With the rise of social media, influencer marketing has skyrocketed in popularity: since 2016, the influencer marketing industry’s value has increased tenfold to $16.4 billion, and more than 60% of marketers now work with at least 10 influencers on every campaign.
So what’s all the hype about?
You’ve probably heard the phrase: people buy from people. In many ways, it’s true. Marketing is all about trust, and in a world of information overload, we often need to take shortcuts when we make decisions.
A recommendation from an influencer is like asking a friend for advice, but a friend who’s really knowledgeable about the latest trends or a specific topic – so much that they’ve built their career on it. This makes them a great way for brands to authentically connect with passionate audiences in their niche.
But how could it help your business? Read on to find out how working with influencers could revolutionise your digital marketing game.
Build trust online
According to Nielsen, in their 2021 study on trust in advertising, 71% of consumers trusted “advertising, opinions and product placements from influencers”. This is even more important if you sell a high-involvement product or service (e.g. a new smile, or even a new house), because you’ll need more high-quality interactions to build trust with a potential client before they finally take the leap and commit to a purchase.
Multiply your brand awareness
When you work with influencers, you get access to a ready-made audience. This an immediate boost to your brand awareness, which is the crucial first step in getting customers to buy from you. Depending on the type of influencers you choose to partner with, this could put your products or services in front of anywhere from a thousand to a million people – an audience you’ve chosen specifically because you know they’re highly likely to want a piece of what you have to offer.
Reach super-targeted audiences
The influencer you’re partnering with has carefully cultivated their audience, almost certainly over many years. This means that they’ll be an expert on the things that interest their audience and the best way to advertise your products and services to them. Because of this, it’s very important to give influencers creative freedom in how they promote your products – their authenticity is what creates such a strong connection and sense of trust with the audience you’re striving to reach.
For example, look at John Pulitano who presented a training series for hair product brand Bondi Boost. John is the owner of Headcase Hair in Sydney which has a modest following of 20K+ followers and is very respected in the hair & beauty industry, he has worked on fashion shows in New York, Paris, London and more with big brands, such as: Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. Look at the video
Reinforce your brand promise
Influencers’ relationships with their followers can feel almost like friendships, and many people have a deep sense of loyalty to the influencers they follow. If an influencer is advertising your product, that’s an assurance to their audience of its quality, because every endorsement has the potential to affect their reputation as a trusted authority for better or worse.
Tap into your own audience’s aspirations
There are influencers in all sorts of areas, from beauty to business and beyond. People look up to them: they aspire to live similar lives. Whether an influencer offers escapism or more practical tips, many people have similar relationships to them as those they have with celebrities. Their endorsements tap into that same sense of aspiration, while allowing you to reach out to customers in a more personal way than you could with a celebrity feature or your brand alone.
Boost your word-of-mouth marketing
Many influencers make a career out of social expertise: they have a deep awareness of the latest trends and a large circle of influence. If your existing clients already follow an influencer, your partnership could make them more likely to talk about your products to their friends: this gives them a chance to show their connection to the influencer and boost their own status and influence.
Create a great customer experience
Naturally, compared to paid advertising, organic content feels like a seamless part of a website or social platform’s experience – even if it’s sponsored. This less intrusive approach creates a better customer experience, which ultimately leads to more positive associations with your brand, greater trust and a higher chance of sales and recommendations in the future.
Show your social currency
Actions speak louder than words: the influencers you work with can help you demonstrate your brand’s quality, mission and values in a way that isn’t possible with your own content alone.
To see this in action, take a look at Infinity Dental Care’s collaboration with makeup influencer Gemma Isabella Lepre. As well as reinforcing Infinity’s brand promise and tapping into the audience’s aspirations, this partnership catapulted the clinic’s brand awareness: the video is one of the channel’s most-watched and has received over 44,000 views to date.
Wrapping up
A carefully chosen partnership with an influencer can work wonders for your business, reinforcing trust at all levels of the buying journey and increasing customer recommendations. For more advice on how to include influencers in your digital marketing strategy, book a virtual coffee below.