What is influencer marketing? You may feel inclined to take the definitions of the two words and merge them to make sense of the phrase. For example,
it may be interpreted as an influential figure or group that carries out marketing for a brand – a brand that is chasing a business goal. This may not be entirely incorrect, but there’s significantly more that you need to know to fully grasp the concept of “Influencer Marketing”.
Wikipedia defines this as “a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placement from influencers, people and organizations that have a purported expert level of knowledge or social influence in their field.” The term “social influence” is important in understanding why influencer marketing is even a thing to begin with. You’ve probably seen a celebrity; singer, athlete or movie star using their social media channels to talk about or show off a product from a brand that they claim to trust and use daily.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Why would an already established brand collaborate with a popular personality when they already have an audience?” The answer is simple – this influential person is… influential. They have eyes on them at all times and are able to persuade their audience more easily to buy into or reject a product or service, even if that audience has no experience with the said product or service. That says a lot about how much “power” an influencer has in advancing a brand’s goals.
Influencer marketing is quite understandable when you look at it simply. A company telling you to buy into something is one thing, but an actual human being with tastes and a personality is a different thing altogether. People are usually more inclined to be persuaded by someone they can relate to, or someone they really like, more than an organization with which they have no connection.
It’s important to note that there is a technique to pull off influencer marketing in an effective way. If it were simply a matter of grabbing a popular name and throwing them into ad campaigns with your product, you’d have a hard time standing out. The not-so-secret method to making the most effective
influencer/brand partnership is finding an influencer that fits your brand/product. A good, safe example is having an athlete endorse your energy drink. This trend of thought can be taken to various levels, but the key in all stages is to keep it authentic. Few things seem more disingenuous than an influencer who has no meaningful connection to a brand/product promoting it like their life depends on it. Always keep in mind that you must choose wisely.
A decade ago, influencer marketing may not have been a thing to talk about, but times are changing… and by the looks of it, influencer marketing is here to stay. Take these tips as a foundation for your future endeavours either as a brand owner, or as an influencer.
