Influencer marketing is the fastest-growing online customer-acquisition method. With even celebrities cashing in for additional income, the influencer marketing is expected to reach $8 billion by 2020, states InfluencerDB. Social platforms are not only bringing the industry to a larger mainstream audience but are also becoming a full-time profession for many Internet personas.
There has always been an appeal in working for yourself and being your own boss. Instead of being limited to your salary, you receive promises for the potential to push yourself and to be able to grow. With no guidelines to follow and many opportunities for travel and free PR boxes, creating an account is a tempting proposition.
Unsurprisingly, more people are heading to this non-traditional root to earning money. According to InfluencersDB, 81% of all influencers are micro-influencers with fewer than 100k followers, which on average can make anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000 per year. However, we asked the unconsciously influenced customers from London, United Kingdom whether they think it is fair for Internet celebrities to be better paid than people working a 9 to 5 job.
Opinions varied: from a policewoman and a teacher-to-be thinking this new source of income is “ridiculous” and “rubbish” to teenagers and elderly people accepting the fact that while it might not be fair, influencers have found a way to generate income from it.
The most Urszula Makowska, an actress, fashion blogger and influencer with over 125k Instagram followers based in New York City, has gotten paid is $2,500 for a post. She is categorical that influencers’ salary is reasonable: “We take risks and work hard! I think it is fair to say since we invest a lot of our time”.
Makowska started blogging eight years ago, but after her first partnership with Nylon Magazine and her first episode of a reality TV show aired on MTV, she has been “busy non-stop working hard”. She started with the idea to inspire people and now has affiliate codes and partnerships with major brands such as Christian Dior, Cartier, Estee Lauder, and Givenchy.
For her being an influencer is a full-time job. Her typical week consists of shooting five to ten looks weekly, attending events, posting on Instagram, writing and responding to emails and really engaging with her audience. This, however, does not stop her to pursue her acting career. On the contrary, she believes that it helps her: “Everyone looks at social media accounts today!”.
Similarly, Jo Middleton also known as Slummy Single Mummy, an award-winning blogger, and novelist, agrees with Makowska that this newly emerged work field is justifiably better paid and provides more opportunities. Middleton has been developing her blog since 2009 and has reached over 657,000 views and over 407,000 unique users during 2018.
Her blog did not only land her partnerships with brands such as Coca-Cola, BMW, and Amazon, but it also provided her with an offer of a lifetime: to write her own novel. The novel is called "Playgroups & Prosecco" and it is about the reality of single parenting.
“Penguin Books UK team was looking for somebody to write a particular type of book. They were doing research and came across my blog, saw my style and really liked it. It is very exciting,” she says. Jo is not surprised that more people are heading towards this rather unconventional career path, admitting that she would struggle to go back to fixed hours and being told what to do. Jo recalls people’s amazement to the idea that writing and sharing a post on social media can be an actual job. She, however, insists the work behind the scenes is what makes the job not as effortless as people think it is. “It is just a constant process of making sure people now that you are still there,” she says adding, “I also spend a couple of hours creating a recipe, then I have to take photos and then there is the photo editing. And once the blog post is written and all the photos are done, then there is a lot of time that needs to go into promotion.” Lora Dobreva, a Bulgarian micro-influencer reaching more than 5k followers in a year, shares Jo’s opinion. This is, in fact, what she would like to change about the industry: “I’d love for people to understand what an influencer actually is and what it takes to become one.” “Beautiful pictures can’t suffice anymore. In order to stand out, one should really take their time, plan things ahead, share interesting content, and engage with their audience. Sometimes that could be really challenging, even though it may not seem so at all,” she explains.
Dobreva is currently juggling a journalism degree at Sofia University, full-time job as a marketing specialist, two Instagram accounts - hers and her dog’s - and is also preparing a YouTube channel scheduled to start off soon.
Despite being hard to establish herself in a field of already popularised influencers, she believes her social media presence may turn into a promising career. She has already had a one-time ad campaign, as well as long-term partnerships. The opportunity to work with different brands is one of the reasons why she is so involved in the subject of influencers. But the major reason for her to consider the Internet as her office is the chance to create “actual friendships and long-lasting bonds” with her followers. From New York City through London to Sofia - influencers promote different lifestyles and acknowledge their cultural differences. One thing they do agree on, however, is that the best strategy for succeeding in the uncharted territory of an influencer’s career is to always be authentic and true to your brand!
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