You can't deny, social media plays an incredibly important role in today's society. With social media platforms only growing more and more popular by the day, it's becoming incredibly clear just how valuable influencers are in the marketing and social media world. With terms like "content creator," "content curator," "creative," and "blogger," it's understandable why the word "influencer" has caused a bit of confusion in regards to what it actually means and who it's describing.

An Influencers Influence

An influencer is simply an individual who can influence their audience in their perspective field, whatever that may be and regardless of the size of their audience. It's truly as simple as that. Whether you run a YouTube channel, a blog, or perhaps you're a photographer, graphic designer, hairstylist, interior decorator, writer, videographer, or a sustainable clothing advocate — if you're creating content for an audience, you are in fact an influencer. Being an influencer doesn't mean that you create sponsored posts on a regular basis, in fact, you can still be considered an influencer if you create your own content without ever creating any kind of sponsored content. Why? Because again, the content you create influences your audience. While in recent years, the word "influencer" has been met with negative connotation by some, but the term should be something to be celebrated since it defines individuals who are making things happen within their field. And who doesn't want to celebrate that? Your talent is your power, so be proud of that!

Why Are Influencers Important?

Influencers have a great ability to reach core demographics, and are gifted in speaking to their perspective audience which makes them incredibly valuable to brands. They're able to interact with potential customers in a way that a brand simply can't and they have a talent of creating quality authentic content that appeals to their audience.

The Proof is in the Numbers

Still not convinced? We gathered a few facts and numbers to show you just how valuable the influencer industry is. It's hard to deny these statistics!

• Digital influencers have overtaken celebrities and are now the number one choice of talent for 84%; 83% have influencers as their number one choice for upcoming projects

• In the beauty industry alone, every $1.32 spent on influencers in 2017, brands secured an average ROI of $11.67
• 80% of marketers say influencers are pivotal in influencing the opinions and buying decisions of millennial customers

• 90 percent of brands have increased their earned media budget (which includes influencer marketing) in the past five years

• "Many [marketers] no longer see ROI from traditional advertising and follow the path of influencer marketing in a bid to increase brand value. But as the power of influencers rises, so does the need to subsidize collaborations with money." - Business of Fashion

• 94% of marketers who use influencer marketing find it an effective practice, and influencer marketing can generate up to 11x the ROI of traditional advertising.

• 86 percent of women turn to social networks before making a purchase.