{"id":3877,"date":"2018-08-07T12:54:16","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T19:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/?p=3877"},"modified":"2023-07-13T18:24:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T01:24:08","slug":"what-is-influencer-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/business-and-marketing\/what-is-influencer-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Influencer Marketing: What It Is and Where It’s Going"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re social media-savvy, chances are you follow an influencer or two, either directly through their blog or via Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media channel. In 2017, the keyword \u201cinfluencer marketing\u201d increased by 325 percent in Google searches, making it the fasting-growing online acquisition method of the year after organic search. An estimated two-thirds of marketing departments are looking to increase their budget for influencer marketing over the next year. Clearly, the trend isn\u2019t going away anytime soon; in fact, marketers are expected to invest an average budget of $25,000 to $50,000 in influencer marketing campaigns this year.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Read:<\/strong> What is Digital Marketing?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is an Influencer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While celebrities also can take on the title, an influencer is typically a \u201cnormal\u201d person who has a passion for something and shares that passion with the world (or, in this case, their followers). It could be anything: there are fashion influencers, food influencers, travel influencers, and industry-specific influencers such as <\/span>these digital marketing influencers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further reading, see here what a digital marketer really does<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even pets can be influencers. <\/span>Doug the Pug<\/span><\/a>, a 6-year-old dog from Nashville, Tenn., has 3.5 million followers on Instagram. He makes so much off of sponsored posts, his \u201cmomager\u201d was able to quit her job and manage Doug as her full-time career. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Doug<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(Source: <\/span>YouTube<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Influencer Marketing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The idea behind influencer marketing is simple, and not unlike referral marketing: influencers have large, dedicated followings of like-minded people who trust their opinions. If an influencer recommends a product, their followers are likely to try it (or at least gain brand awareness). In exchange for this recommendation, influencers are either gifted products or paid (in some instances, quiet heftily). Yoga influencer <\/span>Rachel Brathen<\/span><\/a> commands upwards of $25,000 per sponsored post, while celebrity influencer <\/span>Kim Kardashian<\/span><\/a> can make six figures per post.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Do the Experts Think of Social Influencer Marketing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brian Fanzo<\/span><\/a> is an expert in influencer marketing. As <\/span>CEO of iSocialFanz, he is an influencer himself and has partnered with more than 30 brands, including IBM, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, SAP, and Dell. In 2017, he was recognized as the \u201c<\/span>most engaging influencer<\/span><\/a>” at the Social Media Marketing World conference. He believes there are <\/span>three types of influencers<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n