Since the world of advertising is constantly changing and adapting to the digital sphere, brands are having to rethink their marketing strategies to clearly outline the best way to reach consumers who use different social media platforms. Nowadays, the most successful marketing campaigns are usually a combination of influencer marketing content and paid social advertising. This is the best tactic to guarantee brand awareness and maximum exposure on social media. Since consumers are now more exposed to media than they have ever been before, it is important for any brand messaging to be consistent and accessible.
A recent survey conducted by SocialChorus found that Influencer marketing campaigns have the power to capture up to sixteen times more engagement than branded media. Many social media platforms from Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok are paving their growth to coincide with influencer marketing, which makes sense since Adweek predicted that the industry is set to reach $10 billion by 2020.
With all that being said, influencer marketing, influencer marketing agencies and paid social advertising is still challenging to understand for some brands. This is why it is important, whether you’re an Influencer Marketing Agency or brand, to break down the most important reasons why influencer marketing is effective to any social media strategy. Like any good marketing tactic, influencer marketing programs need proper investing, time and targeting. Online success won’t just come by free willingly posting content to everyone who follows you. This is why we’ve examined the Top 4 Reasons Why Influencer Marketing is Effective.
1. Cost-effective Production
Since social media influencers have the ability to replace the role of models, stylists and photographers, influencer content is cheaper to produce than commercial social media content. Not to mention, influencers have professional production skills which means brands that use them will not have to pay any additional production or distribution costs outside the influencer’s fees.
2. Higher Engagement
On average, engagement on a branded social media post is 0.5% compared to an influencer post, which has a 2% average engagement rate. This is because more and more brands are competing for high engagement rates, and advertising on platforms like Instagram (where general engagement is 0.84% according to analytics company Locowise).
3. Organic Advertising Builds Trust
Ad blocking is continuing to glow online, which has resulted in many paid social digital ads not being seen by viewers. With influencer marketing, the branded content they produce organically fits into people’s feeds, which means it is more likely digested than an ad pop up. According to Priori Data, nearly 420 million people worldwide block ads when they are browsing online. Influencers have the ability to create sponsored content or ads for the brands they work for that are guaranteed to be seen by an audience, and more likely to be related to authentically, which gives more potential for a relationship between the consumer and your brand.
4. It Boosts SEO to Hit Marketing Goals
The long-term effects of influencer marketing are a boost in your brand’s search engine rankings. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key factor in any digital marketing strategy, as any online customer will use a search engine at one point when deciding to purchase something. According to a survey by The Social Media Revolution, 25% of search results for the world’s top 20 brands are due to UGC (user-generated content). This means that the more an influencer with a trustworthy following mentions your brand, the more likely your brand will come up throughout Google or other search engines.
In conclusion, brands and influencer marketing agency strategies are catering to the world of influencer marketing. As an influencer marketing agency, it is important to ensure that your strategies are up to date and relevant to coincide with social media trends. Whether you’re a business or an agency, not taking advantage of influencer marketing is a hugely missed opportunity when it comes to growing your online brand messaging, following and engagement.
