In 2016 consumers are increasingly turning to social media for purchasing decisions and as with any platform the opinions of certain people can carry a certain weight. The more followers a person has via social media channels, the more likes their posts receive; the greater value consumers place on their opinions. As such, social media celebrities are tastemakers in style and influencers in public opinion.

Gaining the endorsement of a social media celebrity, or social media influencer, can lend a brand attention and credibility, as well as creating an emotional connection with a consumer who may feel invested in the social media celebrity in question. More often than not these influencers lead a life consumers see as being attainable; the products they promote thus become more relatable.

In the current digital media landscape consumers are able to easily recognise advertising and tune it out by clicking away to another tab, by plug-ins that remove advertising, or even just by ignoring it – a phenomenon known as banner blindness. Traditional advertising can also breed resentment among a follower base. Thus an influencer posting non-traditional advertising or branded content can often appear more trustworthy, especially to the millennial fanbase they typically attract.

However it’s important to understand your audience, as well as that of the influencer you’re thinking of engaging. It’s also important that the influencer gets as much value from the partnership as you do. Creating a relationship with your influencer will be crucial in ensuring they understand your brand and company and will be an ideal representative of your message or product.

Strategically partnering with social media influencers can generate organic brand awareness through native content, as well as lending a brand a trusted voice in user-generated content. There’s also the additional benefit in SEO, as the more social content produced about your brand the higher your brand will appear in Google searches. The expectation for brands in 2016 is to inform and entertain; to talk to their consumers, rather than at them and influencer marketing is a useful tool to achieve these authentic conversations.