Are bloggers influencers? How great of an influence do they possess in the online community?
An influencer is someone who shares their direct experiences. An influencer is a person who has the power to influence many people.
Yes, bloggers are influencers! We always hear about social media influencers, the influence of the rich and famous, but little do we hear about the influence of bloggers. Let us take an in-detailed look at bloggers and the influence they have on the online community.
Bloggers Are Influencers
Online Stats
Before we start, let’s outline some important online stats in 2019 for the subject at hand.
Currently, there are more than 1.7 billion websites from around the globe. More than 150 million of those sites are blogs. With plenty of traffic from Google on a daily basis, more than five billion searches are conducted daily.
Approximately 79% of online shoppers spend 50% of their time researching products online before buying them. This means that 79% of online buyers are influenced by bloggers’ reviews and opinions before purchasing anything online.
Influencers
The question is no longer, “Are bloggers influencers?” Rather, how powerful is a blogger’s online influence? Yes, there are social media influencers who don’t have a blog and that puts them in a different category. However, bloggers are also social media influencers. Social media plays a large role in driving traffic and readers to their blogs.
The word “influencer” is one of the biggest buzzwords and efforts in digital marketing. In addition, it is one of marketing’s biggest opportunities. More and more companies turn to influence marketing and are spending more money on influencers.
Bloggers produce quality content on their blogs, promote content on social media while building a following and support base. Bloggers are trusted by followers and readers in their niche of choice. They become reliable sources of information and have a great amount of influence on their communities.
Influencers of the Information Age
More and more people are turning to become bloggers. Blogging is a trendy work from home opportunity. If done correctly, it can be the road to success. For most bloggers, their blog’s are a primary source of income and they spend every effort to produce quality and reliable content.
Bloggers are individuals, couples, parents, students, or even the retired. They are a community of various people sharing their wisdom, skills, or even just their opinion.
Searching the internet for answers and solutions to everyday tasks and questions has become a way of life. Information makes our lives easier and we can keep up with the fast-paced life without spending hours trying to figure it out.
Bloggers have come to the rescue by producing more than five million blog posts every day. From tech to travel, parenting to simple everyday hacks, and product reviews; the information is endless! How many blogs do you read in a day? How many Google searches do you make daily?
Even though I am a blogger, I still search the internet looking for answers, product reviews, and I shop online. Product reviews are my go-to before making any online purchase. I value a blogger’s opinion about a product even more than word of mouth. Without knowing the person who wrote the review, they have directly influenced my next decision.
The Merit of a Bloggers Influence
When we search online, we tend to click on the top three links of a search results page. Do you know why? People like the convenience and believe that the top three search results have more merit than the other posts.
We are also more likely to read what someone with a million subscribers has to say rather than someone with a thousand. We have yet been influenced by bloggers to value their opinion with their catchy introductions.
The truth is, we as the customer (follower or reader) set out a standard whereby we give merit to the content creators through personal opinion. Once you have read an article and it has a positive outcome, you are more likely to recommend the blog to a friend, family member, or co-worker.
What Makes Bloggers So Influential
Bloggers are very powerful assets for companies, brands, and products to make use of. Why? What makes bloggers so influential?
Bloggers are always researching for new ways to expand their reach. They make the most out of social media platforms out there to grow communities. In addition, they have the ability to master search engine rankings.
The bottom line is bloggers are like all the employees in one company crammed into one body. Bloggers are secretaries, strategists, marketers, authors, editors, photographers, researchers, graphic designers, and in some form or another, they have to be I.T. capable. The ability to learn and implement new information, trends, and evolving developments around the online world is what makes them influential.
The work behind the scenes of blogging is like the hidden part of an iceberg under the water while the content itself is the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to the capabilities and skills regarding bloggers. The willingness to put themselves out there makes them advance in the online world.
Conclusion
The influence of bloggers is a very powerful marketing tool that large companies are turning to for the promotion of their products. The time spent by these magical online entrepreneurs researching and producing new content is becoming a very competitive industry.
However, their influence has a price tag. That is what drives their ability to advance the influential skills they possess, going from strength to strength. Bloggers are influencers because of their use of multiple platforms to get their messages across to the relevant audiences.
About the Author:
This post was created in partnership with Evan Petzer of Nomad Feeling. Evan (31) from South Africa is an online entrepreneur, freelancer, and blogger who enjoys good food, traveling, and adventure.
