Digital marketing is an extremely fast-paced and competitive field, and although it provides brands with a lot of unique opportunities, it also has its concurrent challenges.
Today, many brands are finding success in the market by tapping influencers - if you’re looking to improve the efficiency of your digital marketing campaign or make the most of your advertising dollars, it's worth considering how influencer marketing can boost your overall marketing strategy.
What Is An Influencer?
We hear the word thrown out a lot, but what does it really mean?
An influencer is “a person or group that has the ability to influence the behavior [sic] or opinions of others” (Cambridge English Dictionary).
Influencers are usually industry experts, popular personalities, celebrities, and public figures who have the capability to influence trends and purchase decisions. They’re especially popular among Millennials - in fact, 70% of teenagers on YouTube trust influencers over traditional celebrities.
Brands usually use influencers to endorse products in a number of ways from original content to blogs to simple social media posts. Today, over 73% of marketers have an allocated budget for influencer marketing - and that number is only getting larger. It’s safe to say that influencers are here to stay.
Here are some ways influencers can improve your digital marketing campaign.
1. Instant Audience
Most influencers already have thousands - sometimes, even millions - of followers. What's more, they're highly trusted by their audience - 49% of people say they seek recommendations from influencers before purchasing a product or service.
Most consumers see influencers as more genuine and closer to home than big name celebrities or endorsers. Thus, the level of trust is much higher, especially if the influencer is part of a small, tightly-knit community.
2. Expert Produced Content
Influencers are popular because they’re good at what they do.
Most influencers have years of experience and expertise under their belts and are among the most trusted members of their respective communities.
Collaborating with influencers enables you to access their knowledge and expertise, which, in turn, helps your brand build credibility among consumers. This is a win-win situation because it enables influencers to create fresh content and helps brands reach a wider audience.
3. Better ROI
Research suggests that influencer-created content can deliver up to 11x higher ROI than other forms of digital marketing. Moreover, brands that engage in influencer marketing report a return of $6.50 for every $1 invested on influencers. That’s a lot of potential mileage for your dollar.
Brands with limited advertising budgets should consider influencers as a possible means to improve the returns on their marketing campaigns.
Not sure how to maximize your marketing budget? There are companies that help brands take advantage of different strategies through corporate trade and other digital marketing tools.
4. Improved Search Rankings
Google’s search algorithms are constantly changing, and as such, strategies that may have been effective in the past - like invisible text, keyword stuffing, and spam comments - are no longer relevant today.
Unlike traditional SEO strategies, digital marketing, through content creation, enables you to build organic links and leads through material that's truly engaging and relevant. This helps you to improve your reach without having to try and manipulate Google’s algorithms (which, as noted, are prone to changes).
This post originally appeared on Bosmol Social Media News. Main image via ASSY/Pixabay
Source: Social Media Today