Based on recent studies, we’ve all known that word-of-mouth marketing has been a powerful force to help build your brand and reputation. It is a perfect method to amplify your promotion strategies and boost your channels. Getting others for assistance, such as the help of the right influencer, can boost your marketing and will make you appear more credible and trustworthy in the eye of your audience. Influencer marketing hub will develop that positive association to your company and product and greatly influence the perception of the public.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is the process of hiring the service of someone with a high online presence, positive reputation, and considered expert in your field to market your business or product. Depending on your market, there are renowned influencers that you can find. There’s a chance that your target market is looking at them as a trustworthy source of information. They can encourage their followers to consider the solution offered by your service or product. Most politicians have also used this method to affect the public’s opinion. Based on the recent happenings all very the globe, it has been effective in improving the perception of the people. As soon as these influencers maintain their wide reach, marketers will rely on them to enhance their promotion and reputation.
How Important is Influencer Marketing?
Perhaps you understand the fundamentals of an influencer marketing platform. Nonetheless, it is still understandable why there’s a need for you to utilize them. Maybe you are investing your marketing budget in other types or methods. Probably, you have a good reputation, and you may think that using this method may not do you any good. Come to think of it, the process of using an influential figure to promote your brand is no longer new. We’ve seen them in the mainstream advertisement. However, TV ads are mostly based on gaining sympathy and leveraging authority to control the public’s purchasing decisions. Here are some reasons that might convince you that it is better to maintain your authority or cure your tarnished reputation.
- Several studies prove that millennials have little to no trust in traditional forms of advertising. There is also a dramatic increase in this mistrust in other age groups. Therefore, if you want to develop a more authentic brand, you must consider building an influencer marketing hub.
- Online ads we commonly find on websites will no longer cut if you want to promote your brand. Most users will have the means to block this advertisement. The traditional format of online advertising is quickly losing its power in affecting the opinion and purchasing decisions of the public. The netizens are developing this ‘banner blindness’ wherein they will only focus their eyes on the web site’s content, completely ignoring the other content.
- 92% of the people will highly consider people’s opinions within their social circle. Therefore, you should take advantage of the massive social following of these social influencers. Nonetheless, be sure that you know the difference between influencer marketing, ambassador, and relationship marketing.
How Effective is Influencer Marketing?
According to the reports, around 94% of people who utilize influencer marketing strategy find it effective. Moreover, it produces 11 times more ROI compared to the traditional form of advertising. Based on the reports, this kind of marketing is now the second priority of advertisers, with content marketing taking the top spot. Here are some points to ponder about to gauge the effectiveness of these methodologies.
It Boosts Your Social Media Presence
The proliferation of social media has provided several benefits to influencers. It has become their bread and butter. If you want to know how these influencers can help improve your brand’s reputation, think of it as an additional force that will drive your social media marketing campaign. Social influencers can reach out to an audience that is beyond your reach. Look for influencers talking about subjects and topics related to your brand. By doing that, you will be casting a wider net to improve your brand awareness. When these influencers talk positively about your company, it affects the public’s perception. It also enhances your reputation for the better.
Be sure to arm yourself with a social listening tool to know which influencers are talking about your brand. You can also use an influencer marketing platform to find influencers that can help you reach out to your target audience. Having a strong social media presence is important today. Having influencers who will provide positive sentiments about your company is a great part of increasing your online visibility.
Boost Your Brand’s Online Engagement
Engagement is today’s impression. It highly matters to brands who want to build their awareness and reputation. Influencer marketing encourages people to engage with the brand. These people have often developed loyal followers who will be involved in the discussion and engage with the company. This method is being used by large brands such as Netflix. In some cases, it is not required for influencers to have large followers; it is better for them to have a higher engagement rate. If you choose to work with social influencers, you are not only building a relationship with them; the netizens will also realize your efforts to engage with them, which will build your credibility.
Building Trust and Authority
Based on the Consumer Trust Index released by Nielse.com, around 92% of consumers trust user-generated content. Edelman also released an annual report stating that 61% of research online will find credible people to look for product recommendations. You should never ignore these numbers if you are building your digital reputation. There’s magic in letting these influencers advocate or endorse your brand. When these influencers interact with you positively, this will portray a sense of credibility and trust.
