How Consumers Choose Which Influencers to Follow

There are thousands of influencers for us to choose which ones we want to follow. They take the form of lifestyle bloggers, foodie-grammers,

fitspiration

and gym-goers… the list is endless. Yet, we all find ourselves staying truly loyal to a few key influencers in our social feeds.

Why do WE, the everyday person forever scrolling behind the phone/laptop screen, follow some bloggers and not others?

The answer.
The truth is, there is no perfect answer to why we follow certain influencers and are not interested in others. Every individual is different. Although one thing is super-clear, we don’t want to follow post. We want to follow people.

We want to read, learn about & view things that resonate with us; find people whom we’d love to be our best friends. We are all about being entertained, challenged & inspired.

We love to read post, screenshot & share them because we know our friends or family would love it, or we know it would make the work group-chat laugh.

These social media influencers tend to weave themselves into our experiences in an authentic, almost inexplicable way. Yes, we have never met them, & we probably never will (one can dream though right?!). However, it’s not about who they are, it’s about who they are & what they mean to us.

What do people want from influencers?
To be interesting

A big step in choosing which influencer/blogger we want to follow comes down to the content they produce. We are more likely to connect with someone over a mutual passion, whether it be fitness, fashion, beauty, music, cooking, or travel, the key element to finding influencers we love is finding people who love the same things as us — or at least the things we want to do!

To be entertaining

Strong, authentic voices & tangible personalities are also what we consider when following influencers. We crave witty, smart writing that jumps off the screen — but that is also personal & chill, almost as if we’re sitting & chatting to a best friend on the sofa. We are all about reading short, straightforward content with a unique style twist.

To be relatable

We are looking to connect with influencers that post not just about the ups… but about life’s downs, too. Some influencers have the ability to feel comfortable in sharing both success & failure with their entire following, this encourages us as their followers to believe & feel that we can find success too. As human beings, we innately seek authenticity.

To be inspiring

Relating to an influencer is something we search for, but we also search for & follow those who motivate and inspire us in some way. We can find ourselves being attracted to beautiful photos, intriguing stories, and post that make us say, “Why didn’t I think of that myself?”.

We follow influencers that will inspire & push us to be better versions of ourselves. It is clear we, as individuals, are all looking to grow & develop — we would choose certain influencers over another because they inspire us to forever excel in finding who it is that we are.

It’s not about THEM, it’s about US.
We, the people who scroll through our Instagram feed as a bedtime ritual and watch Snapchat stories more than we read real, physical books, are crucial in the process. It is us, you & I, who are the backbone to the paradigm of influencer marketing.

We give them their influence, and ultimately, it is our want & need for authenticity and a profound connection which truly determines who we let inspire our lives.

Just as with corporations, we have got the power to choose what influencer gets the spotlight, for bad and for good, so take a moment of reflection and ask yourself — what is this person doing for the world?

Pause for thought…
Following this article, have a think about which influencers you follow on social media? More specifically, why do you follow them?