Are there too many influencers?

It never once crossed my mind that I should try to become an influencer. Then, I wrote a series of poetry books in 2020 and not a single book agent would consider publishing my work unless I had a massive social media following.

So in 2021, I set out to make content on TikTok about love and relationships — topics that tied into my writing. At the time, I had very modest goals. Reach 10,000 followers and then start querying agents again to sell my books. Now, a year later, I’ve surpassed my follower goals on TikTok, I’m creating videos for Youtube, I’ve landed multiple brand deals, and I’ve made thousands of dollars in just a few short months after taking influencer marketing seriously.

Is the influencer market oversaturated?

And as it turns out, there are a lot of other people becoming influencers and content creators right now too — and their platform of choice is TikTok.

TikTok is the world’s fastest-growing social media app. It has one billion active users and of them, eighty-three percent have posted a video. That’s a lot of video content being uploaded onto the site and subsequently being crossposted on other apps like Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. Now, some marketing experts and mega influencers who have been in the business for the past decade are asking whether the influencer market is oversaturated since so many more people are creating content and thus, competing for the same limited attention of audiences.

Youtube star Emma Chamberlain says social media culture is dead

One mega internet star who theorizes the power of influencer marketing is changing is Emma Chamberlain. Chamberlain, who rose to fame through her Youtube videos, amassing more than 14 million subscribers, said on her podcast back in April that the strength of influencers is on the decline. Now that there are more people posting “day in the life” vlogs on social media, the concept of peeking into someone’s life doesn’t have the same novelty as it did just a few years ago, she reasons.

Celebrities who have benefited from audience interest in “day in the life” content are the Kardashians, who are considered the most powerful influencers in the world. The family built their fame through their reality show, which gave audiences backstage access to their daily lives. When the show first premiered in the mid-2000s, it felt like a new, fresh concept to see the ultra-wealthy showcasing their lives in full display for the public.

Despite the Kardashians being on TV for several years now, they are still influential. They’ve solidified their place in modern pop culture not just as reality stars, but also as businesswomen, launching successful products that they sell to their fanbase. And their longevity in the media has been one of the main reasons they’ve been so successful. In the world of marketing, staying top of mind with consumers helps brands build trust, love, and loyalty, which the Kardashians have with their following.

It’s easier to create content for influencer marketing

Nowadays though, you don’t need a TV network to pilot a show about your life or even a DSLR camera to film Youtube videos to make content for social media and build a following. TikTok has changed consumers’ expectations of video content. Low-lift videos created by users, as known as user-generated content (UGC), have become more desirable to watch because it feels authentic to audiences.

I’ve found that my best-performing videos on TikTok aren’t highly produced (and I have a professional background in filming, editing, and show producing). Instead, my highest-watched videos are simply of me speaking into the camera and sharing my life experiences, expertise, and opinions.

Creating low-lift video content like this is easier and more accessible thanks to a number of new mobile apps that have simple video editing suites. I think that’s why there are more people creating videos right now than in the past 10 years — that’s how long I’ve been working in professionally in the social media space. With its lower barrier to entry and the possibility of making a good income through content creation, there are more people attempting to become influencers. In fact, influencer marketing-related services and companies grew by 26 percent in 2021, according to Linkfluence. Additionally, the influencer market grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $13.8 billion in 2021, according to Influencer Marketing Hub.

But as more influencers enter the industry, how many of them are actually influencing audiences?

Do influencers really influence?

There is some anecdotal evidence claiming the strength of influencer marketing is diminishing. Back in 2019, an Instagram influencer with more than 2 million followers couldn’t sell more than 36 T-shirts to her followers. And marketing experts say that’s not uncommon, mainly because followers don’t equate to consumers. Additionally, 50 percent of businesses launched by influencers fail more than 50 percent of the time — but that’s pretty similar to small business failures. In fact, only 25 percent of small businesses last more than 15 years.

Does that mean influencer marketing is dead? Not necessarily. In marketing, converting audiences into purchasing customers can be a challenge, especially if you’re an emerging brand. And we can think of influencers as brands who have cultivated a following based on the identity they’ve created online with their content. And even major brands struggle with this, especially at a time when the brand name doesn’t always guarantee sales and market saturation is high for many categories.

Do brands want to work with influencers?

It is the golden age of brand deals. Forbes reports that brands are projected to spend $15 billion on influencer marketing during 2022. However, I’m a bit skeptical of this number as inflation continues to worsen and consumer sentiment grows pessimistic about the economy, which usually means that companies start cutting their marketing budget as a way to save money. And influencer marketing could fall into this cost-cutting bucket should we enter a recession.

