​Hello from Austin, Texas! As an alumnus from The University of Texas at Austin, and the girlfriend of a sport-loving dude who is also an alumnus, UT football comes up pretty frequently.
 
A few weeks ago, we went to the game. This time around, my boyfriend and I decided to stay home to watch it on TV. We had a great time: he was able to be sad as the Longhorns lost to Kansas City, and I was able to carelessly scroll through Instagram in the comfort of our own home.
 
Of course, while scrolling, I had to be updated on the influencers I follow…
 
First things first, I noticed a local food blogger (and now influencer), Rachel Lately, was at the game (photo can be seen here).
 
I am fan of her work: she posts great photos, makes jokes about Austin, and tends to stir up the pot occasionally. She and her friend were able to get on the field at the UT game and sit in a fancy area with free stuff, all thanks to the lovely marketing team at Coors Light.
 
Rachel was not the only notable influencer at the game. One of my all-time favorite influencers, Caila Quinn, from The Bachelor was there. Let me tell you, I was screaming!
 
As I said before, and will continue to say, I really love the Bachelor franchise.  
 
I have been a follower of Quinn’s career for more than 5 years now. I saw her build up her blog, live it up in NYC (just as every influencer does), fall in love, get married, and recently move to Austin. She and her husband seemed to have a great time on the with all the other influencers (could not tell you who the others were – they probably need more followers). Check out her photo here! 
 
Anyways, I told my boyfriend about all this excitement: like who was at the game and who was getting stuff for free. And as he drank his Shiner, that he did not get for free, he gloomily asked, “Why do they get to do that cool stuff at the game?” And friends, that’s what we are going to discuss today:
 
How are Influencers Chosen to Do Cool Stuff?
 
From tailgating and burnt-orange merchandise to crazy fans and the actual game, UT football is a day-long event. With any event, or brand, Influencer Marketing is needed to reach larger and different types of audiences.
 
Based on my previous words of wisdom, we know that using an Influencer is beneficial to a brand. To promote a brand, Influencers can be sent products to try or invited to certain events by a marketing team with hopes that social media posts will create brand-awareness.
 
After developing a strategy, budget, and goal, marketing teams reach out to the Influencers with their proposals. However, before choosing an Influencer to reach out to, some important questions need to be asked:
 

• Is the influencer already posting similar concepts and ideas to your brand?
• Is their engagement ratio to follower count at a normal rate? Do their account metrics seem legitimate?
• How many followers do they have exactly? Are they all real followers, or are some potentially bots?
• Have they worked with brands like yours before?

(https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing/)
 
Both Rachel Lately and Caila Quinn have posted engaging Austin lifestyle in the past AND have large followings, which is why they were likely chosen to experience and represent the UT Austin brand.
 
If you are looking for Influencers to promote and embody your brand, make sure to do your research. If you are hoping to become a successful influencer and represent a brand, you must do your research too. To fit the mold that marketing teams create, you must know how to:

1. Appeal to your audience
2. Create engaging and “pretty” content
3. Have a good amount of followers

 
Until my boyfriend increases his followers, works on engagement, and posts “prettier” content, he can no longer ask, “Why do they get to do that cool stuff…”

​The numbers speak louder than words. Viewing and absorbing content from Influencers has a great impact. From purchases to feelings, the power of Influencer Marketing, and the pink Cowgirl Hat, is clearly effective.
 
Shoot, they even had me wanting to wear a Cowgirl Hat.

​*The exclusive content can be found on Palek's Instagram

As an Austin resident, the past two weekends have been quite eventful. I attended the ACL Music Festival and a UT Austin football game amongst many people. After experiencing the pandemic and avoiding large crowds for so long, the ability to people-watch again has been thrilling.

People-watching for me ranges from observing interactions and wondering what others are thinking – to my all-time favorite, seeing what others are wearing. Lucky for me, both the music festival and football game shaped up to be Shein and Princess Polly fashion shows.

Shein and Princess Polly are both brands that sell cheap, not-so-great quality fashion. The only reason I know of these brands is because of social media and the coveted Influencers (check out my bottom note for context). As mentioned last week, I am dedicated to following many of them: I check their Instagram stories, listen to their podcasts, and even read about them on Reddit. I am a sucker for it all. 

Today’s lesson will be all about the basics of Influencers and the big question: "How do we define the Influencer?"

Influencers can range from celebrities, athletes, and pop culture stars – to bloggers and content creators. Brands reach out to them to use their credibility, or just their large online presence, to sway over their target audiences.

Working with Influencers to promote a brand can lead to engagement, development in customer relationships, and improvement of Search Engine Optimization (or SEO). Most importantly, it can increase the amount of profit your organization or brand gains.

You can find Influencers across social media, using marketing websites, and even through general networking. After finding the Influencer that you would like to work with, you can sponsor one of their posts on social media or even connect with them by gifting them goods and services. (https://sproutsocial.com/glossary/influencer/)

Your goal is to have the Influencer make you look nice and appealing to their audience – so that the same audience will invest in your brand. 

​Investing in the Influencer can be well worth it and my past two weekends helped prove that:

As I watched a Princess Polly tag popping out of a halter-top, every other person wearing the same thing from Urban Outfitters, and so many photos being taken for proof that fun was being had while looking cute, I realized that the impact of the Influencer was heavy on these crowds. As a result of brand partnerships and sponsored posts, these people were wearing what the Influencers told them they should wear.

Now, the new big question is: "Did we just discuss the basics of Influencers, or just the Basics in general?" ;) 

All jokes aside, I hope that this new information changed your life, and depending on where you stand, you either:

Optimize the hell out of your brand by giving a person free stuff - or you apply to be on The Bachelor to gain some followers so you can get the free stuff. You can thank me later. 

In a fast-paced, social media driven world, the impact of Influencer Marketing is apparent. Just this past week, there was the Facebook/Instagram shutdown, and all hell broke loose.
 
However, after the chaos, I did see some heartwarming posts from Influencers:
 
“The shutdown made me really miss you guys,” and “This time away really gave me time to think and reconnect with the real world.”
 
The reality is that Influencers could not reach their audience and money was not made in that timeframe. You might think, “Well, that wasn’t that long of a shutdown. The influencers could not have missed out on too much.” Sure, it was not that long, but the disconnect between the Influencer and the audience was significant. Meaning money was lost for the brands that could have been promoted.
 
Before we dive further into Brands, Influencers, and all that jazz: What exactly is Influencer Marketing?
 
According to Sarah Donawerth, it is the “…process of using external content creators,  or influencers , to advocate and engage with (a) brand’s message…helping to convert their audience into customers.” (https://getcarro.com/blog/what-is-influencer-marketing/)
 
I have always had a fascination with the Influencer culture. From the Kardashians to the Bachelor franchise, I have consistently engaged with the impact of the Influencer by being a loyal follower. Ironically, I have never learned just how Influencer Marketing works, but continue to make purchases, follow links, and take interest in brands.
 
This blog will be a beginner-friendly introduction to Influencer Marketing. We will start with the basics, look at popular Influencers, and learn about the impact. 
 
As I am completely new to Influencer Marketing, I will be learning alongside you. If you are a business owner, I hope that the information is helpful with optimizing your brand. If you are someone looking to become an influencer, I hope that your dreams come true, and you remember me when you have a lip kit like Kylie Jenner.