As social media is becoming a prominent source for news content, an online form of marketing has become the ‘new normal.’ Over the last several years, influencer marketing has exploded in popularity.
So, what exactly is influencer marketing? Influencer marketing involves a partnership between a company and an influencer to develop a mutually beneficial relationship. To put it simple, influencers share content with their followers with the intent of bringing awareness to the brand.
When brands choose an influencer, they look for partners whose content aligns with their product or service. Influencers must align with the brand they are working with and have an audience that would relate to the product to make the partnership successful.
Now, influencers aren’t only celebrities. An influencer can be anyone with a large following that can be leveraged. These people have built a reputation with their audience and have the ability to impact not only their lifestyle, but purchasing decisions as well.
Influencer marketing is extremely beneficial to organizations as it allows you to reach an engaged audience and increase brand awareness. Below are a few reasons why influencer relations is an important part of your marketing strategy.
Provide Reach
Influencer marketing enables brands to target the right audience. Successful influencers have already cultivated a loyal following through sharing engaging content over time, which is why it is important to choose an influencer that relates to your brand. Using an influencer that has the same niche as your brand does not guarantee their followers will also love your brand, but it increases the odds they will look into the product.
Increase Brand Awareness
Because influencers have such a large reach, they have the ability to increase brand awareness. When an influencer mentions your brand, their followers notice.
Influencer mentions can also start a conversation about your brand. Followers might start asking questions about the product and, oftentimes, the influencer engages. This can result in increased audience engagement, even leading to people tag their friends in the post or share it, spreading reach even further.
Help Build Trust
Influencers build trust with their followers, creating a loyal community. Influencer marketing allows brands to be included in this community.
Followers trust honest reviews from influencers rather than what the brand says. They realize brands are trying to sell the product, while strong influencers share products they actually use and recommend.
When influencers share content about a brand on social media, it creates a feeling of source credibility. Because the public trusts the influencer, they create a perception that the brand is also trustworthy by association.
Reinforces Brand Reputation
Influencers who have positive engagement can greatly impact public opinion and reputation. Those who interact with your brand positively ultimately change the way your brand is perceived, increasing reputation favorably. Through the use of influencer marketing, your brand’s truth and branding is reinforced.
Because of the success that brands have achieved from implementing influencer marketing, it has grown in popularity within the last several years. Utilizing influencer relations is extremely beneficial to brands for a variety of reasons. Influencer marketing makes use of leading content creators to provide reach, increase brand awareness, build trust, and reinforce brand reputation.
There’s no denying the effectiveness of influencers. These benefits should persuade any brand to start using influencers as a marketing tool.