Additionally, as social media platforms fill up with sponsored posts and branded content, some audiences are craving authentic connections from creators.

I think the issue isn’t that there are too many influencers competing for the same amount of attention from audiences. Rather, audiences are looking for the next big thing to keep them engaged like a new platform, a new style of storytelling, or a new concept.

As digital consumers, we’ve been trained to expect something greater because social media algorithms are always promoting more extreme versions of opinions and content that we’re watching. And creators constantly have to adapt to make themselves seem appealing to audiences.

For example, when I originally started uploading content to TikTok, it was mainly content based on my writing and poetry, but I wasn’t getting the traction I was looking for, so I started posting about my personal experiences with love and relationships. Those topics resonated with viewers and my audience started to grow. Every few months, I saw that my growth would stall out, so I had to reinvent myself in a different way. For instance, I started sharing my tips and stories about working a corporate job and being a manager. That helped me continue to grow my following. Then I expanded my brand by sharing content about money, finance, and investing. That pivot helped me increase the scope of my brand. For a long time, I resisted posting “day in the life” vlogs because I didn’t want to give away too much of my life.

But as my growth stalled again on social media, my video views dropped, and my brand deals slowed down, I pivoted again. I recently started sharing small glimpses into my life to see if that sort of content resonated with my followers.

@jareenimam Spent the day not focusing on work @jareenimam #AmazonVirtualTryOn #worklifebalancegoals #sundayscariesbegone #corporatetiktokers #womenincorporate #comewithmevlog ♬ Aesthetic Girl - Yusei

The moral of the story is that as a content creator or influencer, you have to be adaptable and constantly change because you’re operating on someone else’s platform and you’re playing by their rules. This causes a lot of influencers to make content that over time feels largely the same, and unoriginal. When audiences feel like everything is a “repost,” that’s when we start reaching levels of market saturation and consumer fatigue.

@jareenimam Thanks @tarityabyankita for the earrings 💕 @jareenimam #PerfectPrideMovement #selfcaredays #worklifebalancing #njfinds #nyeats #comewithmevlog ♬ Aesthetic Girl - Yusei

Is becoming a mega influencer possible?

If your goal is to become a megastar like Emma Chamberlain, Charli d’Amelio, or David Dobrik, it will probably be a lot harder to reach those levels of fame and success now because of market saturation. We all know virality is a big part of helping drive exposure and brand awareness, but as more video content is uploaded on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube, it can be hard to break through the noise. Unless you’re new to an emerging platform or have amazing luck to have your content consistently go viral, chances are the way to become a successful influencer is to focus on being a consistent content creator.

Audiences want more than a spokesperson to vouch for brands. Nowadays, they want to relate to content and be a part of a community. Instead of striving for 2018 influencer celebrity status, it may be worth focusing more on community building and audience development because ultimately, the most powerful part of an influencer isn’t their aesthetic or brand, it’s their audience.

Cultivating authentic connections with viewers is something companies, brands, and celebrities strive to do all the time. If you’re a content creator looking to grow your brand in a meaningful way with your audience, then here are a few things you can start doing today:

Research the audiences for your niche

Whether you create relationship content or personal finance content, each niche has its own audience. Look to see what other creators are posting about in your niche and don’t just watch their videos, look through their comments. See what their community is asking for and check whether you can help fill in the gaps by providing your own expertise.

Engage with your community

Every comment you get on your videos is an opportunity to make a meaningful connection. If someone says they like your video and you notice they don’t follow you, ask them to give you a follow. Providing a call to action in your comments can help inspire viewers to subscribe to your channel.

Deliver on promises

If you say you’re going to start a series or launch a product, provide a status update to your community. For example, I had to tell my community during the start of my TikTok journey that I was pivoting away from poetry content to relationship-based content, but I was still planning to work on finding an agent to release my book. Even though I haven’t published my books yet, I did keep my audience informed about my plans because some of them followed me because they wanted to keep hearing about my literary work.

Get personal

Posting videos of trends and viral sounds can help get you views, but you need more personal and substantive content to convert a viewer into a follower. Ninety percent of your content will most likely not go viral, but that’s OK. That 90 percent of content is created for your current followers. That content is something they want to watch and that’s why they’ve subscribed to your channel.

Create, reiterate, adapt, and evolve

Being a content creator on a social media platform means your strategy will always be changing because you’re trying to hit a moving target thanks to how often social media algorithms change. One month’s strategy may not work next month. When you see dramatic shifts in your views, don’t panic — experiment. This is an opportunity to assess your content. Have you deviated too far from your niche? What are other creators doing? Should you try something new?

Creating content with new hooks, music, topics, and formats could help your channel feel fresh and help audiences discover your content.

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