There is no denying the impact that social media has had on our society. From its earliest beginnings on MySpace and AOL Messenger to the many platforms available today, social media has changed the way we share our lives with each other but also the brands and organizations can interact with the clients, customers, and donors. Here’s a quick history of the platforms that have shaped our lives over the last two decades! Which one is your favorite?

Do you remember back in the 1980’s when Brooke Shields starred in the Calvin Klein denim ads? Her line of “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins” was iconic and drove enormous sales for the company. Everyone wanted to be like Brooke in those days and the jeans were the first step. Or how about in the 1990s when it seemed that every major face in the entertainment business was obsessed with milk and had their image on a billboard or magazine spread with the milk moustaches? But did Brooke Shields really wear CK jeans all the time?

Did all of those celebrities really drink that much milk? It’s hard to say because at the end of the day we know they were being paid for those opinions and for the use of their famous faces. Unless we read a quick article in a grocery store check-out line, we had no idea what any of those folks looks like, wore, drank, or was passionate about. The goal of each of those campaigns was to make everyone think that their life could be like those beautiful faces if they just bought the jeans or drank the milk, but that’s rarely how life works out. The ads may have influenced a purchase but they did not create a lifestyle.

Flash forward 20-30 years to 2020. The growth of Influencer Marketing has exploded of the last two years as brands fight for their products to be featured on lifestyle blogs, Intragram stories, TikTok videos, and YouTube videos. Every day people have created massive platforms by knowing their audiences, sharing their passions, and building a community. We’ve turned them into celebrities, but they didn’t start out that way and that’s the beauty of it. Influencers create their own brand with their own lives in an authentic way that an ad campaign cannot capture.

“I think that’s the thing that excites me most about working with Influencers,” said Marketing Support Network’s President, Josh Glover, when we were chatting about this topic. “What you see is a real person sharing their life with the world. If they are partnered with a company or a brand, it’s because they use it or because they know it will bring a good product or service to their audience. I just love that it’s more authentic.” As an example, one of our Influencer clients just signed their first partnership. He and the partner company are both big Pokemon fans and love the community of fans around the game. It’s a niche market, but he has their attention and that’s great for the card company!

Latest statistics show that authenticity is working. According to a recent article from Hubspot, 49% of Americans between the age of 15 and 39 trust a product recommended by an influencer they follow, but only 17% of that same age group trusts ads or commercials. Another article sites that brands are making $5.40 for every $1 they spend on an influencer campaign. These campaign can draw big ROI!

There are a lot of digital trends that come and go, but Influencer Marketing appears to have staying power and huge growth potential. As we continue to connect more and more through virtual platforms, their influence on our culture only grows. Now may be a great time to explore the opportunities for you or your organization to add Influencer Marketing to your overall strategy.