What would you say your average daily time spent on social media is? According to 2019 stats we spend an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes using social media and messaging apps. If you want a more individually accurate average, for all of the iPhone users out there go into your settings, select the ‘screen time’ option, and you will be shown how long you’ve spent on these social apps, and even if you’re above your usual average!

This statistic in itself is reason enough for any business to leverage their social media platforms, simply because it is such an integral part of our lives. What we as businesses have to do on social media is build a community, at which the root lies trust.

So how do we build trust on social media? Well, let’s take a look at offline human interactions. Who do we as people trust? It may be our parents, our best friend our siblings, or partners. Usually, we trust people we like, and what we like has the power to influence us.

This is why ‘Influencer Marketing’ has been such an increasingly popular marketing strategy that both huge brands and smaller independent brands have started leveraging. Statistics show that a total of 49% of consumers claim that they depend on an influencer’s recommendation on social media, as part of their purchasing decision.

So how do you know which influencers are suitable for your brand? Start off by thinking if you had the choice who would you appoint as your ‘brand ambassador’? This ‘ideal’ individual needs to embody your brand’s core values. Let’s take Nespresso for example, the most notorious celebrity associated with them is George Clooney. What do Nespresso and George have in common? They’re both smooth and sophisticated, and share the vision of sustainability and commitment. Having said that, not all businesses have a budget big enough to appoint George Clooney!

All is not lost, there is a hierarchy in the influencer marketing world. They can be organised into groups making them more accessible to brands with different budgets.

At the base of the pyramid, you’ll find the ‘brand advocate’ type of ‘nano’ influencer, these individuals are those who are die-hard fans of your brand, product/service. While their following may not exceed over 2k followers, the follower base is a loyal one! The main reason being is that these nano influencers are still as close to ‘real’ people in the eye of the consumer, therefore what they’re sponsored to advertise on their platforms is more likely to be perceived as the truth to their audience.

Next, you will find your ‘micro’ influencers. These individuals tend to have less than 10k followers. Like nano influencers, their following is loyal because they haven’t yet reached that ‘celebrity’ status, they are deemed as being more ‘expert’ in their field, and like many of us when we want information about something we turn to a more knowledgeable other.

Following on from micro influencers you’ll find your ‘macro’ influencers who tend to have a following of 10,000k followers and above. These individuals will have more of celebrity status, here is where you can find people like Robin Gallant; a Gymshark brand influencer. This type of social media influencer is great for increasing brand awareness and visibility, simply direct messaging them on Instagram probably won’t yield a response from them, check to see if they have any form of contact details in their bio’s; this will be a great starting point.

Last but not least, we have the ‘mega’ influencers. These influencers have followers in the millions, here is where you’ll find the likes of Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian who like macro influencers eat, breathe sleep their area of expertise. Think about it, Kylie Jenner’s makeup brand is out-selling brands that are well respected and massively popular, why? It is down to the influence she has over her audiences. Macro influencer reach is explosive as you can imagine, but they do come with an ‘A-list’ price tag.

The main areas to consider when choosing which influencer type to opt for are:

• Defining your goals
• Defining your performance metrics
• The right social media platform
• Your budget

Who was the last influencer to influence you? For more digital marketing strategy tips, grab a copy of my book.