Fraser Bell

Is Influencer Marketing the best way to grow in 2022?

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Woman browsing social media in a coffee shop

Influencer marketing is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of any digital marketer. It offers unique and creative ways to get your product to the forefront of a variety of different sources. Influencer marketing has gone from strength to strength over the last decade thanks to the solidification of social media, the increase in computer literacy, and the developments in technology.

In this day and age, almost everyone has a smartphone on which they have social media, and whether you intend it, or not, you will see an influencer appear on your home feed. This could be because you follow a bunch of influencers or because the social media algorithm in question has determined you would be interested. Because of this influencer marketing is now an essential avenue to incorporate into your marketing campaign. 

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is the practice of using external channels to market your products or services, this is usually in the form of an internet personality, YouTuber, or blogger. These influencers will have a substantial following anywhere from a few hundred in the case of nano influencers, to tens of millions when it comes to mega influencers. 

These influencers then vouch for your product or service, showcasing what it can do and its benefits, driving traffic to your product and implanting the idea of the product into your consumer’s mind. 

With this in consideration, it may be best to go through the best incentives you have to level up your influencer marketing strategy. 

Top 5 ways influencer marketing can help your brand

A person holding their phone open on Instagram

It can help your content strategy

Influencer marketing can help you with your content strategy as it adds a whole lot of unique perspectives and ideas to your approach. Every influencer will have their own process when it comes to creating content, and this can result in an abundance of fresh ideas that you may have never thought of.

It can help you reach more of your target audience

Influencers will have a specific audience with designated interests, for example, an influencer that posts images of cars will have an audience that shares that interest. Therefore when you are marketing a product or service you can easily determine if an influencer’s audience is in keeping with your brand. This also makes reaching new followers and potential customers incredibly efficient as you can see exactly who follows any given influencer.

It can drive more sales

When a product is marketed through an influencer, consumers tend to trust the authenticity of the influencer, as opposed to the brand’s owned channels. One of the reasons for this is the fact that the consumer and influencer already have an existing relationship. This means that a consumer is far more likely to purchase when they see the product on an external channel. 

It can build your brand’s trust

Leading on from the last point, consumers trust the opinions of influencers. While it applies to products, it can also apply to brands. If an influencer that people trust vouches and form a relationship with your brand, people may begin to trust your business. Trust is important as it can lead to increased engagement across socials and as mentioned more sales.

It can help you to boost your SEO rankings

Not all influencers are based solely on social media, some have attached websites, while some influencers are bloggers. Through these avenues, you can boost your SEO rankings through the use of back-links. If your respective influencer embeds the link to your website then it can help you obtain a larger organic reach.

The impact of influencer marketing 

Influencer marketing has had a significant impact in its relatively short existence. This is why it has become an essential part of any company’s marketing team’s strategy. 

Here are some statistics to emphasise the effect this strategy has had: 

  • 66% of people trust influencers over that of brand-owned social channels
  • Influencer marketing delivers an 11x higher return on investment as opposed to traditional means.
  • TikTok currently holds 18.5% of the social influencer market while Instagram owns 44.5% 
  • 55% of the world has purchased a product from an influencer’s suggestion.
  • Influencer marketing is now worth $16.4 billion in 2022

From these statistics, you can clearly see that this strategy is now a powerhouse in the marketing domain.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing is slowly becoming an essential avenue for every company to utilise. This shows its enormous impact on the current market. With so much money now present in this avenue it is clear to see the importance it has garnered. 

Influencer marketing gives an abundance of opportunities to grow your business and expand your content strategy, hence why it is a cost-effective way to spend your marketing budget as it provides you with new content, a larger audience, and increased sales. Is it the best way to expand? Possibly, but with the avenue’s continued growth, it will provide clear results. 

Read more on influencer marketing here. 
See more trends in digital marketing here.

Level 6 Marine Surveyor Apprenticeship

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Container Ship at a dock during dusk

Are you interested in being a Marine surveyor? or do you wish to be responsible for verifying the integrity and safety of ships? Then this could be the qualification for you. Through undertaking this Level 6 marine surveyor apprenticeship you will open yourself up to the technical world of marine life, and ensure help you to understand brand new industry standards.

Jobs available upon completion of the course

The study of marine surveying opens up a wealth of opportunities, and this is in thanks to the abundance of skills and breadth of knowledge you will curate during your time with the apprenticeship.

To begin with, you could become a Flag State Inspector. Flag State Inspectors are used by Flag States to ensure that the ships that fly their flags maintain satisfactory standards across their vessels. Responsibilities include examinations of the boat’s structure, machinery and equipment, while also upholding health and safety standards in the form of life-saving equipment. It is then your responsibility to recommend control measures, work that needs doing, and communicate this efficiently.

Alternatively, you could use the skills you pick up on this apprenticeship to undertake the role of a Marine Warranty Surveyor. Employment in this role consists of offering technical reviews and reports on machinery and operations to ensure that ships and equipment can be insured. This role is often independent of either the consumer or company and are not tasked to recommend work that needs to be done, they instead leave this up to the client’s digression.

These are just a couple that spring to mind, but you could also move into the role of ship classification surveyor, Class a3 surveyor, and of course a marine surveyor.

Entry Requirements

As this qualification is on a level with a degree, the entry requirements could be higher than a level 3 apprenticeship, but this is often up to the employer’s digression, rather than the training provider. Typically to enter this apprenticeship scheme the expectation is that you have an advanced level 3 qualification, and additional supporting experience working in a maritime environment.

One thing that is essential is at the end of the apprenticeship is the candidate in question should have as a minimum a level 2 standard qualification in Maths and English.  

Key Responsibilities of a Marine Surveyor

A ship called Petro Anica docked at a rig.

The key responsibility you will undertake as an apprentice Marine Surveyor involves planning surveys of a subject ship or machinery. You will have to assess the condition of vessels to ensure that everything is in keeping with maritime rules and health and safety standards. During this time it will be pivotal to record findings and create high-level reports to deliver to shareholders. Ultimately this will involve providing valuations of ships and a determination of whether a ship is safe to sail.

Away from your time assessing the ships, some of your key tasks will be to maintain appropriate knowledge of changing and adapting shipping standards, know the protocols, and be able to identify health and safety risks at any moment. In addition to this, you will need to liaise and converse effectively with ship owners, agents, insurance companies, and shipyards.

Competency and Assessment

While undertaking this apprenticeship you will have to create a portfolio of evidence, while also undertaking an end point assessment all of which will require the apprentice to showcase knowledge of the following; Survey planning and execution, Technical expertise – rules, regulation, and conventions, Technical expertise – engineering, Communication, Leadership and Management, and Health and safety.

See the full assessment brief here.

Conclusion

This apprenticeship is an excellent place to develop their career in the maritime industry. The skills required in this role will mould any learner into an ideal candidate for an abundance of role, while also giving you a degree along the way. And unlike other degrees you will learn while you earn money, letting you progress within both your personal and professional life.

For a look at other degree opportunities in the maritime industry, check our post showcasing the Level 6 Harbour Master Apprenticeship.