Let’s face it – advertising has gone digital and to be more specific, it’s gone social. Does your marketing reflect this change? Sure, you’ve made a website and set up a few social media profiles, but there’s so much more untapped potential out there. One place to start? Influencers.
Influencers have the ability to call on our most natural tendencies. Their users see them as a trusted resource, an online friend, and someone whose recommendation carries weight. Sure, the average consumer today sees a branded ad on social media and keeps scrolling. However, if they see content from one of their favorite influencers, they are 61% more likely to stop and listen vs if the same content is posted from a brand’s social channel. It’s time you work this kind of advertising into your 2023 marketing plan. Here’s our top 17 reasons why your brand needs influencers in the new year.
1. It allows you to meet your audience where they are.
Today’s consumer spends more time on social media than ever before. They are using these platforms not just to scroll newsfeeds, but as a search engine for everything from trendy lunch spots to where to open their next investment account. And it’s not just Gen Z. Sprout Social breaks down the top demographics for each major social media channel and those 60-64 are pulling major weight on Pinterest.
2. It’s the new word-of-mouth marketing.
The most effective form of advertising? Word of mouth. Think of an influencer campaign as getting a recommendation from your best friend on steroids. 82% of consumers say product recommendations from an influencer drive them to explore a new brand or make a purchase. Luckily, because it happens entirely online, you can even track real-time data to better understand the audience and what position you play in the market.
3. They’re proven to drive website traffic.
Once a consumer is on your website, you know you’ve got plenty of compelling content pointing to why they should purchase your product or service. Getting them there can be the challenge. An influencer campaign should be treated similarly to any other campaigns with goals, traffic links, and performance metrics.
4. iOS updates mean we need to revaluate.
In April of 2021, Apple announced the iOS 14.5 software update which now prompts users to opt-in or opt-out of cross-app tracking. While this is a major win for consumer privacy, it created a disconnect in matching consumer behaviors and tendencies that marketers have used for targeting tactics. However, the use of influencers can shed light on what type of messaging and products consumers are reactive to.
5. It can authentically reach niche audiences & subcultures.
Is your brand a bit unique or eclectic? Social media often carves out pockets of space for like-minded individuals, no matter how niche. Gen Z no longer subscribes to mass culture trends, but rather finds solidarity in unique subcultures. To take it a step further, each subculture has even more diverse and niche sub-segments within. Take the opportunity to find the leaders of these smaller, but highly engaged crowds and dial in with a natural partnership that aligns with your good or service.
6. They help solidify your brand voice.
You’ve done the work to establish your brand and lay out its mission statement. Here’s your opportunity to really build and grow a brand voice. As you’re finding influencers, look for those whose personality meshes well not only with just your brand but your customers as well.
7. They increase the authenticity of your brand.
Today’s consumer can spot a phony ad or a paid endorsement from a mile away. Use your influencers to establish credibility and put authenticity behind your product or service through relatable and genuine content. Your relationship with an influencer is a huge part of this, but more on that later.
8. It can build trust with your audience.
Remember the amplified word-of-mouth marketing approach? According to Business Wire, 61% of consumers are likely to trust influencers recommendations, while only 38% trust recommendations from brands. Consumers see these social media stars as friends and trusted experts; therefore, their recommendations carry a bit more weight.
9. They help grow your social media presence.
It’s no secret that we are in a digital age and your brand needs to reflect that. In order to legitimize your brand with millennials and Gen Zers, it’s important to show personality on social media. An influencer’s content is going to bring brand awareness to a whole new audience, therefore increasing your digital footprint.
10. This campaign can actually drive conversions.
While we always level-set with our clients that an influencer campaign is first an awareness tactic, we can’t deny that we have secondary goals of gaining conversions. Those conversions can vary depending on your campaign. If you represent a service, you might ask your influencer to drive to appointment requests. If you’re selling a product, we recommend utilizing an affiliate program.
11. Influencers are a cost-effective alternative for your media dollars.
Determining your return on ad spend (ROAS) can be challenging with influencer campaigns, but we promise the value is there. To judge performance, we look at metrics like impressions, engagement, engagement rate, clicks, and earned media value (EMV). Finding your campaign’s EMV is an integral benchmark as it can be defined as the monetary value of all exposure gained. Think of it this way, if you were to run paid media dollars the EMV will tell you exactly how many dollars you would need to spend to get the same results. Often, this EMV is much higher than the influencer’s cost for content creation.
12. Influencers are the future of healthcare marketing.
The nature of healthcare requires a high-level of trust with its patients and community for exceptional care when they need it most. Albeit unique due to health and privacy concerns, influencers are an excellent aid in building and maintaining trust within the current and potential patients. Read more about influencers in healthcare here and here.
13. Influencers are bringing new account opens within the financial services industry.
Much like healthcare, financial services require a personal level of trust with each of its account owners. Whether you’re a regional bank, an investment savings brand, or a global personal and business banking enterprise, build off the amplified word-of-mouth marketing that a trusted influencer holds. Bring a new audience through the sales cycle and build brand authority.
14. Influencers can reach customers where you can’t.
Influencers are unique in the sense that they can reach and interact with your customers in over 15 ways. Just on Instagram alone, an influencer can get in front of their followers through in-feed static, Reels, Stories, direct messages, tagging, polls, hashtags, stickers…you get the point. Speaking of Instagram, 72% of influencers in the US are primarily using Instagram, ahem, where there are 1.4 billion users. Are you convinced this needs a place in your 2023 plan yet?
15. You’re sharing the content-creation load.
Creating an effective social media strategy can be challenging, especially if you don’t have the time or resources to dedicate towards content creation. Take a moment to scroll through the Instagram feed of popular hydration brand, Liquid I.V., and you might notice that so much of their content is not actually produced by an in-house social media manager or content creator, but from influencers on every corner of the internet.
16. Influencers work great as repeat customers.
Once you’ve got a brand partnership under your belt, it’s crucial that you maintain a positive relationship with your influencer. It’s not just Average Joes that follow these influencers, your positive partnership can spark a new partnership with a different influencer that followed along. It’s also a possibility that your influencer becomes more of a brand ambassador, and you welcome him or her back for several campaigns thereafter.
17. Think you’re ready for your first partnership? We believe in you.
And hey, if you’ve got questions reach out to our Consumer Engagement team here. We’re happy to help you along the way.
Also read: How To Work With Influencers and Influence That Matters
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