Are influencers really influencing?

Theme:

• Influencers are those who can influence the decisions of common people. Until recently, only celebrities such as film actors, singers, sportspersons are considered influencers. But now anyone can become an influencer through social media by creating content that users find helpful. Using Instagram or YouTube or any other social media platforms, influencers are promoting products and have the scope of affecting the purchase behaviour of their followers.

Are influencers really influencing:

• Social media influencers have an advantage over traditional advertisements because people are more likely to buy things if they are reviewed by a real person than when they see the product in an advertisement. Many social media influencers are able to make it a full-time job because they can get paid through brand collaborations. More and more companies are now using influencer marketing to promote their products. So, that means influencers are able to influence the decisions of common people.
• But people are now more aware of the brand collaborations and the fact that influencers get paid for promoting the products. So, many people do not buy products depending solely on the reviews by social media influencers. But influencers do give exposure to the products.
• Even now, some people are not aware of the brand collaborations or the concept of sponsored content. So, they are more likely to be influenced by social media influencers.
• These days, people are vexed by repetitive influencer content. Many influencers have similar ways of promoting products and moreover, many promote the same products due to the aggressive influencer marketing campaigns by a few companies. This may make a negative impression on the products promoted by the influencers who have lost the trust of their followers.
• People will more likely trust the influencers who genuinely refer products that they really used and do not promote so many products. Moreover, the subject expertise of the influencers also plays a role.

Conclusion:

So, yes. Influencers can influence their followers. But not all influencers can. Now, people are unfollowing those who promote too many products and are not genuine in their reviews. Social media influencers who are relatable and who can blend the brand campaigns into the rest of the content without making them look like advertisements can gain the trust of the people and hence can influence the purchasing behaviour of their followers.

Your Turn…

Do you think influencers are able to influence people? Express your point of view through the comment section below. And subscribe to our blog to read answers to the trending GD topics.

Photo by Liza Summer from Pexels

References:

• Influencer Fatigue: Are We Done with Influencers?

Copyright @ Group Discussion Ideas.