Marketing: The Importance of Human Connection in a Digital World
Influencer marketing has rapidly become a staple in the digital marketing world, and has been extremely effective and profitable for brands looking to target audiences in a much more consumer-friendly way. Traditional advertising can often lead brands to be viewed as impersonal and most people find advertising intrusive. Influencers take advantage of trust and credibility through the human connection audiences have with these individuals over time.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that is solely focused on endorsements and product placements from individuals, with an engaged and dedicated following. These endorsements can be obtained from one or a combination of following groups, including; celebrities (traditional advertising), industry experts (credibility), content creators (tentmakers) and or micro influencers (targeted group with high loyalty).
Brands partner with influencers to market their products, services and/or campaigns in a more authentic and relatable way.
Why Does Influencer Marketing Work Best?
• Trust and Credibility.
Audiences are more forward in trusting an influencer than they are in trusting traditional advertising. When an influencer promotes a product, it's often not seen in a sales process but as a recommendation from an individual (direct source of influence).
• Targeted Reach.
Most influencers serve the same niche (fashion, health, technology, travel, etc.), so brand posts can reach an audience that is directly and more likely interested in whatever the brand (that they are creating content) offers.
• Engagement Vs. Impressions.
Influencer content fosters more interaction
(likes, comments, and shares) than any traditional line of advertising, including banner ads or television spots. In other words, influencer content earns greater engagement rates.
• Cost-Effective Strategy.
Especially given micro- or nano-influencers, influencer marketing is a less expensive option than larger advertising opportunities, but can still yield a great ROI.
Types of Influencers
• Mega-Influencers (1M+ followers): Usually celebrity influencers with large reach that only matter for awareness based campaigns.
• Macro-Influencers (100K-1M): Influencers that generally deliver great followings across posts which are usually good for broad campaigns.
• Micro-Influencers (10K-100K): No use of reach; can offer niche audiences with higher engagement.
• Nano-Influencers (<10K): Usually have very strong personal ties with their audience; usually trusted in small community.
The ideal platforms for influencer marketing:
• Instagram - for lifestyle, beauty, fashion, and travel
• YouTube - for two forms of serious product reviews or tutorials
• TikTok - for quick viral video content
• LinkedIn - if you are wanting to tap into B2B, as well as professionals as influencers
• Twitter/X and Facebook - for news, thoughts, and discussions How to run an Influencer Marketing campaign:
• Identify the Goal - brand awareness, lead, or conversion?
• Identify the pertinent influencers - target your influencers based on relevance, reach, and engagement
• Budget - if you are paying for the post - how do you want to pay? What are you wanting - how are you paying? (affiliate payment etc.) You need to agree on terms of the collaboration.
• Authentic content - you want the influencers to represent in their voice!
• Track and analyze - track your engagements, reach, conversion rate with KPIs.
Obstacles and Considerations
• Fake Followers and Bots – Influencers should go through some type of vetting process to ensure they have credibility and are actually delivering authentic impressions.
• Fit with the Brand and Influencer – An influencer who has completely different values from a brand will quickly turn consumers off.
• Disclosure and Transparency – Influencers are expected to be forthcoming with their influencer partnerships and other advertising standards.
The Future of Influencer Marketing
As more tools are created to help expand digital platforms, influencer marketing will shift as well. This will likely include things such as trends in artificial intelligence or AI-generated influencers, influencers staying partnered long-term, and further integration with e-commerce (ex. shoppable posts). However, the influencer fundamentals of authenticity, transparency, and creativity will fundamentally remain the same.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing has demonstrated that it is more than a trend; two-way communication powered by digital communiqués affords brands and consumers the opportunity to connect with each other rather than just one-way marketing messages. Audiences want to connect authentically; influencers are not just more marketing or advertising content, they are simply trusted voices in communities who can drive engagement, influence behaviours, and ultimately drive purchasing decisions.
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