Influencer marketing is a powerful way to get your brand in front of consumers. As the name suggests, influencer marketing involves partnering with popular social media personalities who have a large and engaged following. But why should you use influencer marketing? What are the benefits of this strategy?
In this guide, we review the Benefits Of Influencer Marketing For Brands, influencer marketing strategy, benefits of influencer marketing statistics, and Why should a business use influencer marketing?
Benefits Of Influencer Marketing For Brands
If you’re a marketer or business owner, then you probably know how important it is to get your brand in front of consumers. Influencer marketing can be an effective way to do that. As the name suggests, influencer marketing involves partnering with popular social media personalities who have a large and engaged following. But why should you use influencer marketing? What are the benefits of this strategy? Let’s take a look at seven major benefits of influencer marketing:
1. Influencer marketing increases brand awareness
Influencer marketing is an excellent way to increase brand awareness. By partnering with influencers, you can reach a new audience that may not be familiar with your brand. Influencers also have the ability to get your message out there and help you stand out from the crowd. When someone sees or hears about your product or service through an influencer, they’re more likely to remember it because they trust that person’s opinion.
2. Influencers can actually drive results for your campaign
Influencers can actually drive results for your campaign. They have a large following and are trusted by their audience. They’re also experts in their niche, and are able to provide valuable feedback and insights that help inform your marketing strategy. Finally, they can also provide a recommendation on what product or service you should be using to reach your target audience (and it’s not just about the money).
Influencer marketing has become one of the most effective ways of reaching new audiences while maintaining relationships with current customers or clients, but only if you create an authentic experience for both parties involved—dealing with an influencer who is just trying to sell products regardless of whether or not it’s relevant to them isn’t going to help anyone!
3. Higher engagement rates than traditional media channels
Unlike traditional media channels, influencer marketing is more engaging. Influencers are more likely to share your content because they have a close relationship with the audience and have earned credibility through their content. This can lead to higher engagement rates and conversions.
Additionally, influencers can create a sense of urgency for their followers by telling them that a product or service is only available for a limited time. This creates an emotional reaction in consumers who want what they see on social media immediately!
4. Social proof is reassuring to consumers
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon. People are more likely to buy something if they see other people buying it, talking about it and recommending it. Why? Because we assume that if something is popular then the likelihood of us being wrong in our choice is low. Influencer marketing uses this principle by having influencers who already have an engaged audience share their opinion on your product.
The power of social proof can be further seen with Amazon reviews as well as user generated content on YouTube or Instagram. This also applies when influencers recommend a product or service in their blogs and posts that they post on their own personal channels (or even worse – paid ads).
Influencer marketing is quickly becoming one of the most effective ways for brands to reach new audiences and increase sales through organic means without having to spend a fortune on traditional advertising methods like banner ads or TV commercials which often don’t work anyway!
5. You’re targeting people interested in your niche
In addition to being a great way to reach your target audience, influencer marketing is also a fantastic way to build a community around your brand. Influencers can act as online ambassadors for your product or service and help spread the word about it. They’re also more likely than anyone else on social media to engage with your content, which means they’re more likely to share it with their followers (and those followers are in turn more likely to check out what you have to offer).
6. Influencers are a great way to scale your business
Influencers are a great way to scale your business.
Influencers are a great way to scale your business. Influencers can help you reach all new audiences, whether it be in their country or across the globe. Influencer marketing helps brands with advertising reach new markets and grow their businesses. They can also be used for product launches and campaigns to help get the word out about what you have to offer as well as generate interest in new products or services that might not be well known yet.
7. Numbers never lie – influencer marketing is on the rise
- Influencer marketing is on the rise.
- Influencers are becoming more popular.
- There are more influencers than ever before.
- Influencer marketing is a good way to reach your target audience
As a marketer, there really isn’t any reason why shouldn’t be using influencer marketing…
As a marketer, there really isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t be using influencer marketing. As an industry insider, I can tell you that it’s one of the fastest growing areas in advertising and marketing today. Influencer marketing is a great way to reach your target audience on social media, with over 70% of consumers saying they trust peer recommendations more than traditional advertising.
