Move over celebrities - why influencer marketing is king in the digital age

Jun 7th, 2019

As the lines between virtual and physical worlds merge, digital usage within all age groups will continue to skyrocket. It’s past the thermosphere. What’s next? The Milky Way?

Consequently, consumers are not only likely to make purchases based on social media trends, but through social media platforms. To some (we may or may not be saying Millenials and Gen Z), social media comes second-hand like brushing your teeth.

As a result, influencer marketing represents one of the most reliable tactics businesses can use in the digital era. Word of mouth matters again, and using influencers that you trust, may be the easiest way to spread a product or idea.

What is influencer marketing?

Fundamentally, influencer marketing is a marriage of traditional and the future of marketing. It’s infusing the concept of celebrity endorsements and plugging them into current content platforms. Influencers collaborate with brands to relay a message to their followers or sell a product.

Consumer trust, the rundown

The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer said only 48% of the U.S. population trusts businesses.

Consumers are more informed now than ever, and they're more invested in purchasing products and services that are transparent and ethical. With influencer marketing, consumers receive messages from people they choose to follow.

Ultimately, consumers align with influencers who share the same ethical and moral opinions which, in their eyes, makes them more trustworthy.

Things to consider

Choosing influencers and platforms in itself is an art. You want to ensure to engage with the correct influencers for your product or message.

Consider these questions:

• What's their follower count across platforms?
  • Do you want to aim for nano-influencers with 1K-10K followers or mega-influencers with 1M+ followers.
• What's their niche?
  • Choosing a different market from your brand will be unlikely to work unless your brand and the influencer share the same target demographics.
• What’s their personality and how do they engage with their followers?
  • Remember: Any influencer you hire becomes a brand ambassador.
• Which platform is right for your message?
  • One size doesn’t fit all, so tailor your message to the correct platforms. YouTube engagement is different than Instagram engagement and so on.

Making the partnership work

Sharing one post won’t guarantee a lead. It’s important to carefully consider your approach when choosing to work with influencers so that the partnership is beneficial for both you and the influencer.

Here are a few:

• Be organized, put together a strategy, plan and budget, spend time on research
• Talk like a human, not like a company when coming up with your messaging
• Develop a schedule and outline expectations on both ends
• Integrate with your PR schedule, product release schedule, etc. to your company is making smart decisions that support all business initiatives

Going the extra mile? Plan travel schedules to arrange face-to-face meetings with key stakeholders.

Takeaway

Infuencers carved out a place in the virtual world where they can be anyone and they can be everywhere. Anyone has the ability to be an influencer, and that’s what makes it exciting and ever-changing. Companies can now find their niche market and find new consumers.

Influencers already have the following of your target audience, you just need to feed them the message. Using influencers creates influencers for your brand and increase brand awareness. It’s a win/win!

Our (not-so) shameless plug

If you're interested in finding the right influencers to represent your brand start with GKA Advertising. Contact us to learn how we can help.