#TBT: Under The Influence 2018: "Inside the Millennial Mind: Influencers Tell All."
Atlanta-based social media and influencer marketing agency, Everywhere Agency, hosted its first Under The Influence event of 2018. The event series aims to bring Atlanta’s marketing and influencer communities together.
Last week's event topic was “Inside the Millennial Mind: Influencers Tell All." The agency invited six local social media influencers to WeWork Tower Place in Buckhead to have a panel and small group discussions about life as an influencer, partnerships with brands and how they maintain their loyal millennial following. From interior design and woodwork, to fashion and “The best of Atlanta,” these influencers have a combination of 214,000 followers on Instagram alone. Check out their Instagram pages:
During the panel discussion moderated by the agency’s content strategist, Stephanie, the influencers shared a variety of insights. Here are some of my top takeaways:
Latinx is a gender-neutral term used instead of the traditional feminine or masculine “a” or “o” at the end of a noun in Spanish.
Influencers want brands to know that promoting their products via social media influencers is about much more than brand awareness. Each influencer agreed that their followers are loyal, and find great value in the products and services they promote. Additionally, their authenticity is essential when connecting with their audience, so brand partnerships have to be the right fit for their audience.
Speaking of partnerships, influencers said that some of their strongest partnerships have been with brands that have been with them the longest. Influencer @_SimplySabrina mentioned a longstanding partnership with Vera Bradley. With a following of less than 100k, her micro-influencer status was appealing to the brand, as they quickly realized how much @_SimplySabrina’s followers valued her opinions and brands she promoted.
Brands have started to take a closer look at partnerships with micro-influencers because of the concentrated potential reach to their firm and committed following. Influencer @atl_bucketlist recounted a time she was at a partner restaurant and they surprised her with a celebratory cake for reaching a milestone number of followers. Completely unexpected, the simple gesture is one of her most memorable experiences as an influencer. This was a great example of how a brands relationship with an influencer is ultimately about what they make of it. It doesn’t have to be just about promoting a product or service.
Overall, some of the best partnerships have been when brands take a hands-off approach and allow the influencers to be creative while delivering their message. Trust between brands and influencers was a recurring theme throughout the evening.
Metrics matter! Each influencer had a firm grasp on analytics and metrics that drove their pages. I was delighted to hear that many of them use the data to drive their influencing decisions.
I am excited to see how brands continue to find innovative ways to promote and sell products. Do you follow any influencers? If you do, please share!
Be sure to follow these millennial influencers and Everywhere Agency!
