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The Power of Influence Marketing

Content Creators are a dime dozen these days with the ever-growing power of social media and the easily accessed [and free] platforms to create video.  I had the privilege of attending Social Media Week in Chicago last month and the one trend that seemed to be overarching among a variety of speakers was influencers and the following that takes place when content begins to go viral.

Many brands are seeing the phenomenon that is occurring with consumers and influencers and using it to their advantage to promote.  Influencers range from multiple platforms and demographics. What do influencers do? They create content and most importantly they grow a following.  Some of the most common influencers we see tend to create videos or feeds for inspirational daily videos, beauty trends, product reviews, cooking bits [15 sec “How To” videos].  Bottom line is that brands are realizing consumers are more likely to trust a real person over a corporate brand advertisement.

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The Importance of Influencers for a Brand

Here are some top reasons why jumping on the bandwagon with Influencer Marketing can be beneficial for any brand:

  1. Influencers already have a following. If you already have a good idea on who your audience is, sponsoring an influencer [who already creates content in line with your brand] to promote your brand can eliminate finding that particular audience.  This can also help in reaching a new audience.
  2. Influencers are Authentic. Influencers are able to maintain a following because their audience most likely appreciates the authenticity.  Audiences want to be a part of a community where they feel they relate.
  3. Influencers use Word-of-Mouth approach. According to a study done by Nielson; 92% of consumers say that they trust word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends and families above advertisers.  Influencers will already have a very large following that remains because their audience trusts their opinion.
  4. Influencers can encourage action. Usually when I’m browsing Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram I fly past the annoying ads, as I’m sure many people do, but when I see one of my favorite celebrities showing off a sleek watch AND providing a discount code along with it, I’m usually inclined to AT LEAST head to the brand’s website and often times complete the sale.  According to CollectiveBias—70% of 18 to 34 year-olds have a higher preference for “peer” endorsements.  [Check out more stats from their article here: CollectiveBias]
  5. Influencers can be an easy transition to using a new platforms. Not only can influencers bring an already made following to your brand, they can also transition your brand into using new platforms such as Snapchat or Instagram. Many brands are still hesitant to use social media in their strategy, but by using an influencer that already knows the in and outs of specific channels can ease the transition of marketing via social media.

Although influencer marketing and the way it’s used today may seem nontraditional, it’s easy to see how this could be a new norm in marketing and advertising.  Check out these few articles that I pulled from my favorite discussions on Influencers and Social Media from SMW Chicago:

How Social Platforms Change The Way We Act and Think Online

How Kohls Successfully Reacted To The Chewbacca Mom Facebook Live Video

IBM Watson Is Leading The Cognitive Business Shift In Marketing

For more articles like this and to learn more about digital strategy check us out at here!