The power of influencer marketing

It’s that time of year again, folks. Love Island is back with the latest cohort of the most beautiful people to ever grace the villa steps.

And why am I writing about the ITV2 show, I hear you ask? Well, it has more to do with social media than probably the TV episodes themselves. The new crop of twenty-somethings will be the talk of the UK social media scene for the next 12 months or so before the reality show production line delivers the next tide.

Once the stars of the show step foot into the villa, they become serious “influencers”: people or pages with large, engaged social followings that aren’t household names (yet!). This following, usually people within the 18–24-year-old bracket, are uber impressionable and are much more likely to buy the products the influencers promote.

We believe in life after love

After an Islander has done their stint on screen, they are littered with opportunities. As the winning couple gets £50k, the rest of the contestants find success is through advertising partnerships. And they usually get these partnerships solely down to their personality, which equates to followers, which in turn equates to value. Digital footprints are everything. The obsession with having the most followers on Instagram is continually growing and the way we interact with social media is changing.

Nothing in the TV world, and even more so the social media world, is left to chance though. Every contestant is an educated guess when they get on the show. Their potential social influence is mapped out for them from the very beginning. The cast and crew behind the ITV2 show know exactly the kind of person they’re after – someone who will give back. So, when you break it down, they are selected on their monetary value after the show; ITV has a cut on their earnings for a year, after all.

So, what is an Islander’s worth?

There is no general rule as to the optimum amount to charge for a sponsored post on an influencer’s profile. However, new data from e-marketer suggests that influencers could now charge 0.0033p per follower per post. Below is the most followed past Islanders and what they can charge for a sponsored post:

But what return do you get and why are they important?

In a nutshell, a study by Social Media Explorer discovered that 92% of customers are more likely to trust an individual (influencer) over a brand. So, if you just humour me for a second and take Molly-Mae as an example, that could mean approximately 5.1 million of her followers would trust the product she is promoting.

When it comes to your own marketing and your brand’s presence online, maybe it’s time (if you haven’t already) to explore influencer marketing as a sales venture. There are influencers in every single industry. So much so that there are 2.6 million people who have “Social Media Influencer” as their job title on Instagram!

At CWA, we have experience in running influencer campaigns for huge brands like Volvo Trucks and Grand Vision. And we know how to make any budget, small or large, work harder for you. The results are surprising, with many wins along the way with increased brand awareness, new audiences reached and, of course, sales and leads generated.

If you have a social media campaign looming and you want to make the budget work harder, we can discuss it if you like (AP@cwa.co.uk).

The same can be said for social media consultancy too, let’s chat about your objectives and what more we can explore together in the world of the beautiful people. Or, if you’d just like to discuss the latest villa drama, get in touch!