What is a Social Media Influencer?
Social media influencers are people who have built credibility as experts in (or voices for) a particular industry, have developed a large group of followers who look to their advice and thus they are very persuasive in their abilities to get people to follow their recommendations. For this reason, influencer marketing is quickly becoming a key part of many companies’ marketing strategy.
Social influencers are known for their authentic and influential storytelling. They attract followers to their social media posts and consistently provide useful, interesting and motivating information or entertainment for people. These regular posts are what help them expand their social reach. Influencers may be bloggers, celebrities or online entrepreneurs who are able to use their knowledge, charisma and popularity to capitalize on a niche and build widespread credibility.
Influencers have worked extremely long and hard to build a personal brand and cultivate an audience. For this reason they will painstakingly protect their own reputation as well as their followers who trust them. Successful influencers have the focus and the patience to make it in social media, so they will not jeopardize their place just for money. Now that you have an answer to “what is a social media influencer,” the next step is to find out: “what do social media influencers do?”
What Do Social Media Influencers Do?
Statistics show that influencers are significantly impacting brand outreach and their influence is growing year to year. The impact influencers have in expanding social engagement through the multiplying effect of shared advertising far outpaces anything a brand’s own account can accomplish. One important finding is that 61% of consumers trust influencers when they speak for a product or service, while only 38% of consumers trust consumer branded marketing. https://www.shopify.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics
This trust factor is a significant reason why social media influencers are good at doing brand marketing.
Since influencers work across numerous platforms and use their posts, stories and video clips to build a trusting relationship with their followers over time, their audiences are loyal. Any time an influencer’s content and audience closely match your business and what your brand promotes, their skills can present a terrific marketing opportunity. Businesses who partner with influencers open themselves to previously unexplored paths to growth. It is still important to set KPIs for all influencer marketing campaigns so that your business can measure impact and ROI.
When To Use Influencer Marketing
If you provide a service that has a visibly noticeable end result, and you can find a social influencer who believes in your service either because of their own experience or that of people close to them, that is a great time to have them authentically showcase the before and after results of your service.
The same idea works well for your products as well! Connecting with an influencer who has used or is willing to use your product, and then contracting with them to authentically tell their own story with your product in a way that highlights your brand, will be the most effective use of marketing dollars. Remember, these people have a very loyal and trusting relationship with their audience so their stories hold great value and meaning for their followers. Make sure the influencer’s audience falls primarily in your target audience to maximize your reach and results.
TikTok is usually a lesser used social media platform because it relies on a more viral approach by providing marketers with a level playing field when it comes to reach and engagement. Unlike social media platforms such as Instagram or YouTube, TikTok accounts with zero followers can get millions of views on a new video thanks to the viral nature of the algorithm. This means that any use of the TikTok platform has more potential for either a home run or a strikeout.
Knowing when to use influencer marketing is important. Do your homework ahead of time with your target audience, potential influencers, specific products or services, pinpointed brand focus and then work hard to marry these things into one cohesive campaign message.
How to Use Social Media Influencers
Instagram, TikTok and Twitter offer their users content that is easy to view through images and short videos. These videos and images are particularly effective as communication tools and are easy to share with friends. Social media influencers can skillfully communicate a brand message for a business that wants to expand their target audience.
Most influencers connect with a target or niche audience of people who then connect with their followers and then those followers connect with their followers. When your business knows what target audience you want your brand content to get marketed to, the next step is to find the right influencer who will get your brand swiftly shared within that target audience. When your clear brand message is delivered authentically by the right person to the appropriate target audience, your product or service will quickly gain traction.
Understanding how to use social media influencers in your marketing becomes a win/win when those influencers successfully engage their many followers, because your brand gets traction and they get paid for sharing sponsored ads on social media.
The Benefits of Using Social Media Influencers in Marketing
There are many benefits of using social media influencers when you market your brand, products and services. Among the most valuable to your business are:
- Increased brand recognition among your target audience.
- Instant credibility in your product or service via a built trust in the social media influencer.
- Growth in sales and future sales.
- Growth in commitment to your brand.
- The potential for home run type of growth because all the stars align!
But to get to these benefits your team needs to do their homework with clarity of brand message regarding who will be your target audience, who the key influencers are, what story would best communicate your brand and products or services and then making the magic happen.
Conclusion
Even after reading this article you may still be wondering, what the benefits of using social media influencers in your business marketing are. Most businesses must focus on their own day to day operations and have little time to explore the newest wave in marketing. And, especially if you are an established business that is looking for ways to reach a new and younger audience with your products or services, it is likely that you are feeling that social media marketing is out of your comfort zone. This sounds like a lot of work for something that could be a fad or is hard to really understand.
Don’t worry! This is where a full-service marketing agency like zö agency can come in and take this kind of project off of your plate, providing you with the expertise and experience you need to produce the quality benefits for your business that are listed above. Contact us today at zö.agency and let us make the magic of social media influencer marketing work for you. Who knows we may even hit a home run for your business brand and sales.
