INDIANAPOLIS — Visit Indy, the city's marketing arm, is hiring social media influencers to bring people to Indianapolis — most recently for Monday's total solar eclipse.
It is a way to promote the city in the palms of peoples' hands.
Like a tour guide, influencer Angie Thomas carried a tall pole walking through crowds. This difference is her tall pole has a camera on the end, and the more than 17,000 people following her are online.
"They want to see a real person enjoying experiences or traveling somewhere," Thomas said.
Visit Indy hired the Chicago-based content creator to show off Indianapolis.
"It's essentially a skillset, just like any other job where somebody is very well-versed in technology, in photography," Thomas said.
Because Visit Indy is a nonprofit, influencers are typically offered cool things to do instead of cash.
In exchange for posting Instagram videos, known as reels, to her account The Honest Passport, Thomas gets to stay at the Hyatt, experience some of the best restaurants and view the eclipse from a kayak in the White River.
"I give a take of what someone would experience from the beginning to the end," Thomas said.
So, how do influencers hear the words "you're hired?"
Christine Zetzl, with Visit Indy, said the answer is engagement.
"You want to see authentic content that's getting the comments. It's getting the likes," Zetzl said. "We know that when the audience is engaged, they're more likely to act on what this person is posting."
The tourism group started hiring content creators almost a decade ago.
This year, it is investing $10,000 in influencer marketing to focus on the region.
"A Chicago resident, Cincinnati, Detroit," Zetzl listed, "that drive-in market around four hours."
The hope is when Thomas' followers in the Chicago-area see what she posts about Indianapolis, they will want to see and spend in our city, too.