What are aspirational influencers?

The power of aspirational influencers

Aspirational influencers live the lives others dream of. At least that’s what they want to show on their social media. They always look good, buy Louis Vuitton on the Champs-Élysée, drink mimosas on their private jet, lie on the beach in Bali and roam the clubs of Ibiza. Influencing is not just their job, it is their life.

Aspirational influencers are often macro or mega influencers. All those hundreds of thousands of followers want to be them. And since everyone wants to be them, everyone wants the clothes they wear, the drinks they drink and the makeup they put on. Because who knows: maybe those products will bring the followers one step closer to the influencer’s perfect life.

That’s the power of the aspirational influencer in a nutshell. As such, they are the perfect influencers to deploy if you offer luxury products or services. But they can also be used for social causes, such as getting people to the polls. They have a large reach and are role models for many people.

The disadvantages

At first glance, aspirational influencers may seem like the perfect influencers to partner with. And in some cases, they are. But even aspirational influencers are not perfect, no matter what their Instagram Story suggests.

Thus, the distance between the aspirational influencer and his or her followers is often very great. They are practically celebrities. Almost all the research done on influence shows that celebrities and luminaries have less influence on us than people close to us. If you want to buy a new car, you’re more likely to listen to your father’s advice than Kim Kardashian’s.

In addition, aspirational influencers don’t work for all purposes. Do you want to generate brand awareness through Instagram, TikTok or YouTube? Then aspirational influencers may be worth the (often large) investment. Do you want to reach a specific niche via LinkedIn or bloggers? Then aspirational influencers are a lot less suitable.

Examples of aspirational influencers

Ask any person to name influencers, and they will probably name a few aspirational influencers. After all, these are the influencers everyone knows. Still not sure what to imagine an aspirational influencer to be? Then take a look at the following example:

Casey Neistat

Casey Neistat became known as a filmmaker back in the ’00s. But his career really took off like a rocket when he discovered YouTube. Many people look up to his life full of modern gadgets, wonderful travels and bizarre adventures. He has gone viral several times, including a video in which he snowboards through New York. On YouTube, Casey Neistat has about 12 million subscribers, and on Instagram he is followed by 3.2 million people.

Other types of influencers

Aspirational influencers are perhaps the best known type of influencers, but they are certainly not the only ones. For example, there are also “authoritative influencers” and “peer influencers. The best influencer marketing campaigns consist of a mix of these three types of influencers. So let’s take a brief look at those other two types as well.

Authoritative influencers

Authoritative influencers have to have it because of their expertise. They are people who really know what they are talking about. Because they focus on a niche, they often have fewer followers than aspirational influencers.

However, thanks to their expertise, they have a great influence on their followers. They can be perfect for teaching people more about your brand or product, or for reaching a specific segment of your target audience.

Peer influencers

Peer influencers are usually nano influencers with relatively few followers. That’s because peer influencers are “regular people. They are our friends, family and colleagues. Remember how the people close to us have the greatest influence on us? That makes peer influencers enormously effective.

So you’re not going to reach many people with peer influencers, but the chances of conversion are higher than with other types of influencers. For example, use them to convert people who already know your brand or product into paying customers.

Finding influencers through Hulc

Whether you’re looking for aspirational, authoritative, or peer influencers: you’ll find them through Hulc. Our database has more than 3,700 bloggers and influencers waiting to promote your brand, product or service to their followers. Want to know how it works? Then take a look at Hulc.io. There we explain exactly how we can help you find the perfect influencer for your campaign.