Influencer marketing has seen quite the rise in 2018, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In this study, Hubspot predicts that by 2020 influencer marketing is expected to become an $8 billion business on Instagram alone, and we can’t seem to agree more. Instagram’s unique way to showcase content and the constant increase in its active users made it the most sought-after platform for brand-influencer collaborations.
The question you might be asking yourself now is: should I invest in influencer marketing for my brand? Well, if you are looking to position your brand in the market, have a speciality product, are targeting a young audience, or looking to insight a product or service trial then yes you should consider influencer marketing and we have a few reasons why.
1- DRIVE WORD OF MOUTH
In a article on Word of Mouth Marketing in Bigcommerce, it was reported that “92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family more than advertising,” and “88% of people trust online reviews written by other consumers as much as they trust recommendations from personal contacts.” There is something about hearing of a brand from someone other than the brand itself that makes it more credible and appealing to the audience. Here is where the power of influencer marketing lies; impacting people’s buying decision.
2- ADVERTISE AUTHENTICALLY AND ORGANICALLY
The changes in Facebook’s algorithm in favor of more meaningful person-to-person interaction are pushing brands to rely more and more on influencers to reach their audiences, especially in the Fashion and Beauty industries which accounted for more than 30% of sponsored posts on Instagram since 2015. Influencers have a unique tone of voice that their audience relate to and can transmit the message to their followers in a subtle way without directly showcasing it as an advertisement.
3- REACH A DEDICATED AUDIENCE
It is important to note that when your brand identity and guidelines fits a certain persona that an influencer embodies, then this influencer’s audience also relates to this same persona. Hence, collaborating with an influencer is a door opener for you to reach your targeted audience. No matter how niche the audience is, there are possibilities to reach it through an influencer, especially through micro-influencers who sometimes have more impact on certain target audiences.
4- INCREASE YOUR ROI
Although many still see it as challenge to measure the return on investment of influencer marketing, multiple studies have shown that it yields a great ROI. Other than the revenue, there are some underlying effects that are directly related to influencer marketing.
- Increase brand awareness: thanks to influencer marketing, brands can tap into a market they didn’t have easy access to previously.
- Increase earned media value: depending on the kind of campaign in place, brands can increase their page likes, impressions and drive engagement through clicks and user generated content.
5- IMPROVE YOUR SEO RANKING
Influencer marketing is not just about posting pictures and videos on social media platforms but can include other kinds of interactions and mentions. If the influencer you are in talks with is a blogger, leverage their talent and feature your brand in one of their blog posts. This will generate high quality backlinks to your website which will improve your search engine ranking.
In a few words…
Regardless of the region or industry you operate in, influencer marketing has many advantages that your brand can focus on. However, it is important to make the right due diligence when selecting an influencer to be associated with your brand in order to reap all of the benefits of the collaboration.
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