Understanding Social Media Influencer Marketing

With the rise of social media sites and apps, more people are looking to their favorite YouTube stars, Instagram personalities and Twitter personalities for their input on different subjects including products to purchase. This has brought about the trending change in consumer trust, where they rely more on the opinions of social media influencers on brands than traditional advertisements.

What is digital influence?

Digital influence is defined by Technopedia as the ability to create an effect, change opinions and behaviors, and drive measurable outcomes online.

Digital influence is the result of three conceptual cornerstones:

• Reach: How far information will travel across the social continuum.
• Relevance: Alignment to interests of the moment.
• Resonance: The ripple effect of information.

Who is an influencer?

The everyday Internet user is subject to a barrage of noise and content. As a result, individual judgment has given way to group judgment, or at least judgment that’s assisted by others online. When an individual contemplates a new purchase such as a cellphone, he or she will often revert to digital sources for recommendations to arrive at a decision.

Therefore, a social media influencer is a user who has demonstrated credibility in a specific industry, has gained the following of a large number of people and has the ability to convince others to act on their recommendations. They are considered to be an authentic and trusted source of advice on purchasing decisions. So much so that marketers and brands are paying attention.

Digital influencers include:

• Vloggers
• Bloggers
• Celebrities
• Media personalities
• Socialites
• Industry experts

Influencer marketing statistics

With interest in influencer marketing increasing every day, a lot of research has been carried out that has produced mind-blowing results. Here are some of them as sourced from digitalmarketinginstitute.com:

• 86% of women use social media for purchasing advice
• 70% of teens trust influencers more than traditional celebrities
• 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations
• Influencer marketing campaigns earn $6.50 for every dollar spent
• 57% of fashion and beauty companies engage in influencer marketing
• Influencer marketing is the fastest-growing online customer-acquisition method
• 67% of marketers promote content with the help of influencers
• Influencer marketing has surpassed print marketing
• 60% of consumers have been influenced by social media or blog while shopping at a store
• 67% of marketers promote content with the help of influencers

Why should you consider using influencers to promote your business?

As social media platforms focus more on user interaction and engagement, content that generates the most comments, shares and stimulates more conversations online does better online. Therefore, as a brand, it is important to come up with ways to encourage people to talk about your product. One way to achieve this is by engaging social media influencers to promote your product or service.

They exert a great influence over online users that should not be underestimated. Whatever they endorse often automatically becomes a trend. Since they come across as being more relatable than most conventional celebrities, they tend to build a sense of credibility and authenticity online. This is automatically transferred to a brand that they choose to partner with.

Using social media influencers is also a great way to reach the younger demographic that tends to mistrust traditional advertising. Research has proven that influencers are helpful when a brand seeks to form meaningful relationships with consumers.

How to do it

The first step when planning a campaign is to conduct extensive research on the influencers that would be most suited to your brand in terms of their target audience and follower profiles. Find out other relevant data about their audience such as age, geography, watch time, gender, etc.

If their audience and content match the message that you want to promote or that you already stand for, then they are a solid marketing tool to consider.

Make sure they fit naturally with your brand and that they would normally use your product. Remember, online users expect authenticity from the influencers.

Check the feedback they get from their followers. Do they ask for more information on what the influencer has posted, only like posts or even post any negative feedback?

Ensure you customize your content to suit each platform you intend to use. For example, Instagram posts should be easily digested; modern and chic. Plan to give the campaign time as you measure its performance and engagement to improve your next one.

Best social media platforms for influencer marketing

• Instagram
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter

Conclusion

It is never too late to develop an effective influencer marketing campaign for your brand. The best place to start would be to reach out to the top influencers in your industry and share your product or service. Understanding the proper utilization of influencer marketing will go a long way to increase brand awareness, revenue, and leads.

Should you choose to partner with an influencer to promote your brand, make a wise decision informed by extensive and go from there.