Influencer marketing is a great marketing strategy that has evolved with the rise of social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Brands are constantly on the lookout for influencers and content creators to keep their brands relevant, promotions authentic and audience engagement high.
In this blog, we take a look at what influencer marketing is, why it is a key marketing strategy and some influencer collaborations that may have missed the mark and ones that show just how powerful influencer marketing can be.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a strategy that sees brands and influencers working together to promote a brand’s products or services through various media outlets. The art of influencer marketing is authenticity and making sure that the influencers’ morals and interests align with the brands. When finding influencers, they should be chosen based on whether their audience will be the right fit for the brand.
There are different types of influencers that brands can collaborate with for different campaigns or product and service promotions. Different influencer niches work for different brands and campaigns;
Nano influencers – typically have an audience size of under 25k followers. They have established trust with their audience, making them an effective option for brand and product promotion. Commonly, brands will team up with a larger number of nano influencers.
Micro-influencers – have a social media presence landing between 25k and 100k and are known for their personal and relatable content. The likes, comments and shares of these influencers’ followers can result in high conversion rates, making them a great option for marketing campaigns.
Mid-tier influencers – have 100k-500k followers, enough to influence their followers’ purchasing decisions. Ideal for brands looking to showcase their product or service to a large audience. Brands need to be aware that just because they have a large following their followers might not always be as engaged due to the scale of the community. This was highlighted in the recent brand collaboration with Love Island winner Ekin-Su who left the villa with deals from Oh Polly and Beauty Works which were dropped as her Instagram following, although large, turned out to be full of fake accounts. She also had a male-dominated audience which wasn’t relevant for the brands targeted at females.
Macro-influencers – have 500,000 to 1 million followers. They regularly post about their interests and niche, they are generally interested in that specific niche. They are used to working with established brands to promote products or services, making them a powerful channel for large-scale brand exposure.
Mega-macro influencer – celebrities with 2.5M plus followers. They generate high engagement on posts and are a great option for brands looking to expand their audience in the social media world. A significant budget is needed to work with this size of celebrity influencers.
However, this too doesn’t always work out as planned. Brands can spend a lot of money on someone with a very high following but if they don’t fit within the brand then it won’t work. An example of this would be when Kourtney Kardashian collaborated with Boohoo as their sustainability ambassador. This gained a lot of negative backlash as Kourtney, being the millionaire she is, would not usually be found wearing anything from Boohoo which is proudly a very affordable online brand.
Why Influencer Marketing is a Key Strategy
Influencer marketing works great as part of a PR strategy to help promote and accelerate campaigns. According to Nielson, 92% of consumers trust influencer marketing over traditional advertising. Research shows that consumers are more likely to buy a product or service if they are being influenced by someone they are already following and trust on social media.
This technique also helps build brand recognition and generates sales. Influencers creating content for a brand’s campaign is not only a great way to show a wider audience your brand, but it also lets the content creators do what they do best and be creative with your brand. Unlike traditional advertising, influencer marketing reaches a specific target audience instead of pushing a campaign on an audience that may not be interested in that niche.
58% of consumers feel more connected to influencers with a smaller audience. These influencers are more relatable, reflecting a more attainable than aspirational lifestyle. Brands should not shy away from influencers with a smaller audience. The accessibility of their audiences usually amounts to stronger engagement, which is beneficial for encouraging purchases and answering direct questions from followers.
Google Recognises Influencers as Credible Sources
The recent Google ‘Perspectives’ update, focuses on content which includes first-hand experiences from content creators and individuals. When you search for something that might benefit from the experiences of others, there will be a filter that will show long and short-form videos, images and written posts that people have shared on discussion boards, Q&A sites and social media platforms.
Influencer marketing and collaborating with relevant content creators is a powerful marketing tool and something we are really passionate about here at Flaunt Digital. If you want to find out more don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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