10 Incredible Reasons to Embrace Influencer Marketing Today
If you’re an Indie-film lover, then you would have come across the movie, “Ingrid Goes West” which was released last year. If you’re not an avid moviegoer, then this small-budget flick would have escaped your notice.
In this movie, Ingrid, a young woman in her 20s, becomes obsessed with a famous Instagram blogger, Taylor. Ingrid falls in love with Taylor’s picture-perfect life on Instagram and starts to mimic the blogger. If Taylor posts a picture of her eating bagel for breakfast, then Ingrid starts eating bagels for breakfast. If Taylor quotes a quote from a book, Ingrid adds that book to her reading list.
While the events depicted in the movie are exaggerated for drama and cinematic purposes, the truth is that – reality is not far behind.
Enter Social Media Influencers
Social Media Influencers are the demigods of social media. They are regular people who have amassed a large number of fans on social media networks and have a great rapport with their followers.
In case, you have missed the boat, or are not convinced, here are a few numbers that testify to the soaring popularity of social media influencers.
- According to a survey by Collective Bias, nearly 70% of millennials reported that their buying decisions are influenced by their peers.
- The same survey also reports that 30% of consumers are likely to buy a product recommended by non-celebrities. This means people trust influencers more than celebrities who endorse a product.
- According to a study released by Twitter, nearly half of all consumers (49%) use influencer recommendations to buy a product.
- The term “influencer marketing” increased in search volume by a whopping 325% on Google in 2017. Influencer marketing holds the top spot as the No.1 customer acquisition method in 2017.
- For every dollar, spent by marketers on influencer marketing, they saw an average return of $7.65.
Simply put, Influencer Marketing is the new age of “Word of Mouth.” More and more brands are lining up to partner with influencers to get their products to their target audience.
First things first,
Who are Influencers?
Well, influencers are regular people, just like you and me. The only difference is that they aren’t afraid to share their passion for social media. The passion can be anything – baking, knitting, art and crafts, cooking, travel, fashion, parenting, reading, gaming, comedy, and more.
And, by posting about their passion on social media networks like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and more, influencers have gained immense popularity on the internet. They engage with their audience via blog posts, pictures, videos, tweets, and more. Influencers work hard to earn the trust of their followers and engage with them.
For instance, if you’re a brand selling baking products, then you’ll want influencers like:
- Amateur bakers
- Home bakers/professional bakers
- Food critics
- Bloggers who blog on baking
- TV cookery show personalities and so on
The best way to find the right influencer is to find a person, with whom your brand can connect. You need a voice that reflects your brand’s persona.
Getting influencers on board can provide you with great results when executed correctly and for this, you need the right Influencer Marketing Agency.
What’s the Idea behind Influencer Marketing?
The idea behind influencer marketing is quite straightforward – brands promote their message via influencers in their niche. These influencers then promote the products or services of the brand to their large follower networks. Brands are thus able to reach a niche audience effectively and inexpensively.
Consumers on the other hand trust and value the opinions of influencers. So, they are likely to purchase a product promoted by a person they trust aka the influencer, rather than a product promoted by random celebrities and models.
What makes Social Media Influencers so Influential?
Here are the top reasons why social media influencers are successful in promoting products and why your brand needs to embrace influencer marketing.
It builds Credibility & Trust
The main reason why people follow influencers on social media is that they trust them. They trust their opinions and recommendations.
Influencers have gained their followers by establishing them as subject authorities in their niche. So, any recommendation from the influencer is valued and trusted by their followers.
According to a study by Twitter, 40% of people reported that they bought a product as a result of influencer tweets.
When brands pair with influencers and promote a product/service, customers are more likely to be receptive.
Helps you Reach your Target Audience
When you partner with an influencer whose niche matches your products, you can convey your message effectively to your target audience. One of the biggest reasons why influencer marketing has high ROI is because of this relevance.
