Not many people associate student influencer marketing with having a big impact on politics; however, more and more candidates are utilising this form of promotion to boost their campaign.

Social media influencers typically advertise beauty products, food, restaurants, or other lifestyle goods. However, Michael Bloomberg, who was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries in the US, has turned this notion on its head.

Earlier this year, the co-founder of Bloomberg, partnered with a number of meme accounts to promote himself to a large proportion of the electorate, Forbes reported.

The article noted this marketing technique is “undeniably savvy in terms of grabbing the attention of younger people who aren’t watching television ads”.

While Bloomberg is no longer running for president, the former mayor of New York City proved there could be a shift in marketing strategies for politicians, at least in the USA.

Indeed, marketing teams could use geographical targeting to appeal to audiences who have not been voting for the candidate, as this “allows for specific, relevant messaging that like-minded audiences respond to”.

The businessman’s step into social media marketing certainly proved effective at the time, as his political posts are thought to have reached more than 60 million people, with a significant number of these being younger voters.

It is essential politicians choose the right social media platform to achieve most success, with Facebook remaining the most popular network. Indeed, it had as many as 2.5 billion active users worldwide during the last quarter of 2019.