Influencer Island: Coupling up with social media marketing

After eight weeks of cancelled plans and phones in hand, the nation’s obsession has come to a finale. Even if it’s not 100% your type on paper, it’s impossible to ignore Love Island.

Watching beautiful couples compete for a 50k prize isn’t the only show anymore; memes, reactions and influencers are the real spectacle. The social media buzz is undeniable and continues long after the finale. The biggest prize for appearing on the show has got to be the promise of “influencer status”.

What is an influencer?

An “influencer” is someone who can monetise their popularity; consumers identify with their online persona and value their opinions of brands and products. It is one of the dominant marketing trends in recent years and has securely made a spot in the marketing mix. Influencers align with social media platforms and can shape their audiences’ opinions; if a consumer likes an influencer, they are more inclined to buy their recommendations.

Previous contestants on the show have built extremely successful careers as influencers, showing how building popularity on the show can be life changing. Alex and Olivia Bowen gained numerous sponsorships and social media partnerships. Dani Dyer earned £1.7 million in her first year after appearing on the show, through sponsored posts on Instagram and collaborations with brands. 

But taking the top spot is undeniably Molly-Mae. Since appearing on the show, Molly-Mae has gone on to become one of the biggest influencers and businesswomen in the UK. Worth around £6million, she has 6.4 million followers on Instagram, is the creative Director for PrettyLitteThing, CEO of Filter By Molly-Mae and so much more.

This demonstrates how being in the villa and generating a following can be seriously monetised. The islanders essentially become brands themselves and big companies will pay a lot to associate with these reality stars.

Is it always the perfect match?

Finding the right influencer for your business can make all the difference in its success. Who you partner with needs to reflect your audience, someone they can relate to. 

Although many influencers are honest with their genuine opinion, consumers may often be savvy and sceptical of what influencers say. Public opinion can change quickly; people are unlikely to trust a Love Island contestant once they’ve “had their head turned” by another brand or influencer.

The Power of Love (Island)

The success of influencer culture shows how important every aspect of your branding is; using someone who doesn’t embody brand values to promote a company or product can be detrimental – firms need to understand human behaviour to stay on top of what consumers value. Programmes such as Love Island and the social media hype demonstrates how fundamental an online presence is – social media is so prevalent in our lives, for most people it’s the first and last thing we look at every single day. The influence brands can have on social media is unquestionable. Like on the show, ”getting to know” people is the only way you can ever build a relationship – your customers are no different. Social media is one of the easiest and most cost-effective platforms you can build this relationship on.

“Can we have a chat?”

If you’re not sure if social media marketing is for you or you have trouble understanding which combination of channels showcase your brand the best, we can help. We understand how time-consuming social media management can be but we also value its importance highly – it is needed to spark debate and create the brand loyalty essential for success. If you want to tap into your online audience, get in touch today.