Ruba Asfahani

You might start by asking yourself what an “influencer” is exactly: someone who has the power to affect the purchasing decision of another person or people. Most often, or we’d like to think, it’s because of his or her authority and knowledge in that particular field e.g. a nutritionist helping sell a new healthy cookbook.

In recent years, social media users have been driven to question how someone has become an “influencer”; it used to be that celebrities were the only ones sponsoring companies or individual items, but now it’s become more than that – in fact it can be a lucrative career option for some. In the UK, influencers tend to charge organisations anywhere between £100 – £250 for a single social media post – is this more or less what you thought?

Instagram (and Facebook) have recently promised to do more to prevent influencers from failing to disclose when an item is in fact sponsored. Issues around hidden advertising are not new, but much easier to hide on social media. The basic inclusion of hashtags such as #ad #sponsoredpost or #paidadvertising is all it takes to make everything just that little bit more transparent.

Influencers have the power to make (or break) a company and even we marketing nerds are not immune to this – ever noticed how suddenly that slouchy loungewear outfit so-and-so was wearing in an Instagram story is now on every female body you see at the supermarket?

Now the biggest question for companies is how best to use influencers to promote your product? You have to choose the right person, the right product, and most importantly – the right time to post! It’s not always those with the greatest number of followers, but often the influencers who are more authentic and trustworthy.

I can find the right person to connect your product and brand to specific audiences by delving into their relevance, engagement, reach and personality. Get in touch today to find out more!