In 2022, an estimated 14.65 million students enrolled in a public college, with an additional 5.2 million enrolling in a private college across the US. As more and more young people strive toward higher education, many brands and universities are looking to sway the purchasing decisions of this highly sought-after group. These bodies are also using influencers to produce engaging content that forms a deeper connection with these students. In turn, Netinfluencer has everything you need to know about representing your favorite brand as a student.
Why Are Students Used in Influencer Marketing Campaigns?
Whether it’s showcasing how they study for their exams or giving more insight into life on campus, student influencers are quickly growing into a prime asset for many marketing campaigns. A lot of these content creators fall into the lucrative demographic of Gen Z, making it easier for them to sway the purchasing decisions of their fellow students. In fact, the average age of a US college student is 18 years and 6 months, meaning that these creators can influence those with an immense amount of buying power.
Moreover, a lot of students see influencers as a more reliable source of information and are more likely to trust their recommendations. In 2016, a sample of Gen Z was shown a list of 10 prominent figures. The candidates noted that there was only one traditional celebrity and the rest were all considered to be social media personalities. This shows that the younger generations are better able to recognize their favorite influencers, again, helping them to respond more effectively to the campaign.
Finally, recruiting a student influencer in your marketing campaign can be a lot more cost-effective than using a conventional celebrity. For example, those with 100,000 followers on Instagram can charge up to $500 per post. In addition, data has shown that influencer marketing campaigns provide 11x the ROI than a typical banner ad. This data highlights both the efficacy and affordable nature of influencer marketing, making it a suitable option for businesses of any size.
Effective Practices for Reaching Out to Brands as a Student
Conduct In-depth Research
Though it may seem like a good idea to reach out to as many brands as possible, it is best to only communicate with brands that adhere to your interests as an influencer. Take some time to learn more about the organization and delve deeper into some of the influencer marketing campaigns they have completed in the past. This will help to give you a more comprehensive overview of the inner workings of this business and what they look for in a content creator.
2. Create an Effective Pitch
Once you have discovered a selection of brands that you would like to work with, it is time to deliver your pitch. Here, you should place a spotlight on your strengths and note why you would be a successful fit for an upcoming influencer marketing campaign. You can send this pitch via email or DM, just make sure to include a variety of contact details so that the business can continue the conversation if they are interested in working with you.
If you wish to provide more insight into the achievements seen throughout your previous projects, make sure to send your desired brand a copy of your media kit or portfolio. These documents allow you to showcase a range of key metrics and feedback, which can help you to become more memorable and competitive against your peers. Plus, these pieces should also denote your preferred payment method and rate of pay, ensuring that you are always effectively compensated for your work.
4. Use a Range of Popular Platforms
As a way to effectively showcase your skills as an influencer, it is important that you express your creativity across a number of active platforms. This can be through thought-provoking livestreams on Twitch or by producing humorous clips on YouTube Shorts. Regardless of the platform, student influencers must be able to show their knowledge of this ever-growing industry as well as the technical elements that are associated with it. Student influencers can also benefit from actively promoting these platforms as it allows a wealth of unique and diverse audiences to better engage with your content.
5. Rely on Brands That Adhere to Your Niche
Many student influencers work alongside brands that relate to their chosen degrees but this doesn’t always have to be the case. It is important that influencers collaborate with businesses that adhere to the niches they present online. As such, if you create content surrounding health and fitness but are studying photography, it is good practice to communicate with those operating in the wellness industry. This allows brands to effectively tap into your engaged audiences and ensures that you are consistently producing content that suits the needs and wants of your follower base.
Best Influencer Marketing Agencies for Students
UniTaskr
With over 200,000 students in its workforce, UniTaskr effectively pairs some of the most popular student influencers with some of the world’s leading businesses. Its dedicated platform SHOUT recruits a selection of engaged nano-influencers across a range of popular social media sites and encourages them to build intuitive content strategies for brands such as Warner Music Group and Groupon. Budding student influencers can schedule a 10-minute call with one of the team to give more information about their goals and desires as content creators.
SEED
After seeing grand success in a collection of profitable industries, SEED has now moved its sights toward student influencers. This agency aims to use students to build viral campaigns using effective digital amplification and insight techniques. Previously, SEED has worked alongside Eastpack to showcase how students can utilize their backpacks in their academic careers. Influencers were required to show the backpack in clear view and were also given a discount code that they could share with their fellow students. The campaign earned an astounding 29,065 engagements and reached 1,482,442 followers.
Student Beans
Student Beans is a platform that helps to guide young people through every milestone of higher education, offering advice, resources, and discounts to a wide variety of students. This platform also has its own creator marketplace, where students create content for their favorite brands, whilst earning money in the process. Student Beans Creators produce content surrounding their daily lives, helping others to save money, maintain a positive mindset, and continue striving toward their goals.
Representing your favorite brands as a student can be an effective way to jumpstart your career as an influencer, allowing you to collaborate with a series of popular brands whilst still producing content that motivates you.
Melody Day is a UK-based copywriter, working in developing industries such as travel, beauty, and lifestyle. She creates digestible copy that is fully optimized for SEO and gains positive engagement from readers. They are able to create engaging blogs and website copy for a range of unique brands.
