While you may already know, generally, that you should be working with influencers, you may not have an in-depth knowledge of why influencers are so integral to a successful marketing campaign. But, don’t worry. We’re here to fill you in.
Here are the top 24 reasons why your business should be working with influencers.
Sales
The fact of the matter is, influencers generate sales. Most consumers base their purchasing decisions on the recommendations of their favorite celebrities, vloggers, bloggers, and influencers. This is why so many brands are making the smart decision to get involved with influencer marketing. Simply put— it works.
Content
Influencers are masters at creating content and not just any ol’ content. They create loads of engaging, high-quality content. This is fantastic for brands since influencers can create top-notch, user-generated content about your product/service that you can then share on your platform. However, don’t forget that you don’t own the rights to an influencer’s content, even if it’s about your brand, so make sure you’re getting the proper permission before publishing it anywhere.
Brand Awareness
Influencers are great at generating brand awareness and exposure to the market, which is important in today’s over-saturated eCommerce space. Those plain old press-releases just aren’t going to cut it anymore.
Authenticity
As you probably already know, consumers are far more likely to trust a recommendation from their favorite influencers than from the brand themselves. This is because influencers are usually quite transparent with their audience and are therefore a trusted voice for their following.
Influence
There’s a reason they’re called influencers. But, not only do influencers influence, they also act as an authoritative voice for their viewers and are trusted by their audience because of that voice. In fact, a majority of consumers base their purchasing decisions based on blog and social media content.
Relationships
Influencers will often turn down offers from brands that aren’t the right fit which means that when you work with an influencer, they’re likely genuinely passionate about your product/service and are very supportive of your brand’s vision. For this reason, you will be able to build meaningful, long-term relationships with influencers which will ultimately grow your business.
Communicative
Not only are influencers excellent content creators, they’re also great at getting a message across. Their whole day-to-day experience relies on digital communication, so they’re experts when it comes to communicating a brand’s message in a way that will generate connections and engagement.
Engagement
Speaking of engagement, there’s no shortage of that when it comes to an influencer. An influencer’s career is based heavily on how many followers they have and how engaged those followers are. Thus, influencers are going to work hard to draw in engagement. And, remember, it’s not the number of followers an influencer has, but how engaged their following is that’s important. Keep this in mind when you’re on the lookout for an influencer for your brand.
Creative
In this day and age, there are too many influencers to count across all walks of social media. To stand out, influencers need to be creative, think outside the box, and offer interesting perspectives. This is why influencers are often excellent at generating creative content.
Audience Awareness
When an influencer has an engaged following, they have a better idea of exactly who their audience is and can build a strong relationship with that audience. The influencer will know the best way to engage with their audience and share your brand’s vision.
Cost-Effective
There’s no doubt about it, advertising is costly. However, influencers are far more cost-effective than traditional advertising since they connect you directly to a large target audience without breaking the bank. In fact, in most influencer collaborations, you can expect a prompt return on investment. This is especially true when you’re working with micro-influencers, who tend to charge lower fees yet have a dedicated following.
Conversation
An influencer can introduce your product/service to the world and get the conversation going. Once they break the ice, you can join in the conversation and start to build that relationship between your brand, the influencer, and the consumer. In summary, you won’t have to worry right away what to say to your target audience; the influencer starts that conversation for you!
A/B Test
Influencers present an opportunity for you to test different messaging points or content concepts and observe how your target audience responds. By identifying influencers with similar audiences, you can test these concepts to see which perform the highest and then apply them to future influencer campaigns or other marketing activities that you are undertaking.
Drive Traffic
When it comes to generating and converting leads (AKA potential consumers), driving traffic to your website, online store, and/or social media platforms is the top priority. One of the best ways to generate traffic and convert leads is, you guessed it, influencers! When they mention your product/service via their social media channels and/or blogs, you can expect to see a significant increase in traffic on your own channels and websites.
Convert Leads
Influencers are vital to not only generating interest in a brand but in converting leads to paying customers as well. As soon as an influencer’s following sees that influencer using your product/service, they’re going to start thinking about how that product/service can be useful in their life. Once your brand is on their mind, that lead is easier to convert into a new customer.
Target Market
Influencers open the door to a dedicated following of people that all likely share the same demographic profile and interests— your potential target audience. The best way to tap into this opportunity is to work with influencers that have a niche following that fits your product/service.
Transparent
Influencers tend to be considered very genuine and transparent with both their audience and collaborators. They will inform their following when they’ve been gifted a product or if they have been paid to promote a product/service. Transparency is very important to consumers and it builds trust with an influencer’s audience.
Trust
Consumers’ trust in brands has never been lower. With all of the advertising consumers are subjected to on a daily basis, their trust has eroded for not only brands but the advertising that these brands pay for. Enter influencers. Influencers have built a relationship with their audience that is created on the basis of trust. Consumers look to influencers for advice, suggestions in many aspects of their life. Your business can capitalize on this.
Distribute Content
Influencers not only create content, but they can distribute other content as well. For example, if you wrote a great blog post, don’t hesitate to reach out to influencers and ask if they’d like to share it with their audience. This will widen your content’s reach overall.
Innovative
Much of the time, all you need to do is give an influencer a brief explanation of your brand’s vision and your campaign goals and the influencer will blow you out of the water with their innovative ideas.
Advocates
By working with influencers often, they can become long-term advocates for your brand which will generate dedicate consumers for your product/service.
Credibility
Similar to trust, influencers opinions are viewed as credible by their audience. While an online review, like a Google or Facebook review, has value, an influencer talking about your business adds another dimension. They put their relationship behind their message as well as pairing it with content that their audience looks forward to seeing.
Search Engine Optimization
Not only do influencers drive traffic to your website, they also improve your backline profile and SEO. Blog links directing readers to your website will boost your SEO and generate more traffic.
Appeal
Influencers generate appeal for your brand. The moment an influencer talks about your product or service, you can expect to see an increase in interest from the public. This may happen suddenly or in spurts over a few weeks; it all depends on the influencer, their platform/following, and the advertising campaign length.
New Markets
By bringing together many of the reasons listed in this article, influencers are a great tool to help you test and scale your business in new areas. For example, these new areas can be regional markets, global markets, or new demographic of consumers to name a few.
Informative
As stated before, influencers are great at communicating a message to their following. This means they’re also great at quickly and creatively delivering snappy, informative messages about your brand and potential promotions.
Perspective
One of the best parts about working with an influencer is that they have their own experiences and ideas that will lend a fresh perspective and unique flair to your campaign.
Adblocker
The usage of Adblock technology is rapidly expanding. What does this mean for your marketing? Consumers are going out of their way to avoid your paid digital advertising. Luckily for you, influencer content is exempt from any negative implication from Adblock technology. Influencer content is an organic social media post that Adblockers can’t prevent your audience from seeing.
ROI
Compared to many other marketing strategies, influencer marketing provides a high ROI. Many studies have been done. The majority of studies show that the ROI of influencer marketing lies somewhere around $7 for every $1 spent. As a small business or startup where every dollar counts, influencers provide returns that can have positive impact on your growth.
Social Media Growth
One thing’s for sure, working with influencers and building strong relationships with them will ensure the growth of your social media platforms. To capitalize on this, make sure that you request for your brand’s tag to be included in all influencer collaborations. The growth of your platforms may not happen overnight, but you’ll see significant growth over time.
If you’re not already working with influencers, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started with influencers that are a great fit for your brand and watch your business flourish.
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