Influencers used to be celebrities who would lend their fame to various product endorsements. This has changed over the years: being an influencer is now a full-time job and a source of fame and fortune in its own right.
Influencers have become such an integral part of the social media landscape that they are rapidly becoming an integral part of marketing strategies. They form followings of loyal social media users who are more than willing to accept their product advice and this means increased sales for online businesses and digital marketers.
With this in mind, influencers should now be taken into consideration for any marketing plan. At the end of 2018, influencer marketing agency Mediakix surveyed marketers to gauge the industry’s stance regarding the effectiveness of influencers. The survey revealed that 89% of marketers felt that return on investment on influencers was comparable to, or better than, that of other marketing channels. Sixty-five percent planned to increase their expenditure on influencers.
Why are influencers so popular? Simply put, they have the potential to give your brand a human face, if it doesn’t already have one. Influencers offer consumers someone to turn to for advice on their particular field of interest. Users test the opinions and endorsements of influencers and gradually build trust in them as they find that their points of view yield favourable results. They thus come to take influencer opinions to heart and make purchase decisions on that basis, meaning that if your product is promoted by a particular influencer, his or her following becomes a captive market for you.
Influencers are also quite a bit more affordable than casting well-known actors in ad campaigns – for now at least.
Contact WSI to assist you in creating a great, easily-manageable social media strategy.