Digital Marketing is a fast-changing field and if you don’t pay attention, you can easily get left behind. In case you haven’t been keeping up, here is a new concept you need to familiarise yourself with: Influencer Marketing.
What is an Influencer?
An Influencer is a user on social media who has established credibility in a specific industry and has the ability to exert influence over their followers. An influencer generally has a large following whom they can persuade thanks to their authority and authenticity.
Influencers can be hugely beneficial to brands, as they can encourage their followers to buy certain products.
What makes Influencer Marketing so effective?
Authentic
Customers want authenticity, and that’s what makes influencer marketing so effective. Influencer marketing is inherently more authentic than traditional advertisements, as influencers are seen as trusted sources. By giving audiences a sneak peek into their daily lives, these influencers have built connections with their followers that can be highly valuable to brands. People hate feeling like they are being marketed to. In fact, a recent Nielsen study found that 92% of consumers trust word-of-mouth recommendations over other forms of advertising. Influencers pour their personalities into their social media profiles, and for this reason, their followers tend to be emotionally invested in the content they produce. When an influencer promotes a product, it feels like a genuine recommendation from a friend.
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Cost Effective
When it comes to influencer marketing, the pricing model can vary, meaning it can be accessible to any brand regardless of their budget. For example, some influencers may accept free products instead of monetary payment. Others will agree to base the cost on the number of clicks and level of engagement or will charge you per post. Whichever you choose, you will find that influencer marketing tends to be significantly cheaper than traditional forms of advertising.
Increased Brand Awareness
When your brand is buzzing on social media, you become increasingly relevant to the public. Influencers can help boost your brand awareness by putting your brand in front of your targeted demographic and encouraging them to follow you on social media. Thousands of people who were unfamiliar with your brand now know exactly who you are and what you can offer. These people may share your content with their friends, who may share it with their friends, creating a domino effect of new followers.
How to choose the right influencer for your brand
The goal is to find an influencer who will speak to your target audience, so the first thing you need to do is scope out their followers. If you are a high-end women’s clothing company working with an influencer whose audience consists of mostly teens, you may be missing the mark. For a successful influencer marketing campaign, you need to determine your target audience and find an influencer who engages that audience. This will allow you to promote your brand to a wealth of interested followers.
You will also need to take in to account the number of followers. An influencer with a few thousand followers may not make an impact. Similarly, an influencer may have hundreds of thousands of followers, however, if these followers aren’t engaging with their content, then they are irrelevant.
Don’t forget to evaluate the quality of their content. Are they consistently putting out engaging and thoughtful content? What messages are they putting forth? Would they make a suitable spokesperson for your brand? Before you invest in an influencer, you need to make sure they represent your brand and its core values.