Influencers can help you scale your business by reaching new audiences with their personal networks and access to niche communities. They also offer better ROI than other forms of digital media due to their natural ability to build brand loyalty, increase sales through direct response advertising and drive website traffic through organic search engine optimization (SEO).
They are more authentic than traditional media because they are real people who have built up credibility over time with their followers by consistently posting quality content about topics relevant for their audience.
influencer marketing strategy
It’s almost impossible to scroll through social media without seeing some form of influencer marketing. Everywhere you look, influencers are showing off their latest snacks, clothes, makeup brands or candles, and that’s just the beginning.
From traditional posts to ever-popular Instagram Stories to long videos, influencers are always finding new ways to be sponsored on their favorite platforms.
When it comes to defining influencers, it’s important to note that anyone can be an influencer. Like John Maxwell says, “To be an influencer, you have to love people before you can try to lead them.” If you have one follower, you have influence. If you get one like on your posts, you’re generating engagement.
So let’s take a moment to acknowledge the aspiring influencers who are growing their following. These people post about their favorite brands and products simply because they love them. Granted, they’re probably also hoping for a brand deal in the long run, but at the time that they post, they aren’t making any money for their efforts.
It might feel like influencer marketing is a new thing that just became popular recently. Actually, influencer marketing began 15 years ago. PayPerPost, the first marketplace to pay bloggers for branded content, launched to quite a bit of speculation. Since blogs were mainly seen as online diaries, many experts were skeptical that adding advertising or sponsorships into the content would actually feel authentic.
That’s a challenge that today’s influencers are still facing, but for those who can manage to promote products or services and sound real and authentic while doing so, there are many rewards to be reaped. After all, people want to buy from other people, so when they find someone they like, they’re more likely to trust their recommendations.
What Is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a way brands can promote their products through endorsements or recommendations from influencers and content creators on the internet. Social media and blogs are home to the majority of influencers, although other creators like podcast hosts can fit the bill, too. Many times, influencer marketing is a part of brand awareness campaigns, but it can also result in plenty of conversions and sales.
While influencer marketing began back in 2006, it has changed a lot over the past 15 years. Facebook and Twitter were just getting started, but Instagram wouldn’t join the social media landscape until 2010. When influencers began, they were primarily bloggers who shared stories about their lives and promoted products they used each day.
It’s kind of a paradox, but while influencer marketing hasn’t changed that much, it’s vastly different in several ways. Influencers are still sharing stories about their lives and promoting products they use each day. Now, though, there are many people who are career influencers, earning a living through brand sponsorships. When it began, any money a blogger made through a partnership was nice side cash, but certainly not enough to be considered full-time income.
Influencers today also have so many more options than the original influencers did. There are countless social media platforms to choose from, and there are so many kinds of content they can create. For those who like video platforms, YouTube or TikTok are excellent options. Those who want to share long-form written posts can benefit from traditional blogging or even Facebook. Influencers who want a little of everything can turn to Instagram. While Clubhouse is still a new platform, it probably won’t be long until influencers find a way to turn that into a spot for their promotions, too.
Influencer Marketing By The Numbers
Influencer marketing is an incredibly popular marketing tool right now, and for good reason:
Unless you want your company to be left behind, it’s time to start exploring your options for influencer marketing. No matter what industry you’re in, there’s sure to be at least one influencer who fits your needs. And don’t be worried if you can only find smaller influencers in your niche, because:
If you’re looking to grow your brand awareness, increase sales, or really get your brand’s name out into the world in any way possible, you need to be taking advantage of influencer marketing. You don’t see a media value like this with other marketing tactics. The most important thing, though, is to approach influencer marketing strategically, so you do it correctly. Generating this kind of earned media equivalence only happens if you’re working with the right influencers in the right niche.
4 Reasons Why Influencer Marketing Will Continue to Grow
Influencer marketing is popular now, but it’s not just a trend that’s going to fade away. In fact, it’s nowhere near done growing. It will continue to become more and more popular over the coming years, so now is the best time to learn about it and prepare to incorporate it into your own strategies.
