The marketing landscape is constantly in a state of evolution, particularly as new technologies and strategies are developed and implemented by digital professionals across the world.
Social media has completely revolutionised the world of digital marketing in an extraordinarily short space of time.
As platforms continue to gain even more influence the role and impact of social media influencers is going to continue to increase.
Despite varying slightly across different sectors and industries, professional digital marketers have generally been actively increasing their influencer marketing spend each year.
Standing out from the crowd and cutting through the digital noise can be tricky, particularly for businesses focusing too closely on aiming to ‘go viral’ or secure any other combination of vague outcomes.
Rather than targeting attention towards unrealistic or unhelpful objectives, businesses will often find their marketing spend drives a better return on investment (ROI) when the focus is placed on building meaningful connections and relationships with a specific audience.
The role of social media influencers
As the true impact of social media influencers has become clearer, social media influencer management companies have emerged with the knowledge and skillset to help businesses connect with credible influencers that have the ability to positively influence a range of key performance indicators (KPIs), including conversion rates and increased revenue.
Influencer marketing utilises both established and emerging marketing strategies to further the idea that impactful conversions for businesses that form partnerships with credible and appropriate influencers will be driven by the personal endorsements that influencers with a strong online following can communicate to their audience.
Although this sounds like a relatively simple strategy, success is largely driven by the collaborative process that takes place between the influencer and the brand.
Because the brand-influencer relationship is so central, authenticity and trustworthiness are paramount.
As such, the most successful influencer marketing campaigns are played out over a longer period of time, which gives audiences time to experience and evaluate the credibility of the partnership for themselves.
Increased investment in social media influencer marketing is largely being driven by the increased impact social media is having on consumer shopping habits.
Research indicates that more than 30% of consumers in the UK are looking to social media platforms to gain inspiration for the clothing and accessories’ purchases they are going on to make, which illustrates, for example, how imperative it is for fashion brands to maintain a strong presence across key social platforms.
Generation Z has never known a world without technology and social media and as they collectively develop more purchasing power, they are quickly becoming a central focus for brands looking to increase sales and revenue.
Research suggests that more than 90% of consumers are more willing to trust the endorsement of a social media influencer over a traditional celebrity, which illustrates that there is a marked shift in the types of people that are viewed as being aspirational.
Advantages of partnering with social media influencer management companies
Critically, however, a certain level of trust needs to be maintained between brand, influencer and audience to drive positive results.
As such, businesses must feel confident that their chosen influencer partner is a credible and natural fit for the products and/or services being promoted.
For brands looking to maximise the value they are driving from influencer collaborations, obtaining advice, guidance and support from social media influencer management companies will ensure that the campaign has a clear set of objectives and a solid strategy in place.
In addition to these core foundational elements, influencer management companies will facilitate connections between brands and the most appropriate influencers for each individual campaign by giving close consideration to the overall objectives and KPIs that will be monitored.
If brands partner with the right influencers, utilise the full potential of the most appropriate social media platforms and ensure all messaging is specifically shaped to resonate with the intended audience, they have all the ingredients for both building an authentic digital presence and effectively tapping into captive audiences that will find value in their offering.
Can influencers impact growth in revenue? They can for businesses who know what they’re doing.
Meet the team at Crowdify who are helping clients to grow their business with influencer marketing.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahweinswig/2016/10/05/influencers-are-the-new-brands/#49ce37357919