The last decade “Influencers” have well and truly taken over social media platforms, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. For decades, companies and brands have been using famous faces in order to advertise their products. However, the last decade there’s been a shift to influencer marketing. The influencer marketing industry is one of the most impactful forms of marketing and is set to be worth up to 15 billion by 2022. But what is an influencer anyway?

An influencer is a person who has built a reputation for being an expert on a specific topic. They have the power to affect the purchasing decisions of people because of their knowledge or relationship with their followers.

And when did this all start? Let’s have a look:

2009: The Influencer beginnings

This was the year that saw a massive entry of YouTubers and bloggers. What Zoella, Tanya Burr and PewDiePie started as a hobby, completely changed their careers later and turned them into Industry leaders with millions of followers and subscribers. Of course I was one of their marketing victims at the time, as there was no makeup tutorial or clothing haul that Zoella would upload and I would miss it.

2013-2016: The Influencer Power

Since its introduction in 2010, Instagram has grown into a social media superpower across the globe. It’s a place where people can become overnight celebrities thanks to their ever-growing following. IG now allows brandsto tap into influencer’s following and pay them to create sponsored posts. There’s no way you haven’t heard of Kylie Jenner, being the highest paid influencer, making at least one million dollars per sponsored post. You probably have also heard about Mirketa, she’s our current fave in the IG world ;)

2020: Τhe TikTok fever

It’s no secret that TikTok’s popularity exploded during the pandemic, currently being the fastest growing social media app with over 2 billion downloads. TikTok was a space for short videos that could be quickly and easily edited together to tell stories and bring people together. And of course that didn’t go unnoticed for brands and marketing companies. There are many influencers that find TikTok a great platform for them to grow their following and connect with new people. Some of the biggest names in TikTok at the moment are ZachKing, Dixie D’ Amelio and Addison Rae. I am not really familiar with this app to be honest, as I am avoiding to download it( I can’t take anymore social media at the moment). But one thing I know for sure: NoThinkin is on TikTok and you should all go follow! ( Here: https://www.tiktok.com/@nothinkin? )

What I want to add to this though is that Influencers are not just marketing tools today. Through these difficult times of change Influencing is not just about fashion anymore. They are increasingly speaking and engaging conversation about social issues that they are passionate about! Whether they’re paid or not to do so, they’re shedding light on diversity, women empowerment, LGBTQ+ affirmation, and racism or climate change, encouraging they’re followers to share their own experiences.

Do you feel influenced already?

For you #NOTHINKER,
Eli