” actually comes as a much bigger extension of word-of-mouth marketing. A well-connected and influential person will exist and impact an audience no matter what medium they are speaking through. So in conclusion, there is nothing to worry about. As Jeff Goldblum once said, “life finds a way”. And as will influencers.
About MATTR: MATTR, leaders in influencer campaigns for highly regulated industries, is the only full-service influencer marketing provider with detailed audience insights from PersonaMesh™. We go beyond demographics into psychographics such as values and interests so that your influencer campaigns align with your campaign targets.