Everyone has that favorite YouTuber, blogger, Instagrammer, etc. that they follow on social media. You’ve probably seen their sponsored content from big brands and it may or may not had an influence on you. On Saturday evening, one of the bloggers I follow posted an Instagram of a flamingo doormat, I instantly drug my roommate to Target with me to hunt down this doormat. After searching the aisles and asking an employee to look in the back for me, I found it!
This influencer had a direct impact on my need to buy this flamingo doormat. From there I posted it on my social media outlets and the digital word-of-mouth spread instantaneously.
To break it down, influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which focus is placed on a specific key individual to drive a brand’s message to their direct audience rather than the target market as a whole. Influencer Marketing is digital word-of-mouth at scale through personalities that consumers already follow and admire.
Influencer Marketing can amplify your digital message with user generated content (UGC), expand reach, build your brand and get your content in front of the right target audience.
Think of Oprah’s Favorite Things, each holiday season Oprah releases her favorite things list. This is a list of all things Oprah endorses and each year these products fly off the shelves. Why? People trust Oprah and value her opinion on the products they are purchasing. Influencers can range from people like Oprah to relatable bloggers with millions of followers.
What are the key benefits for marketers?
- Affordable Content
Some bloggers work on a pay per post basis in which brand’s would pay per blog post or social media post. Posts can range from under $100 to several thousands of dollars. However, some bloggers will share your brand with their following in exchange for free products. By working with these influencers you will be able to share their images, photography or testimonials in your marketing materials in the future, as well as their audience gaining knowledge and engaging with your brand.
- Targetable
Searching and working with influencers who align with your brand will make it easy to target their following through sponsored content. Most influencers have Google Analytics on their sites and will be able to give you an in depth demographic break down.
- Trackable
By giving influencers specific links, tracking pixels or custom promo codes you can the analyze CPE or ROI from the influencers in your campaign.
- Native Ads
Consumers are growing tired of paid ads, but had proven to engage with sponsored content from influencers because products are seamlessly included in their organic experience.
With platforms like TapInfluence, Little Bird and Linqua they make it easy to find, contact and work with trusted reliable influencers who have proven to be successful with other brand campaigns.