This article will discuss why everyone wants to be an influencer and the rise of the "Selling Influencer" in the social media era. The purpose of this article is not to discourage anyone from becoming a social media influencer, but rather to help those thinking about doing so to understand why they should.

The interests of millennials vs. baby boomers

Influencers will typically fall into one of three categories:

Generation Z

Generation Z is the most widely available demographic, born from the late 90s to the late 2000s. Their Internet presence began at a very young age.

Unlike the previous generation, Gen Z has been able to exist without constant parental oversight. Due to this, their interest in social media is often the highest out of all the generations, with users averaging 70 hours a week on social media.

Smartphones play a huge role in why Generation Z is so far ahead in terms of online interactions. The smartphone allows Gen Z to send images/texts/videos to friends/family members at the push of a button, which prevents them from having to spend the time required to compose each post.

This accounts for the increased activity level in social media, as well as why Gen Z is more involved in social media: the ability to capture and share the moments they want to see.

Millennials

Millennials have been social media users for more than a decade, with early adopters being those born between 1982 and 2000. As the generation has aged, it has also grown more involved with social media.

Some early adopters have transitioned out of the demographic, but others have continued to produce content on the platform and have created a substantial following.

Millennials have become very reliant on their smartphone. One common complaint of millennials is their inability to find the time to do the mundane activities that allow them to feel "connected" to their friends and family.

Most smartphones have GPS, allowing them to find the people they need to communicate with the quickest, as well as technology allowing them to quickly upload pictures, which allows them to create stories. It is this wide range of technology and ability to document the moments they want to share that creates the incentive for millennials to become influencers.

Baby boomers

Baby boomers are the only generation that have the unique distinction of being the "oldest" generation in the US.

Millennials were born between the late 90s and early 2000s. Boomers, on the other hand, were born between 1946 and 1964.

As a whole, the main demographic that will become a significant portion of the influencer marketing world.

Baby boomers have no desire to quit their current lifestyle, as long as they are able to live a comfortable life. They understand that social media can help them to stay socially connected but want to use it for its intended purpose, posting pictures of their grandkids and trips to the coast.

While the above descriptions may be generalized, there is one major difference between the needs of different generations: Generation Z simply understands that they need to post something.

Baby boomers have an internal code, whether they like it or not, they have a need to post something, whether it be a picture of their grandchildren or a picture of them eating breakfast.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is a relatively new concept to the advertising world. Because of this, there are several major differences between influencer marketing and traditional marketing.

Most notably, an influencer's audience will be much more fragmented than a traditional marketer's. For example, a traditional marketer's demographic can be completely made up of the five generations above.

Influencer marketing, on the other hand, can only consist of people within a specific age range and gender. For example, this marketing approach may include posting a photo of a coffee shop, where someone in Generation Z would make a comment about their use of technology to upload the photo to their social media page.

A traditional marketer might then be able to access the generation they want to communicate with, but it would be much more difficult for an influencer to reach an audience that is not easily accessible. Additionally, a traditional marketer might have access to mass amounts of information about his audience, but it would take a lot of effort for an influencer to reach an audience that is highly interested in the subject.

All in all, influencer marketing has come a long way. Today, the majority of marketers are still attempting to understand the ins and outs of the genre, but influencer marketing is likely to have a significant effect on the marketing world, similar to how social media has had on the marketing world in general.

All influencers possess one similar thing: a creative mindset

You have to be an artist. You have to have an incredible eye for colors, typography, and all kinds of cool design choices.

It's important to understand that you don't have to be a painter or sculptor to have a good eye for design. It's more than that, however.

You must understand where things come from. Why do you think a pattern was designed this way or what made it popular to begin with?

That will help you identify trends and start connecting the dots.

To be an influencer, you have to make your work relatable and put a visual spin on it. You have to be someone your audience can relate to and connect with.

One thing I learned at a young age is that if you create a piece that does that for your audience, they will come back to you and keep coming back.

If you are passionate about a product or service, you will eventually attract people who want to hear your voice and talk about what you're doing. The people who are a part of your audience will relate to you.

That will give them confidence in you and trust in your ability to advise them. It takes a lot of focus to keep yourself going and to stay true to your goals.

You have to be able to stick to the basics, yet mix it up so your audience can find something they can relate to. When you put yourself in a customer's shoes, you will automatically connect with them.