This chapter traces the origins and growth of the influencer industry, highlighting the influence of social media on career shifts in sectors like fashion and beauty. It examines the complexities of influencer marketing, discussing the balance between maintaining authenticity and commercial viability. The chapter also addresses the challenges faced by influencers, particularly the biases in marketing practices and the evolving expectations of their audiences.
Online influencers are an increasingly important way for companies to find new customers and drive sales. But if you’re a marketer hoping to target consumers, it’s important to understand how the social media industry works.
In this episode, Emily Hund, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, explains that influencers grew out of Great Recession-era job cuts that forced people in creative fields to innovate.
She offers advice for brands developing influencer marketing strategies. You’ll learn how to find the right influencer for your brand and how to measure success. Hund recommends starting with a small experiment to get familiar with the process before making a larger investment. You’ll also learn why longer-term creative relationships with influencers can produce stronger results than one-off endorsements.
Hund is the author of the book The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media.
Key episode topics include: strategy, social media, entrepreneurship, social marketing, customer strategy, influencer marketing.
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