They tell their stories on social media platforms. They perform on television, or on YouTube, in your living room. They operate through your email, mail, text and phone. They have a message for you, and sometimes only for you.
And whether you know it or not, even if you are not paying attention, you are listening.
They are influencers.
They inform, persuade, comfort and advise. They are all over the world, including Visalia!
Learn more at the forum, “Influencers Among Us: The New Digital Persuaders,” presented by Tulare County Voices at 210, at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, at 210 W. Center Ave.
We live in the “age of influencer-driven consumption.” Americans are most definitely consumers. More and more, they are following recommendations of influencers on what to consume or how to live, whether these are products, services, media, hobbies, lifestyles or a political philosophy.
Everybody needs information to make sound choices. Often, that information comes from influencers.
They come in many forms, from Martha Stewart to your governor; from the teen promoting her latest fitness technique to Kim Kardashian.
In trying to learn how this array of 21st century advertisers work, “Tulare County Voices at 210” has turned to some local influencers. As it turns out, they are business people, story tellers, counselors and neighbors. Our forum will explore the subject through the experience of four local influencers, including Lauren Fishback, a marketing specialist at College of the Sequoias.
Fishback emphasizes that local influencers are typical, normal folks, who bear little resemblance to Martha Stewart or the Kardashians.
“They’re business people and story tellers, who have something to share with people,” Fishback said.
Joining the panel will be journalist and former movie critic for the Visalia Times-Delta, James Ward, to help make sense of how Visalia influencers fit into the bigger picture.
In the world of communicators, influencers occupy a vast range. The literature distinguishes between macro-, micro-, and nano-influencers, depending on the number of people who follow them online.
Almost all influencer business is conducted online. To get an idea of that business, we will explore these questions:
- How does one become an influencer?
- How do influencers fill the role of advertisers?
- How do they run their business? Is it a full-time job?
- How do you make money, and can you earn a living?
- What other kinds of influencers are there?
- How much are influencers affecting our society, and are there any laws governing online influencing?
Some recent studies conclude that 52 percent of young people have made purchases based on a recommendation from an influencer. Older people also act on influencers’ advice, but not as much, or they do and just don’t realize it. And the average age worldwide of influencers is 27, because younger people spend more time online.
Everyone, from large retailers, to politicians, to sellers of baby oil, use influencers. The difference is in the degree or method. This forum will explain how that works. And it should help make you a more discerning consumer.
Join Tulare County Voices at 210 at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, and join the community conversation.