1. More people are becoming influencers.
While it might feel like there are too many influencers out there, that’s actually not the case. As social media platforms continue to grow, there are more opportunities for new people to become influencers.
Some will certainly do this intentionally, while others will simply be sharing about their life and happen to strike up a brand deal with a company they love. Either way, there will be more people growing audiences in specific niches. This means you have a better chance of finding someone talking to your specific ideal audience that’s perfect for your ecommerce store.
2. Influencer marketing agencies are growing in popularity.
As with any business strategy or tactic, influencer marketing is becoming standardized. There are now agencies that represent influencers and agencies designed to help brands find the best influencers for their strategy. As business surrounding influencer marketing continues to grow, the marketing itself will also keep expanding.
For ecommerce brands that don’t want to dedicate the time or resources to keeping up with influencer marketing trends, these kinds of agencies are a great option. You can still take advantage of the incredible success that often comes with influencer marketing without learning everything yourself.
3. There are more content options.
Influencers began with creating written blog posts talking about their favorite products. Then, social media became more popular and the kinds of content influencers were creating changed. Nowadays, video is perhaps the most popular kind of content for influencers to make when it comes to promoting products. Instagram and Facebook Live, IGTV, YouTube, and TikTok have all shown the incredible power of video.
However, with the growing popularity of podcasts and the advent of audio-only apps like Clubhouse, it makes you wonder what the next big trend in influencer marketing will be. While we might not know that answer, we do know it will continue to evolve. Ecommerce brands can be prepared to take advantage of new, innovative platforms and content by joining these new platforms as they arise. If you are already building a following on a particular platform, influencers will be more likely to want to work with you.
4. Influencers are showing more of their reality.
In many ways, influencers are going back to their roots. In recent years, people have become far more interested in seeing posts that aren’t overly edited. They don’t want to listen to, learn from, or take advice from someone whose life seems entirely unattainable. Instead, they want to see reality. They want to see influencers make mistakes and have bad days and pick themselves back up again and keep going.
Because of this open transparency, even more people are trusting and following influencers, which means that there are more people to see and buy from sponsored content. Ecommerce brands can now reach even more people when they work with influencers, especially if they’re not caught up in showing only the perfect, highly-filtered sides of their life.
Ways Ecommerce Stores Are Using Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is working for all kinds of businesses. Big brands work with celebrities to promote their products, and entrepreneurs who are just getting started find a way to work with influencers who are still growing their platforms. Ecommerce stores are using influencer marketing in a few key ways, and if you aren’t on board yet, it’s time to join.
1. To promote their store.
Promoting an online store is probably the most common and most obvious way that ecommerce brands can use influencer marketing. When influencers are talking about or promoting your brand and products, it’s easy for them to provide a link to your ecommerce store. In fact, it’s easier than telling someone they need to go to Target or go to “wherever books are sold.” Instead, they can add a link directly to your page, which means potential customers are less likely to get lost along the way.
Tip: Create a code or provide influencers with specific links to your page. This way, you’ll be able to track and see the ROI of your influencer campaigns.
2. Share user-generated content.
Another great benefit of influencer marketing is having user-generated content (UGC) that you can share. People trust other people more than they trust brands, by and large. However, it can feel like a challenge to find images and content from people outside of your team. When you work with an influencer, you can request the use of their content on your page. Then, you’ll be able to re-post their content, which shows your audience the partnership you have with this influencer as well as their images and copy.
Tip: Create a plan for sharing UGC so you can fully maximize the benefits. If you know you’re promoting a particular product soon, save your UGC for that product until that promotion comes around so you can have the full effect.
3. Use testimonials from influencers.
Every brand needs more testimonials on their website, but sometimes customers don’t think to come back and leave a review or share their experience. When you work with an influencer, you can capture their testimonial and their story. By putting their information on your site as a whole or the page of the product they’re reviewing specifically, you can provide more social proof to your potential customers so they feel more confident purchasing.
Tip: Outline what kind of testimonial you want from the influencer at the beginning of your campaign. This is the best way to ensure that they capture all of the content and ideas you want to see in their testimonial.
