#ad #sponsored #INFLUENCED
Raise your hand if you have ever been personally #influenced. In today’s filtered world, who hasn’t? Influencers are taking over my feed, I know more about them then I do about some of my own friends. The thing about a good influencer is if they are doing it well, they can influence their followers to click a link, make a purchase or swipe up before they’ve even thought their actions through. This is why so many brands are jumping on the influencer bandwagon, because they know it’s working. Influencers have the power to “influence” their niche audience because they have built trust with their followers and their followers are loyal. If an Influencer recommends a product or a service, their followers are going to pay attention because of the advocacy they feel toward them. Influencers are successful because of the level of openness they have with their followers. I think in a lot of ways followers feel like they really know the person behind the screen and that makes them relatable.
Two Influencers I follow that I have been personally #influenced by are Shawn Johnson East and Mallory Ervine. I started following Shawn a couple years ago after stumbling on her and her husband’s YouTube channel late one night mid YouTube spiral. She was pregnant at the same time I was, and she talked very candidly about her pregnancy and preparing to become a first-time mom. Her vlogs led me to her Instagram page where I follow her posts and her stories. I would consider Shawn to be a macro(celebrity) Influencer because she has over a million followers and is a former USA Olympic gymnast/ gold medalist. Shawn has several brands that she advocates for, all of which I have looked into.
However, I really bought into the active wear brand Fabletics at her recommendation. Fabletics is known for using all kinds of influencers, both macro and micro. They even have an application you can fill out on their website to become an influencer or “ambassador” as they call them. I think Shawn is a great ambassador for this company because she is a former professional athlete and is still very focused on fitness in her home gym today. Shawn knows a lot about fitness and has probably worn a lot of active wear in her life. I trust her brand advocacy and when she touted Fabletic’s maternity leggings you better believe I bought myself a pair. She often shared her sponsorship and code through her stories where she would either show you a “haul” or show you her normal everyday life but wearing the brand.
I stumbled upon Mallory through Shawn’s page because of course they’re bffs. Mallory is a former Miss Kentucky and first runner up for Miss America. She is currently a mama of two boys and a very popular influencer. She works with several different brands, but the one I bought into because of her is WW, formerly Weight Watchers. Mallory speaks very openly about past relationship with diet culture especially when she was in pageants. I can relate to her struggles which is why she is a successful brand representative. She posts a lot of her WW content in her stories because they are mostly video content. She also shares a lot on YouTube where she can make longer videos and talk through how she uses the program.
The thing that strikes me the most about these two ladies is how well they use multiple platforms. They do a great job of intertwining them seamlessly through their stories and links to their different platforms. Their content is personal and relatable, which is why they have so many followers. They draw their audience in by inviting them into their life, introducing them to their husbands and children. Clearly they have built a community and their community trusts them when they advocate for different brands. I know that I have been #influenced on more than one occasion and apparently 34% of Instagram users say they have as well. Influencers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, this is a strategy that is working!