In 2022, an estimated 14.65 million students enrolled in a public college, with an additional 5.2 million enrolling in a private college across the US. As more and more young people strive toward higher education, many brands and universities are looking to sway the purchasing decisions of this highly sought-after group. These bodies are also using influencers to produce engaging content that forms a deeper connection with these students. In turn, Netinfluencer has everything you need to know about representing your favorite brand as a student.
Why Are Students Used in Influencer Marketing Campaigns?
Whether it’s showcasing how they study for their exams or giving more insight into life on campus, student influencers are quickly growing into a prime asset for many marketing campaigns. A lot of these content creators fall into the lucrative demographic of Gen Z, making it easier for them to sway the purchasing decisions of their fellow students. In fact, the average age of a US college student is 18 years and 6 months, meaning that these creators can influence those with an immense amount of buying power.
Moreover, a lot of students see influencers as a more reliable source of information and are more likely to trust their recommendations. In 2016, a sample of Gen Z was shown a list of 10 prominent figures. The candidates noted that there was only one traditional celebrity and the rest were all considered to be social media personalities. This shows that the younger generations are better able to recognize their favorite influencers, again, helping them to respond more effectively to the campaign.
Finally, recruiting a student influencer in your marketing campaign can be a lot more cost-effective than using a conventional celebrity. For example, those with 100,000 followers on Instagram can charge up to $500 per post. In addition, data has shown that influencer marketing campaigns provide 11x the ROI than a typical banner ad. This data highlights both the efficacy and affordable nature of influencer marketing, making it a suitable option for businesses of any size.
[Pexels]
Effective Practices for Reaching Out to Brands as a Student
Though it may seem like a good idea to reach out to as many brands as possible, it is best to only communicate with brands that adhere to your interests as an influencer. Take some time to learn more about the organization and delve deeper into some of the influencer marketing campaigns they have completed in the past. This will help to give you a more comprehensive overview of the inner workings of this business and what they look for in a content creator.
2. Create an Effective Pitch
Once you have discovered a selection of brands that you would like to work with, it is time to deliver your pitch. Here, you should place a spotlight on your strengths and note why you would be a successful fit for an upcoming influencer marketing campaign. You can send this pitch via email or DM, just make sure to include a variety of contact details so that the business can continue the conversation if they are interested in working with you.
[Pexels]
3. Provide a Media Kit or Portfolio
If you wish to provide more insight into the achievements seen throughout your previous projects, make sure to send your desired brand a copy of your media kit or portfolio. These documents allow you to showcase a range of key metrics and feedback, which can help you to become more memorable and competitive against your peers. Plus, these pieces should also denote your preferred payment method and rate of pay, ensuring that you are always effectively compensated for your work.
4. Use a Range of Popular Platforms
As a way to effectively showcase your skills as an influencer, it is important that you express your creativity across a number of active platforms. This can be through thought-provoking livestreams on Twitch or by producing humorous clips on YouTube Shorts. Regardless of the platform, student influencers must be able to show their knowledge of this ever-growing industry as well as the technical elements that are associated with it. Student influencers can also benefit from actively promoting these platforms as it allows a wealth of unique and diverse audiences to better engage with your content.
5. Rely on Brands That Adhere to Your Niche
Many student influencers work alongside brands that relate to their chosen degrees but this doesn’t always have to be the case. It is important that influencers collaborate with businesses that adhere to the niches they present online. As such, if you create content surrounding health and fitness but are studying photography, it is good practice to communicate with those operating in the wellness industry. This allows brands to effectively tap into your engaged audiences and ensures that you are consistently producing content that suits the needs and wants of your follower base.
Best Influencer Marketing Agencies for Students
UniTaskr
With over 200,000 students in its workforce, UniTaskr effectively pairs some of the most popular student influencers with some of the world’s leading businesses. Its dedicated platform SHOUT recruits a selection of engaged nano-influencers across a range of popular social media sites and encourages them to build intuitive content strategies for brands such as Warner Music Group and Groupon. Budding student influencers can schedule a 10-minute call with one of the team to give more information about their goals and desires as content creators.
SEED
After seeing grand success in a collection of profitable industries, SEED has now moved its sights toward student influencers. This agency aims to use students to build viral campaigns using effective digital amplification and insight techniques. Previously, SEED has worked alongside Eastpack to showcase how students can utilize their backpacks in their academic careers. Influencers were required to show the backpack in clear view and were also given a discount code that they could share with their fellow students. The campaign earned an astounding 29,065 engagements and reached 1,482,442 followers.
Student Beans
Student Beans is a platform that helps to guide young people through every milestone of higher education, offering advice, resources, and discounts to a wide variety of students. This platform also has its own creator marketplace, where students create content for their favorite brands, whilst earning money in the process. Student Beans Creators produce content surrounding their daily lives, helping others to save money, maintain a positive mindset, and continue striving toward their goals.
[Pexels]
Representing your favorite brands as a student can be an effective way to jumpstart your career as an influencer, allowing you to collaborate with a series of popular brands whilst still producing content that motivates you.