New Content Creators: Welcome to the Age of Kidfluencers

The word is out, for a while now TBH, but if you are playing catch up, pay close attention – photo and video content are becoming the future of marketing. In fact,  video can increase your organic traffic by 157%, while 70% of Instagrammers use Instagram as a preferred platform to check out brands. Did you also know that kids are one of the fastest rising influencers of today? Ever heard of kidfluencers?

We are going too fast? OK, we’ll back up a bit.

Things began changing in the world of marketing, and brands were quick to realize this. So did influencers. The new era for the content creators began, which meant putting YouTubers and Instagrammers under the spotlight.

While the world knows them as vloggers, no one can deny that they are the new kids on the block. And some of them are exactly that – kids. So how do we help guide them, let them explore the possibilities of the digital world and navigate through it safely? Have any ideas? So did we! But before you jump to any conclusions, let’s meet them!

Ryan’s World: Let the games begin!

Ryan is by far the biggest kidfluencer out there ATM, with almost 20 million followers on his YouTube channel. And he’s only 8 years old! In 2017, he even made it to the Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid YouTube Stars list, though this comes as no surprise – since it’s estimated that this amazing elementary-school kid makes around $22 million.

Inspired by other kids reviewing toys on YouTube, Ryan expressed interest in creating videos when he was just three years old. Considering his young age, his mom was there to help set up and run his channel leaving space for Ryan to do what he loved – play with toys and give his honest review. With over 25 billion views his videos became popular not only with kids but with parents as well!

It didn’t take long for Ryan to take the next step – he launched his own brand of toys which can be found at Target and Walmart across the country.

With his example, Ryan is teaching us a valuable life lesson – you can achieve great things when you do what you love! And, perhaps more importantly, when you have a great team behind you that watches your back. 🙂

EvanTube: All about kids’ fun!

Toy reviews might be interesting to watch but how about mixing it up a little bit with challenges and experiments, just like Evan from the EvanTube does? This young YouTuber has more than 6 million subscribers, and is considered to be one of the most famous kid influencers on this platform.

It all started back in 2011 when Evan was only six. What began as a fun project and an opportunity to spend some time with his dad, turned into one of the most popular kids’ YouTube channels. The idea was to create something fun for kids to watch, so you can find various exciting challenges, science experiments, and toy reviews. Basically, everything kids are crazy about.

This hobby quickly turned out to be Evan’s path to stardom – estimated net worth of his channel is a staggering $15 million! He now works together with some of the most influential kid-focused brands out there and has even appeared in a Spy Gear commercial.

With over 10 million followers across all his social media platforms – including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and his other two channels, EvanTubeRAW and EvanTubeGaming – it’s no wonder he is considered a pre-teen celebrity.

Fashion Laerta: Mini fashionista

Being only 6 years old, this mini Instagram star has quickly captured the hearts and minds of many with her impeccable style and the ability to pose like a true fashion blogger. Although her Instagram account, fashion_laerta, is run by her mom, Laerta is doing all the hard work by herself and is rightfully considered one of the most voguish kidfluencers on Instagram.

As a true fashionista, she showcases the coolest and trendiest clothes any stylish kid would be lucky to have. Also, she loves her accessories and toys and is more than willing to share that love with her followers. Plus, she recently started collaborating with various kid fashion brands on promoting their products. We can’t wait to see where her career takes her next!

Hawkeye Huey: An aspiring photographer

Son of a professional National Geographic photographer (an apple sure doesn’t fall far from the tree), Hawkeye Huey is not only one of the youngest photographers on Instagram, but also the youngest person ever whose work has been published in National Geographic! His dad, who manages his account, was the one who bought Hawkeye his first camera when he was only 4 years old.

Since then, Hawkeye’s been on numerous road trips together with his dad and his faithful camera of choice – Fuji Instax. In fact, this little influencer already published his first book – Cowboys Indians Hobos Gamblers Patriots Tourists & Sunsets: A Portrait of the American West – featuring 120 photographs he took on his travels.

As one of the Rolling Stone’s top 100 Instagram accounts to follow, Hawkeye has close to 200,000 followers and has started teaming up with brands which focus on adventure travel.

What else to say, but keep an eye on this kidfluencer!

Gabe and Garrett: All-American brotherly duo

Two brothers from California, Gabriel (13) and Garrett (10), started posting entertaining kid-friendly videos as early as 2012. Quickly they took YouTube by storm and were offered to join YouTube’s partner program the same year due to the popularity of their videos. With 1.7 million subscribers, Gabe and Garrett have definitely made their online presence known.

Their channel features various toy reviews, superhero videos, amusement parks, Power Wheels racing, and other kidtastic activities. However, the brothers are probably the most famous for their Sidewalk Cops series which shows them driving around the streets in mini police cars suitable for kids.

They have already collaborated with many big brands in the kid’s industry, such as Nintendo and Lego, reviewing their products and showcasing them in their videos. And we are certain that this is only the beginning.

Shine bright, parents of our kidfluencers!

Some amazing stories, huh? Not to dim the lights on the kids, but how about a standing ovation for these parents? After all, they are the ones guiding and guarding their children throughout this process.

In today’s world, we are becoming more digital by the day, which in many ways has improved or enhanced our day to day lives. But you don’t need us to tell you that. However, introducing your child to all the possibilities of the digital world that could enrich and stimulate their growth can be tricky waters to tread. Knowing the opportunities and dangers of the online scene, parental guidance is the key, but how to approach it?

Make sure you are the one to introduce your child to the social platforms, such as Instagram and YouTube. Think about it – the first time you put an iPad in your child’s hands should be the first time you’ll have a conversation about digital safety and security with them. If you wait by the time they reach their teen years, they will already know “all they need to” from their friends, which may not prepare them accordingly.

So watch, search, and discover with them, by making fun projects that might appeal to their interests and personalities. This will allow you to teach them how to navigate the digital waters as they grow. 

If they express an interest in creating their own content, encourage them and help them through the process of knowing what to say, how to say it, and what might be the first steps to creating their account or channel. Teach them about the true meaning of digital footprint and how to create their content in a safe and secure way. But be sure not to press them, rather, point through examples what might not be the best idea, seeing how what they put online and how they treat others will stay documented forever. 

For youngsters that choose to create their online personas, and especially for those who have multiple ventures, a good way to start controlling their online image is helping them launch a personal website. See it as an online portfolio that can unify all the content across multiple platforms and is not controlled by a third party. The website can be linked to the youngster’s name, which is crucial for controlling how they want to be perceived by the online audience now and in the future.

This is not an easy task, we know, but don’t forget that having fun with your kid while teaching them how to build their online persona is the most important thing. And, they are going to get online anyway – they might as well do it guided by those who have their best interest in mind.

Our generations had to learn through trial and error what it truly means to have a digital footprint. Since the new generations are growing up in completely different circumstances, we believe that they should have the most positive and enriching experience possible.

Takeaways?

By now, we believe, we are all on the same page with the fact that in the sphere of marketing, things are fast-paced and changing quicker than we might think.

The way content is presented online is constantly evolving, and each new generation has different ways of expressing themselves.

Blogs and videos are still unparalleled, but that’s only for the time being – we’ll just have to wait and see what’s next. But whatever hits the digital world, we certainly hope we are clear on one thing – we need to step up our game and be there as our kids make their first digital footprints. Of course, if we can make it as fun and as rewarding as the family members of the kidfluencers we talked about did, all the better.

As for our amazing kidfluencers, we hope they’ll continue following their dreams and we wish them all the luck in all of their future projects!