Hey Y’all Hey! Kijan ou Ye! How are you doing?

Is being an influencer the new wave for millennials? I say yes and no!

Here we are in the year 2020 and there definitely has been a rise in the number of influencers in all markets/niches over the past few years. My point of view is we should not look at this rise as a negative impact but as a positive one. I actually love the fact that there is a surge of influencers in each market/niche. For one, we do not only have to rely on a handful of people like the top tier influencers for their insights. We now have a wide range of people to reply on. And two, we are starting to see the value that nano influencers have within their community and that people are actually seeking their advice.

Now you may be asking yourself, there are tiers to influencers? Which one do I classify as? Simply put, yes there are tiers to influencers.

Here are the influencer tiers:

• Nano-influencers: 1,000 – 10,000 followers
• Micro-influencers: 10,000 – 50,000 followers
• Mid-tier influencers: 50,000 – 500,000 followers
• Macro-influencers: 500,000 – 1,000,000 followers
• Mega-influencers: 1,000,000+ followers

The next question you could be asking yourself is what is an influencer? Well, the definition of an influencer is a person or thing that influences another. This person essentially has the power to affect your buying decision based on their opinion. They are known for their honesty and share their impeccable taste and eye for everything they find useful. An influencer seeks to inspire their community or audience with their everyday lives and interests.

In reality, we all are influencers in our day to day lives. We may not realize it, but talking about a product you love to your neighbor or friend or family is being an influencer. Shocking right? It may not be on the same scale as these mega influencers but you most definitely are.

It took me a while to get use to the idea of being an influencer. I never considered myself to be an influencer but in actuality that is what others would categorize me as. A little back story, I have been influencing since 2014. I started off on YouTube mainly doing hair reviews. Then I graduated to doing styling, fitness and beauty videos. Now fast forwarded to 2020 and I consider myself to be a lifestyle and mom influencer.

Some people may ask are influencers respected? Influencers are highly respected. They are seen as “gurus” within their market/niche which is why brands are seeking influencers to work with. One positive aspect about brands seeking out influencers is that they are seeking out all influencers on all tiers. I find that brands are seeking out nano influencers in particular because they seem to be more relatable to their community or audience. Nano influencers tend to have higher engagement with their community or audience. Nano influencers also tend to be more approachable.

Is influencing the new wave? Technically it has always been the wave. More and more people are now being open to, one the term of being called an influencer and two being more comfortable with sharing their likes and dislikes with the world. Brands are more open to working with the “regular” person because let’s be honest, our opinions matter and make a difference.

So, if you are thinking about becoming an influencer, I say go for it. However, make sure that you are authentic and being truthful with your community/audience. Honesty is the best practice when it comes to influencing, this is what brands are looking for.

For more information about the new wave of influencers, please check out these links below:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2020/02/18/2020-predictions-for-marketing-and-customer-experience/

JILLIAN “JJ” SIMMONS Influencer Spotlight

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/diversify-digital-marketing/348182/

Signing out,

Windy

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