They may be small, but their impact is mighty. This article delves into the alluring world of kid influencers, or kidfluencers. Read on to learn why these rising stars have become so popular among children and brands and why they are essential additions to social media marketing strategies.

Today’s Social Media Marketing industry

It goes without saying, social media plays a significant role in our lives. Checking our Instagram or Facebook newsfeed is a customary subconscious practice. Moreover, rarely do we buy products or services without checking reviews and recommendations beforehand. This has undeniably led to the enormous growth of Social Media Influencers.

Interestingly, recent years have seen the age of popular influencers decreasing. Kidfluencers are rising rapidly within the influencer world and show no sign of slowing down. Some have social media accounts run by parents before they can walk, talk or even before they are born. Amazingly, the highest-paid YouTube influencer of 2020, Ryan Kaji, is only 9 years old.

When we think about traditional marketing directed towards children, such as TV advertisements, we rarely imagine adults. Instead, we imagine children within the starring roles. The same is also evident within the non-traditional practice of social media influencer marketing.

Children prefer young influencers because they perceive themselves alike and able to relate. They are around the same age and also have similar interests. For example, most of the famous kidfluencer Katie Ryan‘s 2 million social media followers are a close age to her. Therefore, despite their limited interactions, children see kidfluencers as friends or peers and continue engaging with their uploads.

Additionally, kidfluencer content is often appealing and mesmerising to young audiences. From bright colours in aesthetically pleasing Instagram photos to videos full of special effects and animations, these uploads provide attractive entertainment for children. The kidfluencer “Action Movie Kid” is renowned for YouTube videos of this nature.

1. Children are regular users of social media

Firstly, brands with a target audience consisting of children need look no further than directly aiming marketing practices at children rather than parents. Directly targeting children through social media influencer marketing is highly attractive as today’s children were born into the digital age. They are no strangers to computers, smartphones or social media. From endless watching of YouTube videos to creating TikToks, children are, unsurprisingly, regular users of social media platforms. 

2. Children are three markets in one

Moreover, children constitute three markets in one. Firstly, many recognise them as a future market that may be targeted today. This develops positive brand awareness in anticipation of the day they begin spending. Secondly, children also possess a lot of “Pester Power”. This basically means parents are discouraged from saying no to purchase requests from children to avoid tantrums or upset. This grants children significant influence over family purchasing decisions. Finally, children today are consumers themselves due to income they receive from pocket money or birthdays.

Therefore, it is no surprise that brands often jump at the chance to include kidfluencers in digital marketing strategies.

As brands need to think digital to ensure survival in this highly digital age, it’s clear, those with a target audience consisting of children should include kidfluencers within digital marketing strategies. Moreover, brands can overcome common ad-blockers, as this marketing practice is embedded into social media content. Employing these rising social media stars into digital marketing strategies, and keeping up with other digital marketing trends, presents great advantages to brands.

Kidfluencers are making major waves in the social media marketing industry, and brands should not shy away from them. They may be small, but their impact is mighty.

Mediakix. 2021. How Brands Use Kid Influencers To Maximize Marketing Efforts. [online] Available at: <https://mediakix.com/blog/kid-influencers-social-media-marketing/#:~:text=Today%2C%20kid%20influencers%20pack%20a,stars%20to%20promote%20their%20products> [Accessed 20 April 2021].

Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. 2021. Parenting Children in the Age of Screens. [online] Available at: <https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/parenting-children-in-the-age-of-screens/> [Accessed 20 April 2021].

The Irish Times. 2021. Nine-year-old earns €24m as the highest-paid YouTuber of 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/nine-year-old-earns-24m-as-the-highest-paid-youtuber-of-2020-1.4446443> [Accessed 20 April 2021].