As the world around us becomes increasingly digitally focused, brands have been altering their marketing tactics to tackle the digital sphere. Thanks to technological developments within social media, cameras and editing software, influencer marketing has become more impactful than ever. Social media marketing has gradually become more influential than traditional TV or radio marketing as there is unlimited freedom when creating or viewing social content. This has created a space for an influencer marketing agency to perfect the art of influencer marketing campaigns.
The accessibility of social media means brands have a wider space to target their audiences. Audiences are spread out over different social media platforms, and more brands are entering and oversaturating the busy market. Influencer marketing presents brands with a more direct route to reaching their target audiences.
But why does influencer marketing work so well?
Why Influencer Marketing is So Effective
One of the main reasons influencer marketing is so effective is because it relies on the pre-existing relationships between consumers and influencers. Influencers are one of the best sources of word-of-mouth recommendations and they have used their social media to build a trusting relationship with their followers. Trust is a key component to effective influencer marketing and permits brands to promote their products or services directly to a niche audience that’s already paying attention. The pre-existing trust can heavily influence a consumer’s purchasing decision as it is solidified by the influencer’s approval.
Influencer marketing targets consumers natively in their social feeds; this means the content feels less like an advertisement. Consumers are becoming increasingly ad-avoidant and have begun installing ad-blocking software, making YouTube ads and website ads redundant. Influencer marketing content will appear to consumers as they are scrolling through their feeds, meaning it is more likely to be digested than a traditional ad. Sponsored content created by influencers is guaranteed to be seen by an audience and be related to authentically, providing the potential for a relationship between the consumer and your brand.
Consumers are significantly more willing to engage with a real person over a brand. Engagement on branded social media posts is 0.5% compared to an influencer post, which has an average engagement rate of 2%. Social media platforms are becoming oversaturated from brands competing for engagement from consumers, but using influencers allows brands to break through the static of brands. Furthermore, the engagement rates from micro-influencers are typically higher than the engagement from macro or hero influencers. Consumers are more trustworthy of micro-influencers, generally resulting in higher engagement and action.
Influencer marketing can have an incredibly high ROI due to the fact it is cheaper to produce influencer content than commercial social media content. Influencers are able to create the content themselves rather than a brand hire models, stylists, photographers and shooting space. Influencers have high-quality production skills, so your brand doesn’t have to worry about poor content. This also means brands don’t have to pay additional production or distribution costs outside the influencer’s fees. In addition, as the quality of content is high, brands can curate and repost influencer content to their own channels, solidifying the partnership.
Using influencer marketing can have a positive long-term impact on your brand’s search engine rankings. SEO is an important factor in any digital marketing strategy and makes your brand easier to find for potential customers. The more a trusted influencer posts about or mentions your brand, the more likely your brand will have a higher search engine ranking.
Influencer marketing has become a powerful marketing tool when it’s used correctly. Content needs to be more than production but strategized and planned to be posted at the perfect time. Influencers chosen need to be relevant to the target audience and need to share values with your brand so the partnership is authentic. Influencer marketing agencies have invested time into defining what influencer marketing is and the different techniques available to different brands. This means influencer marketing can be the ideal solution to an oversaturated social media space. Whether you’re a business or agency, not taking advantage of influencer marketing is a missed opportunity to grow your online presence, messaging and engagement.