Are Influencers ruining the social media game?
One attraction to Netflix is that it is free from advertising, something we all used to crave, But yet here we are, social media influencers, doing influencer marketing, selling protein powders and skinny teas on our Instagram accounts to pay the bills. Without realizing we are creating another advert and well, to be frank, I'm sick of it. And Just a Disclaimer, this is my opinion, this is how I feel. I'm no expert and I am sure you can pick many holes in my social media accounts and that's okay. I am learning, we all are.
Now I shouldn't be one to talk. I have been paid for Instagram and Facebook posts from time to time and I enjoy it. I love connecting with brands I enjoy and working closely with them. I also actually work in influencer marketing, I have done for a wee while now and have a few dozen successful campaigns under my belt. I think social media and infleuncer marketing a great tool, when done correctly.
However, as a normal person, I myself, are finding the Instagram experience saturated.
It's okay sometimes.
I truly believe that I think influencer marketing is awesome especially when the brand and the influencer are a perfect match. A time where the influencer believes in the brand 100%, where they use it and can hand on heart swear by it. These posts look natural.
The posts I'm sick of? These are the ones that look like an advertisement and to add to that, I'm sick of the blogger/influencer that has a commercial post every second day. That's where I'm not down.
It's these posts which I feel are ruining social media. I think that influencer marketing is becoming too common, meaning it loses authenticity and thus usefulness.
You see to appear authentic, influencers must be judged on the quality of the content they create rather than how directly they push sales. As a blogger and/or influencer myself I come across briefs daily that ask for me to use this hashtag and link to this Facebook page and website and it's come to the point now where I think marketers have forgotten why influencer marketing works or worked.
There is a gray area, however - an area where it looks like I'm supporting a company but really I just have big love. I work with some amazing people who don't pay me at all or reward me. I tag them like friends. A recent example of mine are my personal trainers. I tag them in - why? Because if I don't I will get messages asking who my Pt is. True story.
So what should you look out for? Well if it's an obvious advertisement scroll on by. If it's not then the influencer did awesomely and they did even better if it has the hashtag #sponsored or #ad or #paid. Disclosing ads is easy on Instagram and even easier on Facebook there is no excuse. The Influencer marketing company I work with has made it a "must have" and for this I'm like YES!
I am pulling back because I personally want to enjoy Instagram again. My focus will be good content, giving something back to my audience and sharing some insight into the girl that is me. Content is king and hopefully, that's why you follow me in the first place.
