Authenticity in Social Influencer Marketing: Sharing vs. Selling #orwhatever

The world is moving toward all things digital, the future is online, and marketing is in the era of the social media influencer. What’s a social media influencer, you say? Well, an influencer on social media is an individual who has amassed enough of a followership that brands and companies will engage with them to market products and services. The idea is simple: find the influencer with a million (or more) followers, pay them to market Product X, and watch a percent of said followers purchase Product X.   As easy as this sounds, there are concerns about the authenticity of brands, the authenticity of influencers, and how clearly defined the lines are between sharing and selling in posts.

But why does authenticity matter? Let’s unpack this for a minute.

1. The Audience

Authenticity matters in social media because of the direct connections to consumers and accessibility to millions around the world. It is estimated that social influencer marketing will be a $10 billion global industry by 2020 and already is a significant part of the $72 million spent on digital advertising in 2017 (Mitchell, 2018).

Influencers have audiences that expect them to be honest and open about what they are sharing (Mitchell, 2018). Whether it is reviewing new makeup, promoting weight-loss tea, or unboxing free ice cream, the influencer’s followers should be able to trust that they aren’t being sold to all the time.

Brands should include social influencer marketing in their strategies and incorporate influencers that actually align with their brand identities. Picking influencers wisely and knowing the content they put out is being a responsible advertiser (Kite Hill PR Staff, 2018).  Authenticity is lost by the influencer if they are asked to change their personality or posting style for a brand; lose authenticity and you lose the audience (Kite Hill PR Staff, 2018).

2. The Legality

As these relationships between audiences and influencers deepen and expand, brands that are willing to sponsor influencers should ensure that the influencer is disclosing the partnership clearly. In 2016, the FTC started pushing social media influencers and their sponsors to be more clear in disclosing their relationships (AdAge, 2016). It turns out that a simple #ad or #sp was not enough for a follower to understand that the product or service in the post was a paid advertisement (AdAge, 2016). Influencers were encouraged to say out loud or display clearly that a sponsorship or partnership was involved, meaning a simple thank you and a tag of the sponsor were acceptable when being compensated or given free products (AdAge, 2016).

In 2018, a Princeton study on social media influencers revealed that a significant amount of influencers are still not disclosing sponsorships as outlined by the FTC in 2016 (Moon, 2018). Despite the availability of labels on platforms like Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram, the FTC wants to see bolder declarations of paid partnerships (Moon, 2018). Influencers can share their favorite products, of course, but there’s a big difference between sharing an opinion and being paid to do so.

So what does authenticity have to do with this? Everything.

If social media influencers and their sponsors want access to audiences and the profits of sales, they should openly disclose what post is paid for and what isn’t. If influencers are hiding sponsorships or free gift disclosures to be seen as more authentic, this could create a problem for the entire social influencer marketing future. Influencers are followed for their creativity, talents, personality, celebrity, and curiosity in our social networks but if advertisers and money become the driving force behind the posts, the whole thing could come tumbling down.

Influencers should be true to their identities and partner wisely to ensure their audiences don’t feel used. Brands should respect influencers and encourage smart and fair partnerships that include disclosure, not a feigned interest in a product disguised as a daily post.

Lose authenticity and you lose the audience.

References:

AdAge. (2016, August 05). FTC Cracking Down on Social Influencers’ Labeling of Paid Promotions. Retrieved from https://adage.com/article/digital/ftc-cracking-social-influencers-labeling-promotions/305345/

Kite Hill PR Staff. (2018, April 30). Why Authenticity Is A Necessity For Influencers And Brands. Retrieved from https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2018/04/why-authenticity-is-a-necessity-for-influencers-and-brands/

Mitchell, J. (2018, October 12). How These Founders Turned Their Social Media Startup Into A Top Influencer Marketing Agency. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/julianmitchell/2018/10/11/how-these-founders-turned-their-social-media-startup-into-a-top-influencer-marketing-agency/#31cdd9fc4eb7

Moon, M. (2018, March 28). Most YouTube Influencers Still Don’t Disclose Sponsored Deals, Study Says. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/311209