Gone are the days when huge Hollywood names were the only brand ambassadors out there. The digital world ushered in a new type of celebrity – influencers. These are people who lead normal lives but decide to share their everyday adventures with the world. They are super relatable, so it is no wonder that thousands follow them on social media platforms.
Influencers create unique and valuable content, and brands all over the world recognize their potential. At the moment, it is hard to imagine a successful marketing campaign that doesn’t include at least a couple of social media or blogging influencers.
These people can do a lot for a brand. If you are thinking about future collaborations, we bring you the pros and cons of influencer marketing!
What is influencer marketing?
Before we explain what this means, we need to define the term influencer. Essentially, an influencer is a person who has an audience on a blog or social media profile. They engage with the said audience through well-thought-out content creation.
Influencers set the trends, and this is where marketing enters the picture. A brand may partner with these content creators and introduce its products or services to a larger audience. Collaboration can be a valuable addition to any marketing strategy since influencers create engaging and eye-catching content.
The benefits of influencer marketing
Reaching the target audience
Sometimes even the best marketing strategy needs help from influencers. Brands strive to have thousands of visitors on their websites and social media profiles every single day. It can be achieved when you find your target audience and create content that will be valuable to them.
Even if the number of followers is satisfactory, brands need to focus on engagement. If the followers are not commenting, liking, or saving posts, chances are they won’t visit a brand’s website or online store.
Choosing the right influencers to work with can bring the target audience to you. Find the influencers that are in your niche and understand the essence of your brand. Then set up a collaboration. The content they create should increase the traffic on both social media and your web page.
Building trust
Influencers depend on their followers. In return, the said followers develop a trusting relationship with their favorite influencers. Honest reviews and opinions are appreciated among followers. More than 70% of internet users will first check social media before they order a product.
If they know that an influencer is not promoting products or services for personal financial gain, chances are they will listen to the recommendation. Thanks to this, brands can reach out to an influencer and ask them to give genuine feedback about their product. Considering they already have credibility among the followers, a positive review by an influencer can do wonders for your brand.
Content variety
Did you know that 49% of users go to their favorite influencers for a product recommendation? As you can see, this type of marketing can drive up the numbers. However, one of the most exciting aspects of collaborating with influencers is their ability to come up with fresh ideas for content that you can also use as a part of a marketing campaign.
It can come in handy when a brand wants to have more content variety. Influencers often create phenomenal content, and brands could use it everywhere – from newsletters and email campaigns to social media posts on several platforms. Allowing influencers creative freedom is encouraged because the posts they make will be genuine and honest.
Possible downsides of influencer marketing
Failing to pick the right influencers
Picking the right influencers to represent a brand is not easy at all. Therefore, proper research is a must. Besides staying within your niche and looking at the number of followers, you should do a quick background check of every influencer you put on a list. Recruiting someone who has a bad reputation or a history of failed brand collaboration is not recommended.
High prices
Collaborating with an influencer is expensive, especially if you want someone who has a large following. Since data is everything on social media, the number of followers dictates the price. Power influencers might ask for thousands of dollars for a campaign that includes several cross-platform posts. New businesses often stick with nano influencers because they are affordable. Plus, their content has outstanding engagement rates.
Fake followers
Finally, we have to talk about fake followers. Influencers should be authentic, and using fake followers to increase the numbers can destroy their reputation. Companies working with these influencers will suffer financial loss because there will be no engagement whatsoever. Fake followers could hurt any brand, but large businesses can recover quickly. On the other hand, smaller brands that are working with a tight marketing budget can’t.
