Social media platforms are now a very ordinary part of life, and even the newcomers to the social media world are already showing huge promise. Snapchat, for example, has over 100 million daily active users, while Vine boasts around 200 million users per month! Networks like this grew extensively because they were in the right place at the right time; we were at a point when real time content was a top priority.
But how about those networks that didn’t fit the mould? Pinterest, for example, went against everything we typically looked for in a social media platform. It was ‘timeless’. Yet today the network boasts more than 100 million active users every month. How did Pinterest become so successful so quickly?
The Case of Pinterest
The SEO of Pinterest is the first to admit that the network’s success all comes down to ‘grassroots’ marketing; targeting a small, select group of people (or ‘influencers’) who spread the word, rapidly improving exposure and significantly contributing towards sign-up rates and, of course, overall success.
Online influencers are a modern day form of word-of-mouth. Think word-of-mouth is dead? Think again! It may be old, but it remains one of the most effective forms of advertising, as more and more people question the validity of online reviews, preferring recommendations from friends.
And influencers aren’t the sort of people to stay put, either, especially as we’ve come to realise that no one social media platform can meet all our needs. Consider Twitter, for example, and how Periscope was developed to fill the visual gap that Twitter lacks. Eventually, Periscope was even acquired by Twitter, so we’ve definitely seen a wave of influencers becoming more fluid and flitting between platforms, contributing towards more widespread promotion and awareness.
The Rise of Social Media Influencers
While online influencers have played a pivotal role in the development of many social media platforms, their responsibilities have now evolved to the point where they’re utilising these same platforms to benefit major brands. Companies are targeting influencers, encouraging them to promote the brand to their friends.
Who is an online influencer? Well, if you’re struggling to get past ten Twitter followers, it’s unlikely you’ll be top of the list. Influencers usually have very large social media followings and a strong online presence. After all, the more Twitter followers an influencer has, the greater exposure for the brand.
Of course, online influencers don’t work for free. They’re motivated by offers from the brand. Pinterest themselves created the ‘Pin it Forward’ campaign back in the early days, offering more invites to the platform to those influencers who used the network to create (or share) a certain number of pins.
The Future of Online Influencers & Social Media
For many people, top bloggers are becoming some of the most trustworthy sources of information, with around 44 percent of women claiming they trust their favourite blogger to help them make a purchase decision. It seems that online influencers, working both for social media and on it, are here to stay.
