What is Influencer Marketing, and why is Influencer Marketing Important for Your Business?
We live in a world where everything from a small town shop to a big multi-store business is widely advertised. Regardless of whether your business is a small outlet or something as rare and exclusive as a high-end boutique, the only way you can ensure a steady flow of customers is by letting people know that you’re in the business.
We all know that there are several types of advertising that range from a subtle mention of the product in media to having a brand ambassador of your own to promote it officially. Nowadays, there is a new and upcoming trend called Influencer Marketing, and it is poised for a big boom. Read on to know what it is and how it can help bring in more customers to your business.
What is Influencer Marketing?
In recent years, social media has become a very big thing, enabling people to follow their favourite stars and celebrities like never before. Instead of looking directly at companies themselves, consumers are looking to their favourite celebrities for inspiration regarding everything, be it what they wear, what they drive, where they’re going on holiday, and practically everything else.
Stars have massive followings on social media channels such as Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat, amongst others. The moment such high profile personalities mention a brand, sales figures immediately shoots up for them. Such a form of advertising, where an influential person mentions a brand or product causing its popularity to skyrocket, is called Influencer Marketing.
While popular stars are out of reach of most small businesses, even small outlets can use the Influencer Marketing concept to bring in a local celebrity to endorse their business.
Influencer Marketing Strategy
Research has shown that 90% or more consumers trust recommendations from other individuals, and this holds true even if they don’t know each other personally. Word of mouth marketing is widely regarded as the most powerful form of marketing and influencer marketing allows businesses to make use of that circle of trust for promoting their products and services.
Instances of Influencer Marketing
The results of influencer marketing are often earth shaking. Case in point is the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. In a scene during this film, Bond walks into a swanky skyscraper looking dapper in a sharply styled coat. This coat was designed and created by fashion design firm named Billy Reid, and, it became an instant hit - their most successful product ever.
James Bond never specifically advertised the coat, all he did was wear it during one particular scene, and that did wonders for the business. That is the raw power of influencer marketing.
What Other Benefits Does It Have?
Internet users are tired of having paid ads bombarding every window they open. Studies have shown that a vast majority of people are resorting to installing ad blockers. One of the best ways to beat the ad blocker issue is to use influencer marketing.
Besides getting around this obstacle, influencer marketing also helps your business website’s SEO as it can raise its ranking on the search results pages.
As a final incentive, this form of advertising is significantly more cost effective than traditional methods and its impact can be tracked easily well.
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