The power of social media: “Anyone can become an influencer”

The power of social media
“Anyone can become an influencer”

10.09.2024, 12:30

30 billion dollars were spent worldwide on influencer marketing in 2023. An increase of 17 percent compared to the previous year. But why is influencer marketing so successful? Two of Germany’s best-known social media experts answer this question in the ntv podcast “Startup – Now quite honestly”.

Young people often see influencers as role models who show them what is extremely popular. This is the conclusion of a recent study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research. As part of the study, over 1,000 young people aged 14 to 18 were surveyed about their social media behavior and consumer behavior. The result shows that around half of those surveyed have already bought a product that was advertised by an influencer.

In recent years, companies’ spending on influencer marketing has increased considerably, including in Germany. In 2017, companies invested around 94 million euros in this area; in 2023, the total rose to almost 570 million euros. This is still relatively little compared to the entire German advertising market, which, according to the Central Association of the German Advertising Industry (ZEW), has a volume of almost 49 billion euros. Nevertheless, the growth rates are remarkable: spending could rise to around 906 million euros by 2028 – an increase of 59 percent.

Lots of numbers and, above all, lots of questions that arise: Where is this journey headed? How has this development influenced traditional media? What power does social media have in elections, like this year in the USA? What is behind the mega-trend of corporate influencers?

These and many other questions are answered by two women in the ntv podcast “Startup – Now completely honestly”, who have been successfully active in the social media game for many years.

Ann-Katrin Schmitz is a social media marketing expert from the very beginning: she is the talent manager of Farina Opoku, one of the biggest German influencers, but is now also a business influencer herself and has been working online for over ten years. With her company Baby got Business, she explains the world of the social web. This includes a podcast, a social media channel on Instagram, an annual conference and an online training academy.

Isa Daur is also a guest on the podcast. With her company Idee Dialog, she offers support in brand building and management for talent, strategic advice and implementation of social media campaigns for brands, as well as the conception and realization of events. She is well known in the social media world because she has an incredibly large network.

Talking to Ann-Katrin Schmitz and Isa Daur Janna LinkeThe conversation has been shortened and smoothed for better comprehensibility. You can listen to it in full in the ntv podcast “Startup – now honestly” listen to.