4. Offer a promotion with an influencer.
Offering a discount when you’re working with an influencer is such a great way to increase your sales and ROI on the campaign. First of all, like we mentioned earlier, having a discount code specifically for that influencer will allow you to track their conversions. Beyond that, though, many people will strongly consider making a purchase if they can save some money while doing it. Sometimes that can be the tipping point that really inspires someone to click through to your shop and make the purchase.
Tip: Alongside a base rate, you can negotiate with the influencer to offer them a percentage of each sale made with their code. This can encourage them to be thorough when creating their campaign.
5. Work with micro-influencers.
We alluded to this a little earlier, but working with micro influencers is certainly the way to go, especially for ecommerce brands. Don’t be afraid of working with someone with a small following, so long as their engagement rate is significant. If you’re working with an Instagram influencer, it can be easy to feel like you need to choose someone with at least 10,000 followers so they can take advantage of the swipe-up feature, but that’s not true. That feature isn’t a requirement of a successful campaign. Instead, they can use a direct messaging strategy that allows them to rely on the connections they’ve built with their small following to encourage them to learn more or buy.
Tip: Always look for the engagement rate on their posts. Sometimes influencers with big followings have gotten to that point by buying instagram followers. These bought followers tend to be fake, which means they aren’t going to engage with the campaign or purchase your product.
benefits of influencer marketing statistics
As social media has become a more integrated part of our lives, influencer marketing has exploded. People are turning to their favorite Instagram stars, Twitter personalities, and YouTubers for advice and recommendations on purchasing decisions. To get the most out of any influencer you may use, it’s crucial to build an influencer marketing strategy.
These influencers are trusted by millions of consumers, and marketers are paying attention. It turns out that 48% ran influencer campaigns with interest in using influencers on TikTok rising 325% in just one year according to The State of Influencer Marketing 2021 research.
Social media has given normal people an opportunity to build their own brand through stimulating content and engagement. These new influencers are more relatable than traditional celebrities. After all, countries across the globe are using social media platforms in one form or another. And, since more people are joining social media networks every day, companies have realized they can leverage these platforms for marketing.
Influencer Marketing Statistics
Interest in influencer marketing has only grown, which means a lot of research has been conducted, producing interesting statistics. So let’s take a look at some of the most eye-popping results of these studies. Here are 20 influencer marketing stats that will surprise you.
1. 70% of Teens Trust Influencers More than Traditional Celebrities
It’s extremely difficult for brands to build the same level of trust that influencers possess, but thanks to influencer marketing that trust can be transmitted to your brand. So much so that 4 in 10 Millennial subscribers say their favorite influencer understands them better than their friends. Another effect of influencer marketing is that brands don’t have to waste resources promoting themselves, and instead use influencers to speak on their behalf and deliver the message they want people to hear and trust.
2. 86% of Women Use Social Media for Purchasing Advice
This statistic should be important to any brand that either has women as their primary target audience or within their scope of ideal customers. It seems if you want to reach more women and get them to buy your product or service, you need to be present on social media and aware of the influencers they are interested in. And this behavior is growing, as 78% of women are active on social media with a preference for Snapchat and Instagram. When it comes to influencer marketing, over half of women made purchases due to influencer posts. The key to engaging this cohort through influencers is to be genuine and inspirational.
3. 49% of Consumers Depend on Influencer Recommendations
This statistic demonstrates the growing importance of social media influencers for brands to connect with their audiences. Not only do 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, 40% had purchased something after seeing it on Twitter, YouTube or Instagram. If consumers feel confident about an influencer’s recommendation, they are more likely to make a purchase. Brands are able to piggyback on the trust of influencers.
4. TikTok has created a $1 billon Creator Fund to nurture influencers
To encourage creators that dream of making a living from TikTok using their unique voice and creativity, the platform launched the TikTok Creator Fund in 2020. This fund requires creators to have up to 100,000 video views over a month to be eligible and is a reward to TikTokers for bringing joy to large audiences. The fund started at $200k and is expected to grow to $1bn in the U.S over the following three years. Their aim is to build an army of influencers that can make a living through brand partnerships, sponsorship and representation deals. Some of the first recipients of the fund were chef Matt Broussard, ‘Kombucha girl’ Brittany Tomlinson and prankster David Dobrik.
