Arts & Entertainment
Meet Three of Chicago’s Social Media Influencers
To help sell their products, a growing number of companies are turning to social media influencers – people who have a substantial following on social media who can sway decisions on what to buy, eat or read.
In fact, 81% of marketers reported that using influencers to bolster their marketing plans was an effective strategy in 2018, according to the industry publication Social Media Today.
Influencers don’t only include celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Cristiano Ronaldo, but “micro-influencers,” or those who have a following of 2,000 to 50,000 people.
Here are three of Chicago’s social media influencers:
Influencer: Ceta Walters
Followers: 51,000
What: The blog and Instagram account “Clark and Stone” (named after sons Clark, age 7, and Stone, 6)
Topics: Fashion, travel and motherhood.
Best part of being an influencer: Meeting new people to spread her message.
“I’ve always been a people person but now as a mom, I’ve been on a campaign to break the stigma of having to be a perfect mom,” Walters said. “That person doesn’t exist and … I was driving myself nuts trying to be that person, and it’s OK to admit that it’s hard.”
Influencer: Sapna Dalal
Followers: 16,000
What: The Vegetarian Tourist blog and Instagram account vegtourist
Topics: Travel and vegetarianism.
Best part of being an influencer: The experiences.
“I got to have lunch with Roger Federer last year, and I did go on a yoga retreat in Cuba for a week. So I’ve done some really awesome things,” Dalal said.
Influencer: Megan Prokott
Followers: 38,000-plus
What: the blog and Instagram account “The Spines”
Topics: What she’s reading that day or week.
Best part of being an influencer: The community.
“Just having the whole community of people I can go to talk about my favorite thing in the world, which is reading,” Prokott said.
Related stories:
Mobile Carriers Tout Upcoming 5G Networks. How Fast is That?
Study: Resting in Green Space Sharpens Focus – If You Stay Offline
5 Tips for Using Emoji at the Office
Celebrity Shout-Outs for Sale via Chicago-Based Company Cameo