Influencer Marketing

Digital Marketing and Influencers

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Digital Marketing through Influencers is a form of social media marketing. Companies use influencers for product placement and endorsement. It works because of the connection and trust between the person and their followers. But where did it start, what’s the true value of it and where is it heading?

Influencers in Digital Marketing Origins

Influencers really started around 2009, with the likes of PewDiePie, Alfie Deyes and Zoella. Hobbies with engaging content attracted fans and followers, which in turn gave them status as industry leaders, and therefore, influencers.

Instagram started in 2010 which really started the influencer craze. Here, posts were image and video lead which enabled them to reach larger audiences than ever before.

By the mid-2010’s, the statistics showed the real power influencers had over opinions and buying habits.

  • 40% of people say they’ve purchased an item online after seeing it used by an influencer on Instagram, Twitter, Vine, or YouTube (2016)
  • 74% of people turn to social networks for guidance on purchase decisions. (2014)
  • Twitter users report a 5.2X increase in purchase intent when exposed to promotional content from influencers. (2016)
  • Among teens, YouTube stars are perceived as 17X more engaging and 11X more extraordinary than mainstream stars. (2015)

The global pandemic saw an even bigger rise in influencer marketing as social media consumption boomed. So, with all these amazing statistics up until today, where do influencers take digital marketing in 2023?

Influencers and Digital Marketing

Trends for Influencers in Digital Marketing in 2023

With the influencer industry predicted to be worth $24.1bn by 2025, these are the trends that are likely to get us there:

  • Longer content is going to be ok! TikTok saw a trend of short content going viral, however, they have since raised the video length to 10 minutes proving that there is room for both types of content
  • Smaller creators will be given the chance to shine. For businesses, it makes sense to partner with influencers with huge followings. However, there is now a trend for micro and nano influencers to be used. These influencers engage more personally with their audience, which is a great thing.
  • Niche creators are becoming more widespread. This is great news as there’s always an option for someone to fit what you want as a business.
  • Being real is becoming more popular. You’re going to be seeing fewer filters and seeing more off-the-cuff content.
  • Live shopping has become big in China, so you can expect to be seeing more influencers taking you out shopping with them.
  • Brands are collaborating on products with influencers too. As the influencer gains name recognition, it only makes sense to use it with the products.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using influencers as a form of digital marketing has come a long way. It will continue to be a valuable tool for brands looking to reach targeted audiences and generate buzz. Furthermore, brands can drive amazing results by using authentic influencers. In partnering with influencers who have large and engaged followings, brands can reach new audiences and drive traffic to their own channels which is essential.

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Is Influencer Marketing the best way to grow in 2022?

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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

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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.