With the growing number of businesses popping up, companies are constantly looking for innovative ways to promote their products and services. So how does a company rise above the competition? Influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry. The number of companies using influencer marketing grew by 26% in 2021, and it is projected that in 2022, the market will expand to roughly $16.4 billion.
Christina Newberry, an award-winning writer and contributor to Hubspot, describes influencer marketing as an “influential person collaborates with a brand to promote something.” Although celebrities were the original influencers, the term has expanded to people with a prominent following on social media, particularly, Instagram and TikTok.
There are four types of influencers that are distinguished based on follower count. Starting with the lowest count with 1,000 to 10,000 followers are the nano influencers; then, the micro influencers have over 10,000 to 100,000 followers; the macro influencers have roughly 100,000 to 1 million followers; and finally, the mega or celebrity influencers have more than 1 million followers.
An influencer has its benefits. First, influencers bring awareness to the company’s product and/or service. The reason why influencers are selected is because they have a following, which typically align’s with the company’s target demographic. Kaleigh Moore, a contributing writer to Shopify Plus wrote that influencers also lend the “trust they’ve built with their niche audiences” to the company.
Most importantly, influencers generate sales. It is estimated that global sales will reach $958 billion based on commerce through social media platforms. The most popular platform is Instagram, with Facebook and TikTok following. In 2019, Instagram reported that “130 million accounts tap on shopping posts to learn more about products every month.”
If I could put together a hypothetical influencer/company deal, it would be Tabitha Brown and the Food Network. Tabitha Brown is a self-proclaimed vegan foodie, and she has nearly 12 million followers across her Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts.
The perfect pairing would be if Brown partnered with the Food Network to create a series of vegan meals through Instagram and TikTok.
Brown’s first viral video was a review of Whole Foods Market’s Smoky TTLA sandwich, which was a vegan twist on a BLT. Brown sparked a #TTLAChallenge, which received over a million views on Facebook within a week, and convinced Whole Foods to change the name to TTLA. Brown was contacted four days later to be a brand ambassador for Whole Foods, and the sandwich “was so popular they couldn’t keep it in stock; they sold out every day for six months.”
Brown influences many groups of people, but specifically Black women and vegans. I have tried the TTLA because of Brown and I have loved ones who tried her recipes.
The Food Network, which is a cable channel on TV, has been popular on social media, its Instagram account has over 12 million followers. It would be beneficial to add a Black woman who is a vegan to their account.
A vegan lifestyle is an ongoing trend for people trying to live healthier lifestyles. There are approximately 79 million vegans in the world, the Food Network would benefit if it had a reoccurring segment with Brown to put a vegan spin on a popular meat-based dish.
This goes beyond the Food Network’s audience. The Food Network doesn’t have a show or reoccurring segment dedicated to plant-based dishes. Brown’s personality and southern twist to dishes will capture people who eat plant-based diets.
The Food Network have great Black chefs featured on their network including Kardea Brown, Sunny Anderson and Gina Neely. But none of them specialize in vegan recipes.
This social media campaign will allow for Brown use her influence to bring vegans and Black people to the Food Network’s social media accounts and as a result, she will also grow her following. This partnership could be the beginning of a beautiful, lucrative relationship.
