Influencer marketing has taken off in the past few years. Why? Because it works! It’s one of the best ways to get your brand promoted on social media through content posted by people who already have an audience for you.
Influencer marketing is a great way to build brand awareness and connect with people who buy your products and services. But what about the results? Is it worth investing your time and money in this relatively new form of marketing?
In this article, you’ll learn more about influencer marketing and why you should consider using it for your business.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy that involves leveraging the social media influence of people to promote brands, products, or services.
The rise of social media has been a key factor in the growth of influencer marketing. Consumers have become increasingly connected and influential on digital platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more. As such, brands are looking for ways to reach these consumers directly through influencers.
Influencer marketing can take many forms, from having an influencer post about your product on Instagram to getting an influencer to create a video tutorial or blog post about your brand.
It’s important to remember that using an influencer doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay them. It just means they need some way of being compensated for their time or efforts.
8 reasons why you should include influencer marketing in your marketing strategy
1. Influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach your target audience
When you use influencer marketing, you can reach out to your target audience in a way that’s authentic and personal. It makes sense for entrepreneurs to turn to influencers because they have already built relationships with their followers based on trust and loyalty.
Influencers have audiences who listen when they speak, so that companies can use them as a bridge between themselves and their prospective customers.
If someone they love and trust recommends a product or service, they’re more likely to take their advice than if it were coming from anyone else. It works even if that person has no connection with the brand itself.
2. Influencer marketing helps increase sales
One of the main reasons brands use influencer marketing is because it increases sales by creating awareness about products or services through content created by influencers.
Influencer marketing creates a direct connection between customers and brands. Consumers trust what these people say about different products or services due to their credibility and expertise in the field.
Influencers can also increase the time people spend on your site, leading to more conversions. After all, if you have an engaged audience already reading your content, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t buy something you’re advertising.
3. Influencers are trusted by their followers
Influencers are people who have earned credibility and trust with their audience through their content or online persona. They’re often experts in their field and are seen as sources of authority by their followers. They can influence people’s opinions, attitudes, and behaviors.
A recent study by Kantar Media found that 93% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family more than any other type of advertisement.
Influencers are trusted by their followers because they aren’t selling you anything; instead, they want to share their favorite products.
4. Influencer marketing is cost-effective
The best part about influencer marketing is that it has the potential to reach more people than traditional advertising methods like banner ads or TV commercials.
While traditional advertising can be expensive, influencers usually work on a contract basis. They charge per post or campaign rather than taking traditional commissions from the promoted product (like an affiliate program).
Influencers promote your business in their posts or videos and give you cost-effective advertising. Their followers will pay attention to what they say because they trust them as experts on the topic.
5. Influencer marketing generates user-generated content (UGC)
Influencers often use their platforms to discuss products they’re using, which helps create a community of brand evangelists. They can also help spread awareness about your brand by creating and sharing unique content that authentically showcases your product or service.
User-generated content is precious. It comes from an influencer’s point of view rather than corporate messaging or copywriting, making it more relatable for consumers.
6. Influencers are easy to work with and can be found for any budget
As long as they have an established reputation, influencers are usually easy to work with. You don’t need to worry about them being difficult or temperamental. They want their followers to enjoy their content and follow them because of their personality and not because they were paid to post something by someone else.
Also, one of the biggest misconceptions about influencer marketing is that it requires a lot of money. That’s not true. You can find influencers who charge as little as $100 per post and some who charge up to $20,000 per post. It’s all about finding the right person and knowing what they charge.
The best way to do this is by using social media and looking at their posts and followers across social media platforms.
Ecommerce brands that want to stay on top of influencer marketing trends but don’t want to dedicate time or resources to doing so can hire dedicated influencer marketing agencies. This way, brands can enjoy the successful results of influencer marketing without having to learn everything about the field themselves.
7. Influencer marketing helps you reach a specific niche market
With influencer marketing, you can reach a niche market that wouldn’t otherwise respond to your more direct marketing techniques.
It’s not just about reaching more people. It’s about reaching the right people. It allows you to leverage the credibility and influence of an influencer to spread your message.
That’s why it can be so effective for smaller businesses that want to reach a specific demographic, such as millennials, women, or parents.
For example, if you’re selling sports equipment, you might reach out to a popular fitness blogger or Instagrammer and ask them to post about your product in exchange for a free sample. If the influencer posts about your product, it will likely get picked up by their followers and potentially generate sales for you.
8. Influencer marketing is measurable
It’s easy to measure the ROI from influencer marketing because it’s measurable, and you can track it. You can see how many impressions you got, how many clicks you got, and how many conversions you got from those impressions and clicks.
For example: if one of our influencers mentions your brand on Instagram and it gets 50 likes and 50 comments within a few minutes, that’s clear proof that people want to hear what they have to say about you.
Leverage influencer marketing to make your next marketing campaign a success
Once you have a firm grasp of the influencer marketing landscape, it’s time to take steps to ensure your brand is getting the most from its efforts.
Influencer identification, outreach, collaboration, and evaluation are all vital components of a successful campaign. Keep these tips in mind as you move forward with your next influencer marketing venture.