For instance, if you sell sports shoes, then obviously your target audience is people who are into fitness, training, and health. So, by partnering with a fitness social media influencer, you have a higher chance of reaching out to a focused and relevant audience, who are highly likely to convert.
When you put out your messages to a relevant audience, your chances of conversion are way higher than that of a generic audience.
It is not Pushy
One of the main reasons why traditional advertising methods don’t work well is that they are pushy. No one wants to be bombarded with ads. According to a study by IAB, nearly two-thirds of consumers surveyed revealed that they use ad-blocking software on both their PCs and smartphones.
Today’s consumers are smart and savvy. They want to have complete control over the content they peruse. In influencer marketing, the followers of the influencer willingly choose to receive content from them. So, when you partner with an influencer, who reaches out to an audience segment that is ready to receive the content.
This way, your message is not seen as pushy or advertorial. Additionally, when you provide valuable and authentic content via influencers, you are more likely to get the audience to convert.
It provides Value to the Audience
Another biggest benefit of influencer marketing is the value for the target audience. You would have come across several tutorials, reviews, unboxing videos, DIY hacks, and tips, on YouTube and other popular social media sites.
This type of content is incredibly popular because it provides value to the end consumer. It isn’t advertorial, but rather genuine and opinionated.
For instance, if you’re looking to buy a new Smartphone, the first thing you do is check out product reviews from popular bloggers and YouTubers. A detailed review from an influencer who explains the features and discusses the pros and cons is incredibly valuable.
The best part – these reviews aren’t just informative but also reliable for consumers.
Improves Customer Acquisition
With Influencer Marketing Agency, you’re reaching out to your target audience. This means they are likely to convert faster. The reason for this is that – they are already interested in that niche, this is why they are following the influencer in the first place. Thus, influencer marketing doesn’t just generate relevant leads but also drives more conversions.
In a study by Influencer Marketing Hub, it was revealed that most marketers agree that influencer marketing is the most effective way of getting customers to convert.
Boosts SEO
According to Moz, domain authority is one of the biggest factors in determining SERP rankings. But then, what is Domain Authority? And, more importantly, how can you improve the Domain Authority?
Let’s start from the basics – domain authority is a numeric score assigned to your site based on how it is informative, relevant, and usefulness of content. A site’s domain authority improves when other credible sites link back to it.
One efficient way to boost DA is by getting popular influencers to link to your site from their blogs and/or web pages. When your influencer has a high DA and links to your site, then your SERP is likely to get boosted.
It’s Easy on your Marketing Budget
This is one trait that makes influencer marketing highly suitable for small businesses. Influencer marketing doesn’t require a massive budget unless you are keen to partner only with celebrity influencers.
When you work with micro-influencers (people who have a medium following, but higher engagement rates and a highly targeted niche), your influencer marketing budget is reduced, while providing higher ROI.
Boosts your Content Strategy
Creating original, genuine and fresh content is a major task for brands. So, if you’re running short of new ideas for your content, or if it gets repetitive and stale, then Influencer Marketing Agency can come to your rescue.
Influencers create the content on their own or you co-create with them. Additionally, the Influencer Marketing Agency ensures that the content is aesthetically pleasing, valuable, and informative.
Improve Brand Awareness
Getting your brand popular in the cluttered marketplace of today is a major hurdle. By partnering with influencers, you reach out to an engaged audience, thereby improving brand visibility. This not only improves your brand reach but also increases brand awareness.
Works for Businesses of all Sizes and Across Industries
Influencer marketing works for all businesses, irrespective of their size, industry, or nature of the business. All you need is an influential person in your niche, and you can bring them on board.
Final Thoughts – Getting Started with Influencers
Influencer marketing is the new age of “Word-of-Mouth.” Spend some time choosing the right Influencer Marketing Agency that is the perfect fit for your brand. Work on building long-term relationships with your influencers and create unique campaigns that are win-win for both you and the influencer.
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