Why Advertisers Are In Love With Influencer Marketing!
By QuikPlace | Sep 17, 2021
Word-of-mouth!
It can come from your family, friends, or influencers. It influences your buying decisions.
Thousands of creators on social media have perfected the art of influencing people with their content. These people, known as social media influencers, are creating a new wave in the field of marketing.
Brands are leveraging the benefits of influencer marketing to sell their wares. Advertisers, all over, believe in this marketing tool to reach consumers.
The principle behind influencer marketing is that the influencers have the ability and credibility to drive sales and get new audiences for brands. They become the voice and heartbeat for brands to give results that are incredible in cost-effectiveness and returns.
Why do advertisers love influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is the fastest-growing marketing technique that advertisers are trying to perfect. Why? Because more than 70% of the consumers believe in referrals to make informed buying decisions. It has a 37% higher rate of retention.
When we look at the ROI, influencer marketing gives $6.50 returns for every dollar spent. It is no surprise that 70% of marketers feel influencer marketing helps increase brand awareness on social media. Numbers, indeed, tell the story.
1. Trust is a powerful word
What is challenging for brands? To create content or reach the people? Nine out of ten marketers would say that reaching people is more difficult than creating content. Marketers try all the tricks in the book to get customer’s attention.
Aren’t marketers putting insane amounts of content online to attract consumers? And no, neither the millennials nor the gen Z trust brand ads easily! So is there any way to reach the people, convey the message, and get them to buy products? We hope there was this person, like the Pied Piper, whom the people trust. And where there is hope, there is a way. INFLUENCERS!
Social media influencers possess the credibility to represent a brand and influence the buying decision of their followers. People always look up to their opinions because they have an air of honesty and transparency in their content.
People trust people more than the ads. And this trust comes from influencers.
2. It is a level-playing field
If the brands are under the impression that celebrities are the only ones capable of getting sales, they are wrong! They have totally miscalculated the flexibility of influencer marketing.
The influencer needn’t be a well-known celebrity. They can be an expert in their field or represent a particular area or region. These are the influencers with not more than 50k followers. But they yield substantial power to their followers. As a matter of fact, these micro-influencers have a higher rate of engagement than macro-influencers or celebrities.
Brands have to select influencers who create content that is believable and authoritative. If it doesn’t happen, the campaign will come across as a paid ad and creates no impact. When the right influencer joins hands with the right brand, only then is it an effective influencer marketing campaign.
3. Authentic content sells
What sells? An ad that directly tells the product benefits or an ad that has a person saying how the product benefitted them? What if your friend said that they profited from the product in many ways? Does it not influence your buying decision? It is the same with influencers.
The power of influencer marketing lies in its storytelling. The influencer ads do not come across as forced. It beautifully integrates with the narrative and adds a human connection.
The task of the brands is to fine pick those influencers who create content that goes well with the product endorsement.
Influencer marketing is a subliminal form of advertising to trick followers into believing the authenticity of the content. Influencers lend credibility to a brand and are powerful enough to influence buying decisions through their personal experiences and the brand’s knowledge.
4. It is a partnership, not a collaboration
Influencer marketing, of late, has given rise to trust issues. There are bad stories of influencers not delivering the promised job or brands not paying the influencers. These instances have tarnished the image of influencer marketing to a certain extent.
Remember, influencer marketing is a partnership for the long term. When brands forge strong relationships with influencers, the content lends an authentic feel to the marketing experience.
The influencers lead the customers through personal storytelling journeys. It is an attempt to market the brand naturally rather than forced endorsements.
A positive relationship shows in the influencer content. If the followers believe that the content is authoritative and genuine, it helps both the brand and the influencer.
5. It powers your marketing strategies
Influencer marketing is not just to gain followers or increase brand awareness. Other subtle results may not be noticeable outwardly. When influencers promote links to your website, you gain authority and quality links. It strengthens your SEO strategies and makes your website rank higher on the search engine results page (SERP).
A simple example is an influencer writing a blog on a trending topic. They place a link on the blog to your website. Users click on the link that redirects them to your website.
More website traffic means more visibility. It helps you earn credible inbound links to strengthen your brand’s visibility. It has the power to transform your SEO marketing strategies and get a better ROI.
Wrap Up
Finding influencers is the most challenging task of an influencer marketing strategy. 75% of the marketers agree with us on it. Once this task is accomplished, it is akin to half completed.
But the question is, where to find relevant influencers? The answer is an influencer marketing platform. It is an online place that connects brands with influencers of their niche. It is a one-stop solution for advertisers looking to tap into the benefits of influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is a success, and it is helping brands connect with customers. Brands rake in profits and increase their visibility. If you have tried influencer marketing, what are your experiences from it? We would love to hear from you. Leave a comment.