top of page

What is Influencer Marketing?

  • brendapayangarcia
  • Jul 5
  • 5 min read
Influencer marketing is when a company or brand pays an influencer, an individual with high social media following/engagement to post content related to their brand.
Influencer marketing is when a company or brand pays an influencer, an individual with high social media following/engagement to post content related to their brand.

As the world evolves, so does PR and marketing. The latest trend in marketing has been influencer marketing. What is “influencer marketing”? Influencer marketing is when a company or brand pays an influencer, an individual with high social media following and engagement, to post content related to the brand, products or whatever said brand is trying to promote.



Where did it come from? 


Once social media channels such as YouTube and instagram evolved and became more mainstream, around the 2010's, the usual celebrity was able to promote their own brand and line of products using said platforms. Celebrities have been OG influencer and endorser when it comes to selling a product. But when did the average joe get to help sell a product to the masses? 


Especially in the mid-to-late 2010’s, users were able to post more advanced content specific to their personal niche. This individuals attracted followers who were interested in learning more about said niche or being inspired. Most well-known users would post recommendations about what products they use that help make their lives better or easier.


Screenshot taken of an opinionated analysis done by YouTuber Mina Lee on the rise of influencer and celebrity culture evolving from the 2010s. The culture went from being authentic to being a sponsored social media game.
Screenshot taken of an opinionated analysis done by YouTuber Mina Lee on the rise of influencer and celebrity culture evolving from the 2010s. The culture went from being authentic to being a sponsored social media game.

A fitness blog would recommend the best kinds of protein brands; a mom vlogger could recommend the best methods of washing clothes, what brands for kids clothing, shampoos or even diapers they recommend. Cooking vloggers could recommend what cooking sets they use for their recipes to those who don’t know how to cook and what they’d need.

Once these vlogger/online bloggers on social media gained an almost celebrity-like status with hundred then thousands of likes, views and comments, brands got the smart idea to start sending said vloggers and online creators “pr packages," including paid sponsorships to create content on how great their products are. 


The tricky thing about this new up and coming method of marketing was that when it started, there were no legal guidelines between a brand and a sponsor, who at the time were usually regular individuals and not rich celebrities with lawyers and managers who dealt with earnings and contracts.

Soon enough, those who were ingesting the sponsored content became angry and misled as these product placements and endorsements were usually paid for and not an honest recommendation; leading to misleading expectations of a product and resulting in backlash to the influencer and possibly the brand.

Since 2009, the FTC has updated and regulated their laws in online advertisement and have since continued. Check out the latest FTC Disclosures here. One of the most important and current FTC updates is when an influencer is sponsored by a brand, they have to

“disclose when they have a financial, employment, personal, or family relationship with a brand.”

One of the most common forms of disclosure is making sure that you post sponsored content with a (hashtag)“#ad” and make sure a post is tagged in the post settings as “sponsored.” The legal repercussions are quite heavy if not done so. 


Example of Sims images of endorsement by Lana Del Rey that caused all the dram and lacked "#ad" or "sponsored".
Example of Sims images of endorsement by Lana Del Rey that caused all the dram and lacked "#ad" or "sponsored".

An example being when there was a supposed rumor going around that Kim Kardashian was planning on suing artist Lana Del Rey due to an accident in not following FTC Guidelines. When Lana partnered with the Kardashian brand Skims, the said music artist however forgot to disclose that the endorsement was an “#ad” which could have ended very badly in a heavy lawsuit from the FTC against Ms. Kardashian if not fixed right away. Thankfully, the mistake was fixed before any legal repercussion could be taken (or for enough people to be fooled from the lack of disclosure), and the rumors were laid to rest as the situation was resolved “amicably.”


Why would I need it?


Influencers are useful and they are worth it. You get to expose your brand to a new and broader audience. Each influencer has a niche and loyal following. Their followers trust them to be “experts” in their field, and they trust them with whatever product they depend on and possibly endorse. If the audience loves the vlogger's content, and said vlogger/influencer promotes a product, this will peak their audience’s curiosity to give said product/endorsement a try, because they trust the vlogger to be a trusted in their niche.


Who would need influencer marketing?


New businesses, or any business seeking to grow in their engagement and customer base size. Anyone that needs modernized advertisement; influencer marketing/social media is the new word of mouth.  Whoever wants to reach new eyes and grow in their audience/customer base, I recommend using influencer marketing.


Benefits of influencer marketing include being exposed to fresh eyes and growth in brand awareness as well as potential customers.
Benefits of influencer marketing include being exposed to fresh eyes and growth in brand awareness as well as potential customers.

What benefits could I get from influencer marketing?


Benefits of influencer marketing include, more/newer eyes on your brand/product. More/new connections and relationships. More potential loyal customers. More reviews, better feedback. Growth in business and sales.


How do I find the right influencer for my content/brand?


You could search through social media hashtags and find content creators that specialize on content similar to your brand. Looking through several influencer websites for influencers ready for hire. Seeking influencers (even the small ones) who are local to your area, and create local content would also be great. There are many local content creators, sometimes you just need to find them.


Don't work with just anyone, make sure this influencer's image and viewership aligns with your brand. Make sure they have a trustworthy image and get consistent engagement with their content.
Don't work with just anyone, make sure this influencer's image and viewership aligns with your brand. Make sure they have a trustworthy image and get consistent engagement with their content.

What to look out for in influencer marketing?


Look for influencers with a good and trusting/reputable nature / reputation. Getting sponsorship from someone with a failed image, can just as easily ruin your image and your business. Look for influencers, not entirely with the largest following, but with consistent engagement. As now a days, someone can have several thousands of followers and barely get 20 likes and no comments, so it's more about finding enough engagement over followers now-a-days. If plenty of people comment and share on their content, they'll most likely comment whether they’ve tried said sponsored or recommended products and that will provide more input that could be valuable to your brand.


Well, hopefully you found this blog post informative enough on what influencer marketing is. Let me know if you have any useful tips or experiences you'd like to add about influencer marketing.  


Resources on the History of Influencer Marketing:


User, Guest. “How & When Did Influencer Marketing Start?” Scott Social, Scott Social, 14 May 2025, www.scottsocialmarketing.com/blog/how-when-did-influencer-marketing-start.


“The History of Influencers: Impact on Society and Businesses.” Havas Edge, 24 July 2024, www.havasedge.com/the-history-of-influencers-impact-on-society-and-business/.



Comments


Post: Blog2_Post
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

©2021 by Brenda Payan. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page