In recent years, not only has social media blown up as the way to share and learn information, but the power behind someone’s presence online has expanded too. Social media influencers have become some of the most influential spokespeople for various movements, brands, and products.
An influencer is someone who typically has a large following on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. There are influencers in many different fields, and each one uses the best platform to reach their audience. Influencer marketing combines new and old marketing tactics by using a celebrity-type endorsement to try and persuade people to like and buy the same things they like and buy.
Utilizing influencers in your marketing campaign can add huge value to your product overall. Adweek projects the influencer industry will be worth $10 billion by 2020, as more social media platforms gain more influencers. Furthermore, companies were surveyed at the end of 2018 to compare their return on investment with influencers as compared to more traditional marketing strategies. 89% said ROI from influencers is equal or better than that of traditional marketing avenues. As a result, many companies are looking to expand their marketing budgets to account for using social media influencers to promote their brand and/or product.
A major part of setting up your influencer marketing strategy is defining your goals and message. Increasing sales and overall brand awareness are two common goals with influencer marketing. Incorporating the right influencers within your company’s niche can also be of benefit. If the influencer really resonates with your company’s brand and product, chances are their audience will also find it appealing.
Influencer Marketing Do’s and Don’ts
- Do specify your approach to each influencer. Not everyone will have the same way of reaching their respective audiences.
- Don’t pick an influencer just because they are the most popular. More followers do not always mean more revenue for you.
- Do spend time researching the right influencer for your company and product. Influencer marketing works best when the influencer’s audience is similar to your company’s audience.
- Don’t underestimate an influencer based on the size of their following. If the influencer you’re considering has the same audience and niche as your target demographic, they may still be the right person for the job.
Brand Influencer vs. Brand Ambassador
Like we mentioned earlier, brand influencers are people who engage with a niche audience and garner trust within a large following. Because of this, they have some power over their audience and what they consume. A brand ambassador on the other hand, is someone who is hired and contracted by a company to achieve specific goals, such as increasing sales and overall brand awareness.
When it comes to promoting brand awareness and talking about your products, social media influencers can be a pivotal addition to your marketing strategy. Seeing and hearing your favorite influencers talk about a company they love brings a very human aspect to marketing. People trust the opinions of the
Interested in mapping out a new marketing strategy that that reaches a greater audience in more niche groups? Want to see what more Tailored Marketing can do to help your company’s brand? Send us a message at info@tailoredmarketing.com to see where we can take your company.