5. Influencer Marketing Campaigns Earn $5.78 for Every Dollar Spent
The State of Influencer Marketing 2020 found that 66% of marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets, this area of marketing is becoming the fastest-growing channel for brands, beating organic search, paid search and email marketing. In addition, businesses earn $5.78 for each dollar spent on influencers, with some seeing as much as $18. That’s a significant return on investment and you can figure out your ROI using a social media calculator. In terms of influencer channels, Instagram and Twitter are cited as the most effective platforms.
6. Influencer Marketing Helps Brands Acquire Better Customers
It’s becoming more important than ever to build relationships with influencers who resonate with your brand and to create campaigns that are aligned with the values of an influencer’s followers. In addition, 51% of marketers say influencer marketing helps them acquire better customers.
7. 57% of Fashion and Beauty Companies Engage in Influencer Marketing
Fashion and beauty are industries that rely heavily on influencer marketing, as organic growth for brands has become more challenging without advertising and amplification. In this sector, 57% of companies now use influencers as part of their marketing mix, while 21% are planning to add this to their strategy in the coming year. Many brands now use influencers to great success such as Tropicana using @foreveryoursbetty, Tess Daly who has landed deals with Benefit and boohoo gaining hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. However, while many fashion and beauty brands are keen on using influencers, many want to ensure that those they choose have social consciousness sincerity to drive success.
8. Major Brands Plan to Increase Spend on Influencer Marketing
More brands and marketers are coming to realize the incredible results that influencer marketing can produce. This impact is resulting in an increase in spending, with some 71% of marketers planning to increase their budgets in the next 12 months with the majority preferring to work with micro-influencers. Not only is spend increasing to help boost brand awareness, reach new audiences and improve brand advocacy, but it’s also fast becoming an important channel, with many marketers setting campaign KPIs to measure success.
9. The Influencer Marketing Industry is Expected to Hit $13.8bn by 2022
As an industry, influencer marketing has expanded exponentially over the past two years. Worth just $1.7 billion in 2016, the industry is set to reach $13.8 billion by 2022 as the industry witnesses more growth and becomes a more effective marketplace. This growth means more widespread use and will require marketers to evolve influencer marketing strategies in the way campaigns are measured, create analytics to scale campaigns and look at how to manage relationships between brands and influencers.
10. 82% of People Trust Social Networks to Guide Purchasing Decisions
Over three-quarters of consumers trust opinions they find on social media, including those from friends, families and influencers, to help them make the right decision about buying a product or service. This creates huge opportunities for marketers in the promotion of products (sponsored or not) to reach new audiences and influence key cohorts by catering to Gen Z and Millennials.
11. Social Media Marketing Has Surpassed Print Marketing
What this means is brands are undergoing a transition in the ways they spend their marketing budgets. Expensive and inefficient ad buys, such as many of those found in newspapers and magazines, are giving way to influencer marketing. The return on investment in social media marketing is now far outpacing any traditional medium.
12. 42% of Customers Use Ad-Blocking Technology
More and more Internet users are removing traditional ads from their online experience. In the US ad-blocking usage is 37% on laptops and 15% on mobile, as consumers are tired of being hammered with pop-ups and banners. But influencers are now filling the gap. People aren’t blocking videos from their favorite social media celebrities – in fact, they’re eating up every word they say. Advertising power is shifting to real people and influencers.
13. Marketers Spend up to $100,000-$500,000 on Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Spending on influencers has gone up over the past few years, and it’s only going to increase. Many budgets for influencer marketing are on the rise, with 19% of marketers expected to invest an average of $1,000-$10,000 followed by 18% spending $100,000 to $500,000 in multifaceted campaigns.
