One of the hottest trends in the advertising world over the past ten years has been influencer marketing, and its success has coincided with the ubiquitous rise of social media platforms these influencers have risen on.
Of course, the principle behind influencers is nothing new, and the two-step flow principle that underpins why the marketing technique works so well has been known about since the 1940s and has been used since the dawn of advertising itself.
However, in an age of analytics and ways to prove a return on investment, influencers of all shapes, sizes and sectors have become critical components of marketing campaigns, and to understand what they can do for your business, you should know the ways in which they work.
Content Creation And Proliferation
In the modern marketing world, content is incredibly important, and creating and sharing it is a top priority for any successful marketing campaign. However, quality content creation can require considerable time and resources to create.
By working with influencers, not only do you get a considerable boost in traffic for your existing content, but the influencer will work with you to create new content that can be shared on your social media.
What type of content will depend on the influencer and the sector you are working in, with technology-based influencers more likely to create videos and demonstrations, whilst beauty influencers are more likely to produce exceptional photography.
Boost Audience Awareness And Recognition
An influencer is often deeply embedded in the community of the audience you are targeting, and so by using nano influencers at that early stage in conjunction with other forms of marketing and community engagement, you can provide a groundswell of support from the earliest days of a brand.
With the best fit, you essentially get access to a larger, captive audience which can help to boost your growth early in the business.
Foster Brand Loyalty
An ideal influencer is a person who would use, support and evangelise for your product because an influencer is leveraging the trust and loyalty of their audience to help support your brand.
As a result, the best influencer campaigns are long-term partnerships and endorsements, as their audience and your prospective customer base will be swayed by the way they represent your brand.