Social media influencers have become very common as companies look for different avenues to reach and expand their market. An influencer is someone who uses thier social media following to support different brands in the digital world. Influencers are everywhere: advertising campaigns of many fashion brands, household items and vacation spots fill the screens of almost every millennial.

All social media influencers use a variety of platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, which attract a lot of attention. The most logical thing for an influencer to do, is maintain a specific social network and focus on cultivating and growing their audience. It is rare for an influential person to come in search of his community in more than one social network.

Some features of digital influencers are common, regardless of influencer type or specialty type. There are seven most recognizable characteristics of every successful digital influencer:

1. Trust

Trust is one of the most important elements that a digital influencer has to convey to its subscribers. At the end of the day, there are many platforms where people of different backgrounds log into accounts each day to discuss different topics.

To master a specific topic and increase the number of followers each day, you must have a distinctive feature about yourself. This will be something that encourages users to follow you or subscribe to your profile or channel. One of these important characteristics is the confidence this gives. If a user likes and shares common interest, they are more likely to follow it.

Otherwise, if a person fails to transmit enough confidence in their audience, it is very unlikely that they become a successful digital influencer. There are many ways to gain the trust of the user. For example, one of the best ways to do this is when an influencer works with a brand or advertises a particular service or product. How well this influencers, tests the product and shares their experience with users, determines how confident viewers will be in their word.

2. Communication Skills

One of the main functions of digital influencers is to communicate very effectively with their users. Thanks to the natural ability to create and communicate contacts, the number of subscribers is increasing every day.

This feature allows users to feel more and more connected to this person’s activities. Obviously, no one likes to read an article or watch a video of someone who can not communicate.

In addition, this feature is essential for companies that want to use digital influencers for their campaigns, products, or services. The art of communication is very important and businesses need someone who knows how to succeed.

Steve Bennet from Uncommon Caribbean is an example of this feature. From respected blogger, he has become an authority and reference for many people. This is mainly because of his ability to communicate easily.

3. Knowledge

Another characteristic of digital influencers that users really appreciate, in an account they follow, is the knowledge that the person has on the subject. Nowadays, there are channels of all kinds. There are also influencers of all kinds.

Many people follow an account to have fun and watch their videos or photos. On the other hand, others are interested in a particular subject and are looking for an influencing factor that can provide interesting and important content in this area to deepen their knowledge.

There are many professionals who deal with knowledge and solvency in a wide range of topics. In general, people who approach certain topics share knowledge on platforms such as YouTube or blogs.

4. Reciprocity and Contact

Another characteristic of digital influencers is the reciprocity or contact they have with their subscribers. In general, influential people try to take care of all the details related to their accounts. And they try to keep in touch and respond quickly to questions asked by users.

Similarly, the most influential people with YouTube accounts usually program their videos at the user’s request. In other words, fans are listened to and comment on what they would like to see in videos or blogs.

This is a positive point and a value that users value a lot because it allows them to see that the person is interested in them and listens to them. After all, this factor is one of the fundamental factors that enables a person to become a true digital influencer.

5. Consistency

Another characteristic of digital influencers is consistency. This is extremely important for a person to remain influential. No matter which platform you use: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or a blog. An influencer must maintain a certain order so that their subscribers can be sure that this person will publish the content with the established periodicity.

If, on the other hand, the person publishes two articles, for example, in a week, then spends two full weeks without publishing anything, then publishes again, the order is totally confusing for the user. This chaos is reason enough for the user to forget the influencer. Therefore, consistency is another very characteristic feature of digital influencers.

6. Being Relatable

Another feature that users value and look for in some digital influencers is their ability to relate to them. That is, they try to feel connected with them, to feel that their life is not different from theirs and that these influential people are authentic.

This feature is an advantage for any influencer because it can attract more people to your digital space and see the content they share.

For example, to reach more than 6 million visits, Jorje Suzaria, uses this characteristic when he clearly speaks of a problem that many people face: the search for success.

7. Engagement

It’s important to not get caught up in the numbers. Just because a person has over 100,000 followers does not mean he/ she is an influencer. A true influencer drives engagement. The reality is that there are resources out there where you can purchase followers/ fans. This is a horrible practice as the social media platforms recognize the fact that the page has robots (fake accounts) and is not driving engagement. They also clean out their systems periodically to remove these types of accounts. This means a person can go from 100,000 followers/ fans to less than 100 in a just a minute.

Companies spend a lot of money working with Influencers. Whether cash or in trade, it’s important to do your research to ensure that it’s a good fit. I have vetted several potential influencers for some of our clients. And although the persons had thousands of followers, there were less than 10 likes or comments on posts. This showed that the person is not a true influencer.

On the other hand, we have come across several people who have a small amount of followers but very high engagement. Depending on the project and goals, this may a better suited influencer for a specific client.

These are the seven basic characteristics of the most common digital influencers. Of course, you can find more items and, depending on the subject being handled by the person or platform you are using, you can also search for other distinguishing features