Creating Advocates During Social Crisis
During a social crisis, you want to make sure that you have people you can depend on. For companies going through a crisis, you can look for influencers at the influencer marketing platform who will protect your online reputation. During a crisis, it is better to pause the posting of your social media handle. Nonetheless, social media influencers can act as spokesperson who can keep your reputation intact and minimize possible damages. You will also find their presence beneficial, even on good days. They will vouch for your company’s service, which gives confidence to the consumers. Regardless of the situation you are in, the right influencers can become brand ambassadors who will help boost your social media presence, credibility, and online reputation.
Essential Tips to Develop a Solid Influencer Marketing Strategy
As more brands realize the benefits of influencer marketing hub, they are bound to spend more. Nonetheless, they will have to be cautious about approaching this. Using unethical methods may produce the opposite result and harm your reputation. It is important to pay attention to the core and ethics of your brand to maintain the consumer’s loyalty, build your reputation, and improve the revenue. Having a solid and ethical strategy for marketing should be non-negotiable.
Analyze the Historical Content of Your Chosen Influencer
You need to invest some time in analyzing the historical content of your chosen influencer before reaching out and partnering with them. When you go to the influencer marketing platform, you will be given several options, and choosing the right one could be daunting. By looking at their past posts and tweets, you will make an informed decision. Here are some reasons why you should do this.
- You will determine how their followers are engaged on the trends and topics related to your brand. It will help you know how effective they will be if you hire them for your current campaign.
- By analyzing their history, you will identify if they have previous tweets that do not align with the values and beliefs of your company.
- You will also determine if they have previous working relationships with your competitors. You will have an exclusive scoop on how well their social media content performed.
Is Your Influencer Declaring Sponsored Post?
According to the new advertising standard- bloggers, influencers, and websites must declare if the brand has sponsored the content. Most audiences are looking for this sense of transparency. It also showed that declaring a sponsored post will have no impact on the performance of the content. Based on the 2020 statistics, brands have a total spending of $98 billion for social media advertising. Compared to the past four years, it has posted a 20% growth, making it the highest growth in the realm of digital marketing. It reveals the need to be transparent on sponsored posts for online success.
Pay Them Fairly
When you are just contemplating the value that you must place on your post, it is imperative to approach these influencers with a well-though charge. Be fair when giving them the compensation they deserve. While using an influencer marketing platform will provide you with their base fee, you should not hesitate to provide them with a bonus if it has performed beyond your expectations. Influencers have been very vocal about their experience with brands that have not stuck with their promise. Remember that this is not just a one-time partnership. Your objective is to cultivate a relationship with them and their followers.
Look For Diverse Influencers
Many companies have been called out for acting discriminatory due to their failure to be inclusive with the selection of influencers. Consumers now demand that a brand will be committed to inclusion and diversity. Last 2021, around 60% of the consumers claimed that diversity is one of the leading factors to consider when engaging with a brand. Nonetheless, be sure that they are still relevant to your brand.
Be Responsible for Collecting Data
The brand needs to operate transparently. With the risk of data breaches, people are now more concerned about handing out their information to companies. Websites are now collecting cookies, and even apps are asking for users’ permission before tracking their information. If you are launching a campaign with the help of a social influencer, be sure to be transparent about your data privacy and policy. Influencer marketing will foster transparency and trust. It also strengthens the relationship of your brand with the influencers.
Add Credit
The social media platform should be an avenue that fosters authenticity, accountability, and social awareness. People will not hesitate to call out a company if you appear to be stealing the idea of an influencer. Several brands have suffered from poor brand reputations after failing to add proper credit to their content. If you imitate or copy an artist’s concept and use it in your marketing, the social media community will not leave this unnoticed. It is better to work with these influencers using the influencer marketing hub.
Influencer marketing allows you to find the right people to advocate for your brand. You will find people in line with your core values and beliefs. They help you expand your reach and manage the online community better. They are also essential to brands who want to improve their engagement and reputation.