Back in the early 2000s, only distinguished celebrities and businessmen had the ability to sway the masses to make a purchasing decision. Fast forward to the post-pandemic era; influencers are all over social media. In terms of marketing, an influencer is anyone with a large social media presence and can influence the buying decisions of their distinctive followers.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is when a company launches a promotion campaign for itself or any of its products in association with an online influencer. The influencers are responsible for promoting the product on their social media handles, urging their trusted followers to engage with the business.
Influencers are smart, creative, and know their audience well, making them a great asset for pushing in potential customers. In most cases, companies and influencers work together in strict collaboration to boost brand value and awareness.
Why does Influencer Marketing Works?
Marketing has many unexplored realms. It’ll be difficult for businesses to operate without running engaging marketing campaigns. So, it’s integral that they remain smart with their marketing endeavors. But why should a company trust influencer marketing to be good for them?
The youngsters are generally advertisement-averse unless they find something they can connect with. And this is where influencers come in. An influencer collaborating with a company builds a positive impression among the consumers. Influencers are a part of the consumer community, and people trust influencers throughout their buying journey.
At the same time, young buyers find it odd when companies engage in self-promotion. Launching ad campaigns in collaboration with influencers can get you some brownie points among the consumer community for this very reason. Your company would look less needy if it had some influencer fawning over it.
Next up, there has been a massive increase in the number of social media users over the last couple of years. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are gold mines to rake in potential customers. The influencers create compelling content on these platforms to lure the target audience into making a purchasing decision.
Benefits of Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing often yields handsome dividends on a company’s sales number. They contribute to driving the engagement rate and overall brand equity. Here are some of the best benefits of investing in influencer marketing:
1. Targeted Advertisement
In marketing, it is all about the return on investment. When it comes to influencer marketing, you might get the highest returns based on your investments. This is because influencer marketing is highly targeted. And the best part is that you don’t need to figure out the algorithm and data to find your target audience.
All you need to do is, find influencers relevant to your niche. They understand their audience and know how to push out targeted content to promote different businesses. With influencer marketing, you have a greater chance of attracting more customers through a single advertisement.
2. Increased Brand Awareness:
Influencers not only drive sales figures but also amplify brand exposure and awareness. When consumers see established and renowned influencers talking about your business, they take notice. Slowly but surely, frequent collaborations with popular influencers can turn your business into a brand.
3. Creative Campaigns
Influencers are skilled at creating content that resonates with the preference of the prospects. As mentioned earlier in the blog, influencers know what their audience likes. They design their promotional and advertisement campaigns creatively and witty so that their audience takes notice.
These creative campaigns not only increase engagement but also help in establishing your company as one of the key players in the industry.
4. Brand Credibility
The general attitude of consumers towards new entrants in the industry is distrust. Customers are generally apprehensive of the tall claims that companies make for their products. It’ll take a lot of convincing for them to give up on their favorite brands to try your products.
But if you have influencers praising your products, it creates a good impression within the consumer forum. It enhances your brand’s credibility as consumers tend to trust the verdict of their favorite influencers.
5. High Rankings on SERP
The one thing that can make or break a business is how well they’re doing on the search engine result’s page (SERP). Following the trend, a large chunk of buyers has shifted towards e-commerce.
That being said, it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to boost their visibility on the internet. Investing in SEO is as important as investing in a stellar advertising campaign.
But with influencer marketing, you’re practically investing in both – for the cost of one. Influencers increase your customer engagement and interaction, making your business rank higher on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
At the same time, when influencers mention your business on any virtual space, it gives you the benefits of an authentic backlink, which itself is an important factor for search rankings.
What Mistakes to Avoid in Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a risky piece of business when it’s not done right. Businesses should make healthy and informed decisions, especially when deciding on which influencer to partner with.
The level of trust between the company and the influencer must be steadfast. Before you get into a collaboration with an influencer, remember that they will essentially become the face of your company.
Anything they do or say will be a representation of your company’s ideology, making them the in-charge of your brand reputation. If any of their statements are offensive or negative, it’ll hurt your brand reputation. Thus, the interests and the content of the influencer must strictly align with the ideology of the business.
At the same time, businesses should be wary of influencers with fake followers. Some online influencers tend to purchase followers to make themselves appear more popular. A simple manual check of their average post engagement can do the trick. But if you want to be double sure, multiple tools like InstaCheck can help you weed out fake influencers.
Final Thoughts
Influencer marketing is one of the most influential branches of marketing. It aligns perfectly with the modern-day emphasis on the internet and can generate powerful results. Moreover, influencer marketing can help you reap long-term benefits if you play your cards right.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to gain a competitive edge. Contact our team for expert assistance.