Power of PR: Influencer Marketing
Contrary to popular belief, the concept of ‘influencer’ isn’t a modern-day invention that transpired in the 21st Century with the rise of the internet and social media platforms. In fact, the evolution of influencers can be dated all the way back to 105BCE when Roman gladiators rose to celebrity status, often even promoting the occasional product like oil or wine. [1]
If the pandemic taught marketers anything, it’s that influencer marketing truly showed the value it can bring to a brand or business. During lockdown, brands and businesses had to pivot the way in which they reached their target audience. With potential customers retreating to their homes, and with no other way to communicate than through digital platforms, this opened up immense opportunity for influencer marketing.
With the fog of the early 2020s dissipating, one thing still stands: As much as 61% of consumers trust recommendations from influencers, with only 38% trusting branded social content.[2] By the end of 2022 alone, brands are projected to spend a whopping R270 billion on influencer marketing with the marketing medium proving to generate 11 times the ROI of traditional digital marketing. [3]
What is an influencer?
An influencer, also known as a content creator, is someone who has the power to affect the opinions and purchasing decisions of others based on their social media presence. Their influence can come from their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience[4]. These individuals have grown their audiences and built careers off the back of the content they create.
Within the influencer space there are categories; their ‘beat’, which is the sector their content speaks to and what their audiences are interested in, whether that be home, beauty, lifestyle, travel and so on. They are also categorised by their following, for example: Nano influencers (1K–10K followers), micro influencers (10K–100K followers), macro influencers (100K–1M followers) and mega or celebrity influencers (1M+ followers).
Why does influencer marketing work?
Picture this: You’ve met up with a colleague for coffee – someone you respect and admire. He tells you about the latest gadget he has tried and how it’s worked for him. Are you interested? Will you go home and search for it online? Possibly.
Well, this is how influencer marketing works. Influencers communicate with their audience on their channels, packaging a brand’s messaging in an authentic way that their followers trust. Through influencer marketing, an influencer is providing a brand with endorsement and word of mouth advertising. They are able to do this because they have an audience who relates to them, admires them and most importantly, trusts them.
With referrals being one of the top reasons consumers purchase or buy into a product or brand, endorsement from influencers not only means credibility for your brand but lead generation too.
How do you stand out?
Competing for attention online, amongst the plethora of engaging content, is no easy feat.
In order to stand out, your campaign needs to be engaging. The biggest mistake brands make is driving single campaigns once-off which may bring a burst of favourable results, but doesn’t truly build meaningful connections with your audience for longevity. Longevity is key and building authentic relationships and long-term campaigns will contribute to the success of influencer marketing for your business.
Credibility and relevance simply cannot be bought, however, strategic influencer marketing can and should form part of your marketing plan.
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[1] https://grin.co/blog/the-history-of-influencer-marketing/
[2] https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics
[3] https://incafrica.com/bill-carmody/influencer-marketing-delivers-11x-roi-over-all-other-forms-of-digital-media.html
[4] https://imm.ac.za/influencer-culture-in-south-africa/