14. 41% of Twitter Users Intended to Purchase Based on a Tweet
It seems Twitter influencers do, as a matter of fact, have the ability to impact the purchasing decisions of followers. On the platform, influencers are now rivaling friends in terms of building trust, with 61% of Twitter users following a creator resulting in a 61% lift in brand favorability and a 64% increase in recommendation intent. Engaging in marketing campaigns with influencers clearly has the potential to drive up sales of goods and services and newsjacking on Twitter may also be something to consider.
15. Couples are changing influencer marketing
Couples are emerging as a new wave of successful influencers across platforms. Using their relationship, many are leveraging their status to build a brand. Reality TV is one of the main drivers with participants in series such as ‘Love Island’ and ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ creating stars that can influence an audience. Think Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell or Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague. With over 10 million followers the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex (otherwise known as Harry and Meghan) combine their star power on Instagram to great effect.
16. Facebook is the Most Influential Social Media Network
With about 2.89 billion monthly users across the world, Facebook is one of the most influential social media channels, with 52% of purchasing decisions being influenced by the platform. Other social media networks are catching up to the giant, but Facebook is holding its own, especially with its ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp. Therefore, it’s vital to stay active on Facebook and engage with influencers to expand your Facebook reach.
Why should a business use influencer marketing?
1. Your competitors are already using them
Staying ahead of the game in a hyper-competitive market is vital to your company’s success. Your competitors are most likely already using influencers in their marketing strategy. According to a 2018 Association of National Advertisers (ANA) survey, 75% of marketers are using influencers as a marketing tool and 43% plan to increase spending on it in the next 12 months. ANA’s CEO, Bob Liodice, provided some insights to Chief Marketer:
“It’s clear that the popularity of influencer marketing has increased among marketers in recent years, largely due to the growth and evolution of social media,” ANA CEO Bob Liodice said. “We’ve found that a growing number of marketers are turning to influencers to help them combat ad blocking, leverage creative content in an authentic way, drive engagement, and reach millennial and gen Z audiences who avidly follow and genuinely trust social media celebrities.”
2. They build your brand’s credibility
The trust and loyalty that social media influencers establish with their audiences are among their most valuable assets. According to a 2017 Choozle survey, only 7% of participants viewed online ads positively. And in a 2017 TINT article, only 4% of consumers declared trust in marketing in advertising in general. Using an influencer is a surefire way to speak to your audience through someone they deem trustworthy through their authentic content. The proof is in the pudding: MuseFind, an influencer marketing platform, reported that 92% of customers trust recommendations from strangers (i.e., influencers) over brand advertisements.
3. They create fresh content
It’s well known that companies hire marketing teams to generate content. A lot of marketing plans revolve around content publicity. With social media’s marketing power increasing exponentially, brands want to create content that will go viral. Influencers serve as a loophole and simplify this process. Content created by influencers works like user-generated content. Instead of an ad, it’s like a credible testimonial or product review. Your audience processes the reviews as unbiased and will be more likely to use your product than if they had viewed an ad.
4. They boost organic traffic and engagement
As of last year, 615 million devices now use Adblock and it’s now mainstream across all ages, according to PageFair. This is where influencers come in. Working with credible influencers who are trusted amongst an audience allow brands to bypass the adblocking obstacle and better connect with buyers on social media. We can think of influencers as a form of “word of mouth” business mixed with native advertising. This combined with their massive social media followings allow companies to create organic traffic, engagement and grow their social followings.
5. They improve your SEO rankings
Working with social media influencers doesn’t always mean them posting your products or services on their social channels. You can also collaborate with them and request that the influencer mentions your brand on their blog or post one of your articles. This can result in generating high-quality backlinks to your website, which improves your SEO. Backlinks are a crucial component of any SEO strategy. Search engines like Google are constantly changing their algorithms to filter out junk posts. Having natural links on an influencer’s page to your site or blog boosts your page in Google’s search results.
6. They generate sales
Influencers enable your company to tap into your niche audiences with tailored content so your message will resonate with your target prospects and drive conversions. In fact, for every $1 invested influencer marketing, businesses make $6.50 in revenue according to the latest poll from Tomoson, an influencer marketplace. So, for your marketing funnel, influencers are essential to converting your prospects into customers.