On other occasions we have talked here on the blog about the main trends that will dictate the marketing universe in the coming years and the influence marketing is one of them.
But what makes this strategy so advantageous and attractive for different brands? Why invest in this strategy? And what are the best practices for succeeding with the persuasive power of digital influencers? These are some of the questions we're going to answer in this article. Follow along!
What is influencer marketing?
Also known as influencer marketing, it is a marketing strategy that uses the persuasive power of digital influencers to promote products, services or ideas.
Digital influencers can be bloggers, youtubers, instagrammers, tiktokers, among others, but both have one thing in common. They have the authority, credibility and reach on social media to influence consumers' purchasing decisions.
This is because digital influencers are able to generate engagement, trust and identification with their audience by sharing relevant, authentic and personalized content on a variety of subjects, such as fashion, beauty, health, travel, gastronomy, entertainment, etc.
By partnering with digital influencers, brands are able to increase their visibility, reputation and authority in the market, as well as creating a closer and more humanized relationship with consumers.
How does influencer marketing work?
Understanding how influencer marketing works is very simple.
Firstly, brands hire or partner with digital influencers to promote their products or services on social media. Next, the influencers create relevant and authentic content about the brands, showing the benefits, advantages and experiences they have had with them.
This content can be posts, stories, videos, lives, reels, podcasts, among other formats. The aim is to generate awareness, interest, desire and action in consumers, leading them to learn more about brands, interact with them and buy their products or services.
To do this, however, brands must choose digital influencers who have an affinity with their niche, target audience and values, as well as having good engagement and a good reputation on social networks.
Why invest in influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a trend that is growing more and more worldwide. According to a report by Shareablee97% of marketing professionals say that the strategy is an effective form of advertising.
The same study points out that more than 37% of people who interact with influencer publications say that when they mention a brand, their trust in the company increases. This shows the positive impact and results that influencer marketing can generate for businesses.
But that's not all. Investing in influencer marketing has several other benefits for brands:
- Increases the brand's reach and visibility on social networks;
- It generates more traffic to the brand's website or online store;
- Increases sales and company turnover;
- Improves the brand's image and reputation in the market;
- Strengthen relationships and consumer loyalty;
- It differentiates the brand from the competition;
- Increase the return on investment (ROI) of marketing and advertising campaigns.
Types of influencer marketing
There are different types of influence marketing that can be used by brands, depending on their objectives, their target audience and their budget. Some of the main types are:
B2C
This is the most common type and refers to marketing aimed at the end consumer.
In this case, brands use digital influencers to promote products or services aimed at the end consumer (Business to Consumer).
This is the case, for example, with a cosmetics brand that hires a beauty blogger to promote its products on Instagram. Or a food brand that uses a food YouTuber to showcase its recipes.
B2B
Unlike the previous example, this type refers to marketing aimed at other companies (Business to Business).
In this case, brands use digital influencers to promote their products or services to their potential partners or corporate clients on social networks.
A practical example is when a software company hires a technology specialist to promote its services on LinkedIn.
Paid media
Paid media, on the other hand, refers to paid marketing. In other words, when brands hire or pay digital influencers to promote their products or services on social media. This is the case, for example, with a car brand that pays an influencer to do a test drive of its model.
Earned media
Earned media refers to organic marketing. In other words, this is when brands don't pay digital influencers to promote their products or services on social media, but rather gain their attention and recommendation spontaneously.
Imagine a perfume brand that sends a product to an influencer and they give it a positive review. Or a book brand that is mentioned by an influencer in a reading list.
7 best strategies for success with influencer marketing
To be successful with influencer marketing, you need to follow some good practices and strategies that can make a difference to the results of your campaign. Here are 7 tips you can apply to your business:
1. Define your objectives
Before you start your influencer marketing campaign, it's important to define what your objectives are with it.
Think about the results you want to achieve with this strategy. Increase your brand's visibility? Generate more sales? Increase engagement? Attract new customers? Or retain existing ones?
2. Know your target audience
Another fundamental step is to know your target audience well, i.e. the people you want to reach with your campaign.
Who are they? Where are they? What do they like? What do they need? What do they expect from your brand? What are their pains and desires? What are their preferences and habits?
The more you know about your target audience, the easier it will be to create relevant and personalized content for them.
3. Choose the right digital influencers for your business
This is one of the most important and challenging stages of influencer marketing, as it consists of choosing digital influencers who have an affinity with your brand, your product or service and your target audience.
To make a good choice, you need to take into account certain criteria such as the number of followers, engagement rate, quality of content, reputation in the market, values and principles. Another aspect to consider is the choice between micro and large influencers.
Micro-influencers are those who have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers and usually have a more segmented and loyal audience, as well as greater engagement with their content. On the other hand, big influencers are those who have more than 100,000 followers and usually have more visibility and reach with their audience.
Given the differences, it's easier to see that the choice between micro and large influencers depends on your objectives, your budget and your marketing strategies. Whatever the choice, well-planned and well-executed influencer marketing can generate more conversions, sales and recognition.
4. Use the right social networks
Another important decision is choosing the social networks you're going to use in your influencer marketing campaign. After all, you need to know which platforms your target audience is present on and which are the most suitable for the type of content you want to disseminate.
If you want to show images or short videos of your product or service, for example, Instagram could be a good option. However, if you want to share longer, more informative content, YouTube could be a good choice.
Of course, you can also combine two or more social networks in your strategy, as long as they complement each other and are consistent with your objective.
5. Make creative posts
To stand out from the competition and attract the attention of your audience with influencer marketing, you need to make creative posts on social media in partnership with influencers.
To do this, you can use different content formats, such as photos, videos, stories, lives, podcasts and more. You can also use different features, such as filters, stickers, hashtags, polls and quizzes.
In all cases, the important thing is that your publications are original, attractive and relevant to your audience.
6. Be transparent with your followers
One of the basic rules of influencer marketing is to be transparent with your followers. Therefore, you need to make it clear to your audience that your communication is an advertisement, i.e. content sponsored by the brand.
This is important to avoid legal and ethical problems, but also to maintain your credibility and trust with your followers. You can use hashtags such as #publi, #ad or #partnership to signal that this is paid content.
7. Monitor the results
Finally, you need to monitor the results of your influencer marketing campaign. This involves tracking the metrics you defined at the start of your strategy and checking whether your objectives have been achieved.
You can use tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Instagram Insights or other specific platforms to measure the performance of your social media posts.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing is one of the most effective strategies for promoting your business on the Internet. It allows you to reach a qualified, engaged and trustworthy audience through people who have influence over them.
To do this, however, you need to know your target audience well, choose the right digital influencers for your business, use the right social networks and adopt the other successful actions mentioned in this article.
Another way to succeed with this strategy is to rely on someone who understands the subject to plan, execute and monitor the best influencer marketing campaigns for your business.
In this context, the CMLO&CO, a marketing and advertising agency, stands out. Our qualified and experienced team works to make your brand a reference in the market through strategic partnerships with the best influencers. With us, you'll give your brand a boost and make it memorable for your audience.
Would you like to find out more about CMLO&CO and follow tips and news about the world of marketing and advertising for your business? Then we invite you to follow us on Facebookno Instagram and LinkedIn. Think outside the box and transform your company's communication with practical, modern and efficient solutions!
