Influencer marketing is a relatively new form of marketing that feeds off the fact that ad-wary millennials trust people, not brands. The traditional approach to advertising is losing its effect. We can’t just tell ‘em what we want them to hear – in fact, 92 percent of consumers say they trust peer recommendations while a mere 33 percent trust ads [Nielsen]. What does that mean for marketers?
“Many marketers realize the power of connecting with influential social media users, and as a result many have increased their budgets throughout the year.” [AdWeek]
Here’s why you should consider it too.
- It’s social.
Love it or hate it, social media is a huge component of successful branding, and it’s also where to find the best influencers. Finding people with a large network (i.e. lots of followers) or someone who’s tagged your brand in a post is a good place to start; from there, it’s a matter of reaching out to your selected influencer and asking them to start a dialogue with their followers about your product. - It’s effective.
According to AdWeek, 81 percent of marketers who have tested this strategy found it effective (with 47 percent voting “very effective” and the remaining 34 voting “somewhat effective”). The influencer approach lets you tap into a market you might otherwise not have access to. People follow influencers because they value (and are more inclined to listen to) their opinion. As Who Pays Influencers founder Amber Discko puts it, “They don’t care what the brand has to say, that’s why they’re not following the brand” [TechInsider]. - It’s the next big thing.
If you hop on the influencer bandwagon now, you’ll be riding a pretty sweet wave. While it’s not brand new on the scene, this type of marketing is still developing and establishing a presence. In 2015, only 35 percent of social media professionals considered it to be at a “mature stage” and only 14 percent had no intention of integrating it into their social strategy [Altimeter Group’s “State of Social Business”].
Ready to give it a shot? Give us a shout!