Influencer marketing is growing exponentially. As a result, more and more brands are directing their advertising budgets towards this channel. Indeed, influencers are gradually establishing themselves as powerful creators of high added value content.
Why is influencer marketing becoming more and more important? Is it useful for your company to invest in this field? What advantages could this channel bring you in tangible terms? How should you get started? In this article, we provide some answers to all these questions.
Why is influencer marketing growing?
First, consumer behaviour is changing, and it is only logical that brands adapt their marketing strategy to this. Internet users are tired of seeing untimely, poorly targeted and overly intrusive ads. On the other hand, they particularly appreciate reading content their favourite bloggers offer, even if it is sponsored. This is because they like to identify with “real” people, in whom they place their trust.
Secondly, this phenomenon is explained by the rise of ad blockers. Apart from the fact that they no longer like to see ads everywhere, more and more Internet users are simply blocking all online ads with adblockers.
As a result, brands have to reinvent themselves at all costs in order to reach their target audience in a different way. Indeed, new consumer habits and ad blocking do not mean that brands are unable to reach their target audience online but that they have to change the way they approach their audience. As a result, many companies have decided to embrace influencer marketing.
The benefits of influencer marketing
Influencers undeniably increase your presence on social media. Content created by people with a large following gives you the opportunity to reach out to new people who may be interested in your brand. If a creator likes your product and is open about it to their audience, then their recommendation will have a real impact on your brand awareness.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, users trust the influencers they follow. Therefore, you increase the credibility of your products. The creator’s content looks much more authentic and natural than traditional ads. The consumer feels that they are seeing your product in its true light and not via retouched photos, for example.
Finally, the content created by influencers is obviously content that you can reuse as you wish on your various social networks or platforms (website, app, etc.). You, therefore, save time on content production and increase the quality of your content.
Creativity and human interaction are excellent marketing tools. Influencers bring both of these aspects to you at the same time, in addition to a wide reach and targeted and relevant engagement.
Our tips for getting started with influencer marketing
First, analyse the market and identify opportunities for your brand. Influencer marketing is generally used in B2C and for product or service types that may be suitable. Do some research first to make sure that there are indeed creators who address issues relevant to your business.
Then, as with any marketing strategy or campaign, you need to define your objectives. The choice of influencers you will work with follows on from these objectives and is also of crucial importance. It’s not enough to contact every influencer you know and offer them a partnership. You need to choose creators whose audience matches your target and with whom your brand image coincides.
Plan your budget in advance and measure your ROI with digital tools that integrate artificial intelligence. Indeed, any marketing campaign should be monitored for conversions in order to be continuously optimised. For example, performance-based influencer marketing, in which a brand pays for conversions and sales, is one of the latest models made possible by predictive AI.
In conclusion, influencer marketing presents many growth opportunities for brands. If you’re not convinced, why not give it a try? The hardest part is to identify the creators who share your values and who are willing to work with you on terms that suit you.
Influencer marketing should no longer be seen as a secondary channel but as an integral part of your digital marketing strategy. It allows you to reach your target audience across the entire customer journey.
As this trend continues to grow, don’t wait any longer to exploit its strengths to set yourself apart from the competition.
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