The term “influencer marketing” makes us think of cute little pandas and baby bunnies. After all, it’s not every day that we think about marketing strategies involving bunnies or panda hats. But that’s exactly why influencer marketing is so powerful.
The idea of an influencer may sound unusual at first, but once you understand what they are and how they work, you’ll see why they make so much sense as a marketing strategy.
An influencer is anyone who has a large following or reputation in a particular niche. This can range from someone with hundreds of thousands to millions of followers on social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. You may have heard of some famous influencers — like Gary Vaynerchuk or Kylie Jenner — but there are many more that aren’t quite household names but can still help you succeed in your business.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a strategy that uses social media influencers to promote a brand or product. It is similar to celebrity marketing, but it’s easier and cheaper.
The strategy focuses more on building relationships with the influencers and less on the star power of someone like Kylie Jenner. With this strategy, you can use an influencer as a brand ambassador to help promote your business or product for free.
This is one way that brands get their products out in front of new audiences and build more assets at no cost. But not all influencers are created equal. Not every person with a large following will have the same clout in your market, so there are pros and cons to consider when deciding whether or not to use an influencer marketing strategy. Here are six major pros and cons of using influencer marketing:
How Does Influencer Marketing Work?
One of the most important aspects of influencer marketing is that it allows you to reach people who are interested in what you have to offer. You don’t need a massive budget or millions of followers to be an influencer.
In fact, there are many ways that you can find and work with influencers without spending a dime. Influencers help companies get their name out there and make a big splash in the market by generating buzz around their brand. In addition, they can use their large following to promote your product or service across social media networks and leading blogs.
Influencers also have a special talent for creating content that attracts attention and shares well on social media, which in turn boosts your business’s visibility. It’s like getting free advertising with no effort at all!
The Benefits of Influencer Marketing
An influencer marketing strategy has some distinct benefits. First is the cost-benefit analysis. You can’t pay for a viral video campaign or ad that will send 100 million impressions in 24 hours. But, you can pay an influencer to produce a video or ad that has millions of impressions and get the same results at a fraction of the cost.
The other benefit is targeting your audience better with this type of marketing strategy. Influencers are incredibly specific with their target audience, and their content typically resonates with them. They have a built-in following — making it easy for you to reach people who are interested in your business or products without having to spend tons of money on digital advertising campaigns.
However, influencer marketing also carries some drawbacks as well: You may not be able to reach your desired audience as you would with a traditional marketing campaign.
The Disadvantages of Influencer Marketing
One of the biggest disadvantages of influencer marketing is that it can sometimes be very expensive. Many influencers charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars for sponsored posts on social media sites like Instagram or Facebook, which can be a huge investment for your business.
Additionally, because the content you see on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter are curated by an influencer, there is no guarantee that your intended message will make it to the audience you want it to reach.
This means that it’s important to communicate your brand’s value proposition and call to action in every influencer post you send out. These posts could also have a high bounce rate, meaning they aren’t engaging with their target audience at all.
Where To Look For Influencers For Your Campaign
The first step is to find influencers in your target market. You can research this online by conducting a search for your niche and/or keywords related to your campaign. You can also use sites like socialblade.com that focus on tracking the influence of content creators on social media.
Once you come up with a list of influencers, it’s time to pick who you want to work with. As mentioned before, deciding who you want to work with may be the most important decision in helping you determine which type of marketing strategy will be best for your campaign.
When doing your research for influencers, keep these questions in mind: Do they have a large following? Are their followers engaged? What are their goals and objectives? What are their demographics? What are their audience’s interests? Is there anything that could make them difficult to work with (e.g., negative reviews from past clients or competitors)? Does their brand align with yours?
Factors That Influence The Success Of An Influencer Marketing Campaign
An influencer marketing campaign is a highly successful one if it does the following:
– Increases brand awareness.
– Generates sales and leads.
– Grows followers on social media.
– Builds trust among consumers.
– Creates a sense of credibility in a brand.
– Aids in product placement or advertising on social media.
Influencer marketing is an effective marketing strategy that offers a way to reach your audience through the influencers that they trust. The downside of this marketing strategy is that the influencer can end up influencing your brand in a way that you did not intend. It’s important to consider the pros and cons of this marketing strategy before deciding whether or not it’s right for your business.
