The influencer marketing has undergone rapid popularity growth over the years. However, one of the main concerns of utilizing this specific strategy by marketers is the challenge to find and collaborate with the right influencer, as it is very crucial factor in gaining success. There are several different types of influencers, and the list below is going to walk you through them, along with example for each category.
The Examples of Influencer Type to Collaborate With
- Bloggers and Vloggers
Bloggers are people who create and publish content in their blog regularly. They may strive in different social media platforms. Meanwhile, vloggers are people who share video content. They are more commonly found in video-sharing platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, with contents that range widely, from travelling videos to a look into daily lives.
An example of a blogger influencer is Neil Patel, a digital marketing guru. He shares about his expertise and knowledge in regular basis on his blog. His readers are likely to find him trustworthy about the digital marketing contents and recommendations that he shares.
- Social Media Sensations
In general, social media personalities do not relies on video or blog contents to engage with their audience, but rather snippets into their ordinary lives to establish solid connection with the followers. They aren’t particularly deemed as experts, but they do have power to influence their audience’s decision in purchasing products or services.
One instance of social media stars is Katie Stauffer – an Instagram influencer who’s also a mom of five children. Through an account called ‘Stauffer Family’, she shares adorable pictures and videos of the family’s twins. She has successfully acquired over 4 million followers and works with multiple fashion, lifestyle, and beauty brands.
- Activists
Those who are considered as social media activists are typically motivated by social or political reasons. Their goal is to use their influence to make change towards positive directions, by sharing their views about the recent issues on their platforms. These types of influencer require brands to be more cautious when choosing who to collaborate with, because a good number of them pose radical views.
Jennifer Nini is an example of activist who makes use of Instagram to address issues like body positivity, ethical fashion, or sustainability in her account. She has collaborated with fashion technology company, Citizen Wolf, to promote the brand.
- Thought Leaders
The next category of influencers in this list is the thought leaders. Their demographic consists largely of high-level decision makers in major companies or entrepreneurs who support groundbreaking innovations that share about the latest trends and developments in their respective industry.
A couple of most famous examples of this type of influencers are Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Beyond these well-known people, even a company executives can turn into thought leaders as long as their own strong presence not only offline, but also in the online realm.
- Mainstream Celebrities
It won’t be a complete list of social media influencer types without incorporating their more traditional equivalent. Celebrities turn influencers can be models, musicians, actors, sportspersons, athletes, or other categories of public figures in mainstream media. Celebrities typically work with brands as the faces of companies or as ambassadors. They appeal to more generic audience instead of niche ones.
One example of celebrity who has influencing power in social media platforms is Khloe Kardashian, who rakes more than 74 million followers in her account. Amazon has partnered with her in the event of her pregnancy to promote a wide range of available maternity products.
For digital marketers and brands, the choices are so wide when it comes to choosing social media influencer type to work with. Make sure that whichever type you choose to promote your products or brands, the influencers align with the image, goals, and messages of your business.