Positive Influencer Marketing: how brands can impact people's lives

The influencer marketing sphere is constantly expanding, and as a result, digital influencers have gained space in television media and begun to influence the general public. Following an influencer’s routine can shape our tastes, aesthetics and lifestyle. Sounds cool, right? But consider the extent to which this generates a comparison within us to something which isn’t necessarily real, or even human.

The bodies, the travel destinations, the extreme happiness, the romanticization of suffering – online, everyone has to always be looking good and 100% positive. This invariably makes us look inwards and start to wonder: ‘what’s wrong with my life?’ Such thoughts can lead people to seek out invasive cosmetic procedures, feel inadequate and even succumb to depression.

Brands and digital influencers may be concerned with showing their best sides, but now more than ever, consumers are seeking out what is real. As a result, companies have been rethinking their way of communicating and tone of voice, with major ramifications. If these influential actors have the space and power required to communicate and impact how others see the world, why not use it in a positive way? The time has come for brands and influencers to rethink their roles and impact on the current scenario.

Advertising spaces need to make room for diversity: black, LGBTQIA+, plus-size, trans and non-standard bodies. Their experiences play a huge role in allowing people to see themselves as represented. Companies can benefit too, since these people can contribute a lot to an organization’s growth, using their natural creativity and resourcefulness, born of experience.

Whereas brands used to seek profiles with the greatest reach – with the aim of converting more people – today niche digital influencers who produce well-designed and spontaneous content are increasingly in demand. Consumers don’t want lazy advertising, but rather to follow how the product in question is used, and what goes on behind the scenes. They want to know the company’s history, they want to see the owner’s face, and they want to be sure whether the brand’s ambassador is really in line with its values.

Brands now have genuine fans, committed to consuming a product or service which truly understands and meets their needs. People want to feel close to their idols, and the only way to do so is through human communication. Brands and digital influencers can make this happen by developing content which is ever closer to reality.

Influencers should constantly be asking themselves: how can my brand and my content positively transform people’s lives? Am I really aligned with the message of sustainability and/or inclusion which I am communicating? Based on these answers, an entire communications plan can be laid out.

Positive influence begins when we work with influencers from different niches, developing collaborative content. It is important that brands and digital influencers rethink their content to encourage self-love, acceptance, conscientious consumption, sustainability, charity, exercise, proper nutrition, social realities and, above all, knowledge.

Social media should not amount to mere bubbles of manufactured realities, but rather a means of accessing the real, and encouraging us to be someone better on a daily basis, both for ourselves and for the sake of others. Representative voices are increasingly required in influencer marketing and brand messaging, in order to develop real, human communication.