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Influencer marketing is a popular marketing strategy that is finding demand from brands. It is set to grow to a $16.4 billion market by 2022. Considering the size of the market, it is clear that brands are adopting influencer marketing as a powerful tool to enhance their brand visibility. Influencer marketing is not competing with digital marketing. If used prudently, they play on each other’s strengths and improve the success of the campaign.
Who is an influencer?
An influencer is a person on a social media platform with a large number of followers. He or she is actively involved in content creation on social media and has the power to influence purchasing decisions of followers.
It is human psychology that ensures that people take the views of others very seriously. Even a stranger’s bad review of a product can sway a person from completing a purchase. Now reverse the review. What if someone you look up to or admire greatly on social media were to endorse a product and vouch for its quality? It is quite possible that several followers would be influenced by the opinion and tempted to try out the product.
How does influencer marketing help?
You would have seen several unboxing videos on YoutTube where social media influencers discuss products. This is not the only role played by influencers. In addition, they could –
PR agencies maintain a database of influencers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter based on categories like fashion, sports, food, education, travel, health, and so on. Based on the requirements of the brand, they shortlist good matches from their database and contact the influencers. They pitch their concept and sign them up for the campaign. The influencers follow the plan handed over by the agency and create and deliver content accordingly. Usually, influencer campaigns are synchronized to hit the internet within a designated time frame to trend the campaign and make it go viral.
Influencer marketing is a great hit not only for brands but also for social campaigns where the focus is on raising awareness about a social issue and getting people to talk about it.
Influencers are powerful when it comes to raising awareness among their followers. This hold over their audience can be leveraged by brands to promote their features. Statistics show that people are more likely to buy something that is endorsed by people they look up to or admire on social media. If a master chef talks about the benefits of a certain brand of cooking oil or frozen vegetables, that is more likely to have a powerful impact on the audience. If he/she writes about it on their social media pages, they will find more takers.
Advertising and Brand Promotion is a mind game where the idea is to build a home inside the mind of the target consumers. To sway the minds of consumers is not an easy task. Influencers play an important role in directing the minds of their followers to explore a certain idea or product by highlighting the strengths of the product and the benefits they derived from using it.
Influencer marketing is the latest kid on the digital marketing block. According to some studies, Instagram is the 6th most popular influencer in consumer purchasing decisions. The aware consumers of today look forward to genuine recommendations from normal people like themselves which are more powerful than celebrity endorsements. Influencer marketing can present your brand to new sets of consumers as well as help to retain your existing customers.
As long as you choose the right platform to attract your target audience, influencers can definitely boost your brand visibility and give it a stamp of authenticity. It can be a powerful promotional tool, especially in the case of new startups who are trying to find their place under the sun. Raise your digital game by incorporating influencer marketing as part of your promotional strategy and see your brand visibility surge.