Influencer marketing is quickly gaining traction in the marketing world and becoming a favorite channel for many marketers. In fact, it’s the fastest-growing online marketing channel according to Tomoson.
This marketing method involves getting influential people to sway consumers to choosing your brand and making a purchase. It’s somewhat similar to word-of-mouth marketing because they both make use of explicit recommendations, but influencer marketing doesn’t strictly rely on this tactic.
Benefits of Influencer Marketing
Many marketers are choosing influencer marketing over other channels to reap the following benefits:
- Unlike most marketing methods, influencer marketing can be successful even without constant attention. You can leave it in the hands of your chosen influencers and simply wait for the results.
- Building relationships with key influencers is a great way to raise awareness about your brand within a target industry.
- Putting in effort up-front and attracting influencers can pay off for a long time, even after you stop working.
- Being mentioned by top influencers means that their audience will visit your website to check out your products or services. This means you’ll experience a hike in site traffic.
- Since you’re making use of the influencer’s public persona, there’s no need to put your brand under public scrutiny. Therefore, you get to stay behind the scenes.
- Influencers have already built trust with a specific audience base. You can gain instant credibility by working with an influencer.
- This marketing channel involves focusing on individuals, so it’s much easier to reach an audience of one.
Influencer Marketing Statistics You Should Know
For more definitive proof on why influencer marketing is a preferable channel, look over the following important statistics:
- A study by Augure found that 76% of professionals believe influencer engagement is an effective method for improving customer loyalty. 49% found it effective for raising brand awareness, and 75% consider it to be effective for generating sales leads.
The same study found that 67% used influencers to promote their content. Another 59% use them for product launches and 59% ask influencers for content creation. Influencers are also popularly used for organizing events and corporate communications.
- Tomoson reported that influencer marketing is considered the most cost-effective online channel for acquiring new customers. It’s right in line with email marketing, which has been successfully used by marketers for many years.
This report also revealed that for every $1 marketers spend on influencers, they’re making $6.50. In fact, the top 13% manage to earn more than $20 for their $1 investment. Around 70% of marketers are earning around $2 or more. Tomoson found that influencer marketing has helped acquire better customers for 51% of marketers.
- Nielsen found that 92% of global consumers trust recommendations from people they know. The report also shows that 70% of consumers worldwide trust online customer reviews. This clearly supports that what other people say about a brand or product greatly impacts consumers’ purchase decisions.
Influencer Marketing Campaigns That Got it Right
Many brands have successfully implemented influencers into their marketing strategies for better performance. Here are several examples of such brands to help you see exactly how influencers can be used for marketing products and services:
People StyleWatch Magazine
The case of People StyleWatch Magazine provides an excellent example of using influencers. Partnering with Branderati, the magazine handpicked some 1,000 influencers and invited them to join the exclusive Style Hunters Network. This network enabled members to receive exclusive fashion insights along with deals and product samples.
These influencers constantly shared content with their followers. Consequently, People StyleWatch magazine increased exposure rates to a significant extent. In fact, each campaign managed to generate an average exposure of 1.5 million. With help from brands like Kellogg’s and Madewell, they ran over 40 campaigns through this network.
SquareSpace
SquareSpace implemented influencer marketing by partnering with top YouTubers in different niches. Their marketing campaign involved creating relevant content for audiences and integrating concept videos that showcased the unique features and services provided by SquareSpace. The campaign resulted in a higher number of conversions and sign-ups for better brand awareness. Their sponsored video campaigns have managed to generate over 33.5 million views to date.
Chloé
When French fashion house Chloé launched its new Valentine’s Day fragrance “Love Story,” they orchestrated an online campaign with top fashion bloggers. The campaign involved several blog-sponsored placements. They managed to generate around 1.4 million unique views monthly. The brand also received high audience engagement and increased brand awareness.
Actionable Tips for First-Timers
Now, how exactly do you launch a successful influencer marketing campaign? There are various methods and ideas you can implement. Here are the most important steps:
- Identify your target audience – Who will you be selling to. Who will be interested in using your products or services? Your audience forms the basis of all your marketing campaigns. You’ll need to understand the exact type of audience you’re targeting. Find out how they discover products and evaluate them before they make a purchase. Learn what they like and dislike as well as what they need. Then you can present the right product in the right manner.
- Discover the right influencers – Who has the power to influence your target audience? What kind of people will represent your brand best? Look for authority figures who not only have a huge following but also manage to drive engagement. Launching an influencer marketing campaign requires that you identify the right influencers. What works for one brand or industry might not be so effective for yours. It’s important to carefully make your selection.
- Connect with influencers – Once you’ve picked the right influencers for your brand, take the time to get to know them. Monitor their content and social media profiles. Find out what they write about and what kind of topics they usually share. Following them, sharing their content, or commenting on their posts is wise. This will help you identify the right opportunity for reaching out to them. After you’ve established a connection, send them a personalized email and proposal with clearly stated benefits.
These are some of the basic, yet most crucial steps involved with launching influencer marketing efforts. Keep in mind that your campaign can easily fail depending on your choice of influencers. Make the most of this channel to raise brand awareness, increase conversions, and improve your company’s overall performance.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing can deemed the next level of content marketing. It’s highly effective for marketing your brand and products with user-generated content. It’s an essential tool for every marketer to succeed in today’s digital world and social media. Apply the tips mentioned above to begin your first steps in marketing your brand through influencers. If you need extra help, feel free to ask questions below to discuss things further.
Chris Kinney
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