Who are Considered Real Influencers?

What do you think of when you hear the word “Influencer”? Are all influencers really influencers? What is their actual 'influence'? All of these questions of course can be answered, but sometimes with great difficulty. So, Let’s have a look at who can be called a “Real Influencer” and who does not fall under this hugely misunderstood term. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing? A fake influencer is a user who doesn’t create original content for an audience they have built from the ground up, or has paid to have fake reach and engagement from fake accounts. A fake influencer usually looks for freebies instead of building any form of relationship between themselves, a brand, and their community. Digital Ape's Creator Dashboard Focusing on Digital Ape's own Sila creator dashboard below, we are able to focus anaylse the creator's original audience. Such as; the engagement rate, views, total posts, and compare with the average. Location, gender analysis is also of huge importance. Also, brands are losing billions on creators who profess to have a large audience in, for example, Saudi Arabia, when most of their followers could actually be in Egypt! Interestingly, we also focus on their affinities and interests to gain an overall picture of the style of content put out, so we know to not divert from the authenticity that built their audience in the first place. The Profile of a Real Influencer? A 'real influence' as a content creator who produces unique content for an audience they have built from the ground up. They achieve significant reach and engagement from real people who wait for the content they create. A creator is actually responsible for the contribution of useful content and information to any media platform. This type of creator usually targets specific users in specific contexts. Campaign Example We teamed up with Puck to engage numerous home cooks across the GCC, and an influencer outreach campaign was launched. Recipe-wise, the focus was a mix of classic recipes (including, but not limited to, pasta), which was made with a personal twist. About Digital Ape DA is a tech-enabled agency that exists to tell great stories that grow our clients’ businesses. To find out more, please click here and use the contact form to get in touch. (This article was written by Mohammed Shashaa. Community Manager at Digital Ape.)