Influencer marketing is such a buzz term right now. But the big question is, “Should you be working with social media influencers to grow your brand?”
The short answer is yes. But the process can be complicated. If you would like to know how to get started, follow along.
First things, first
The biggest shift in marketing today is the fact that a brand’s message doesn’t have to come from the brand.
Instead, brands are using influencers to communicate messages about their products or services. Influencers are regular people who consistently post content on their social media platforms in a niche of their choice, for example, fitness, beauty tutorials, or interesting vlogs.
Since influencers post engaging content, they have amassed a huge following. And increasingly brands are realizing that influencer marketing is a highly effective way to market to millennials.
Statistics show that influencer marketing is a 9.7 Billion industry from 2020 and it is growing to 13.8 billion in 2021.
The difference between traditional marketing and influencer marketing
Just think about it - When was the last time you bought something because you saw it in a newspaper or billboard?
Probably many years ago or never. That's because traditional marketing, using television, radio, or newspapers, is one-sided. As an industry, we are moving towards two-sided conversations with audiences.
And when marketing you can’t just think of exposure anymore, your campaign has to be impactful and you need to engage with your audience.
It is easier to create more engagement with your audience if you use influencers. Influencer marketing is appealing to the audience because it feels more natural and authentic.
Influencer marketing is a game-changer
Research shows that 70% of purchase decisions by millennials are made by a peer recommendation.
Statistics also indicate that 60% of in-store purchase decisions are influenced by something that someone has seen on a social media post or a blog post.
This is why influencer marketing has grown.
One of the bigger things that we are seeing in the influencer marketing space is that brands are utilizing influencers not just for their audience, but also for their creativity.
Sometimes they will present an idea to an influencer, and the influencer might not think it will work. In these instances, the influencer suggests new ideas because they understand the audience better.
Influencers also bring to the brand camera and video production skills. Influencers independently create content for businesses. The businesses then run ads against this content based on the demographics that the influencer reaches out to.
The key is to choose the right partner for your brand. When choosing an influencer to work with, look at several things, like their core value, brand safety, and what platforms they have.
Working with influencers
Having more followers doesn’t necessarily mean having more influence. A study by HelloSociety found that micro-influencers are more beneficial for marketers to work with.
A micro-influencer is anyone with 5k to 100 k followers on a social media platform. This is a small group that is intimately connected to them.
Micro-influencers receive more engagement because they are more relatable, like a close friend or family member.
More businesses are using micro-influencers because they deliver more engagement, are cost-effective, and drive social buzz.
As a business, your goal should be to use several micro-influencers to build your brand. Micro-influencers have an authentic connection to their followers and there is more trust.
When a celebrity influencer has a massive following, the followers might not be able to get in touch with them directly. With a smaller group of people or a niche market, people feel like they can relate to them and are a connected community.
Micro-influencers communicate with audiences more
The one thing that sets micro-influencers apart from major influencers is that they can read their messages and respond the best way that they can to everyone.
If an influencer has one million followers, they are less likely to respond.
It is also cost-effective to use micro-influencers. Brands are realizing that they can do a campaign with 50 micro-influencers for the same price as a celebrity influencer and have enough content for their feed for the next month.
Now what?
Working with influencers is increasingly becoming important for brands and we are recommending it every single day.
If you are looking to work with influencers, you can do independent research or work with agencies that can send the influencers to you.
We run many campaigns for the companies that we are working with because we are seeing incredible results.
We hope to help you achieve similar results for your campaigns as well.
Let's work together! Contact us at eav@vcmthecelebritysource.com today.