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Influencer is a term that we are coming across more and more often, but what exactly is an influencer?

And how do they differ from celebrities?

At first glance you could say that an Influencer is someone who has a substantial social media presence, and who does just that – influences. They can influence people to try out recipes, be creative, travel to certain destinations, or purchase clothes, make-up or other items. They have such great engagement that companies are willing to pay them to do reviews or even be the face of their product.

Being an influencer, however, is not an easy road to fame and riches. It is a full-time job of crafting posts and photos, scheduling, following-up on comments, liaising with clients, and, of course, keeping up with all the changes that occur with social media. Influencers also need a strong personal brand. People follow and engage with them because of their how this brand comes over through photos, posts and comments. What’s more, they are trusted figures. If they say so, we tend to believe that X face cream is great, even though we know that they are getting paid to do this.

Trust and reputation of influencers, however, can be compromised in the blink of an eye. Take, for example, Rachel Hollis (@msrachelhollis on Instagram; author of Girl, Wash Your Face) whose brand, built on her exemplar family life and relationship advice, diminished when she finally admitted her marriage had fallen apart.  For an influencer to be trustworthy, authenticity and transparency also seem to be essential.

In this series, we take a peek behind the brand and discover the key drivers behind their success. We will also be asking our influencers to comment too, giving us even more insight. Next month, we’ll start by taking a closer look at the influencers who have come our way. So please join us on this journey, and who knows, you may even be able to pick up a few influencer secrets!

If you’re an influencer who would like to step into the spotlight, please do get in touch to let us know!