Do you want your company to be able to survive the Coronavirus pandemic? Then you need to connect with your target audience and grow a community around your brand. One of the best ways to grow your reach and connect with your audience is via influencer marketing.
This strategy gets a bad reputation for fraud and influencer scandals. Then, there is a risk of damaging your credibility by partnering with the wrong influencers. These are valid concerns that may prevent you from investing in influencer marketing.
But influencer marketing has many benefits, and it still works for brands that follow the right strategies. Here are some reasons why you should take the plunge into influencer marketing:
1. You Can Reach a Targeted Audience
Influencers in your niche can help you reach a targeted audience that may be interested in your products.
Even micro and nano-influencers, who typically have smaller followings, have more relevant and engaged audiences. They work hard to build connections with their followers and nurture their relationships.
In fact, 42.9% of brands find them most effective for reasons such as authenticity and better relationships with their target audience.
However, the most important aspect of influencer marketing is to find the right influencers. To filter profiles based on criteria like age, gender, niche, engagement rate, and others, you can use influencer discovery tools.
2. You Can Publish Fresh Content
Any brand looking to improve their visibility while also providing value to their target audience needs to publish content. But it’s not always easy to produce relevant and fresh content on your own. You may not have the required time or resources for content creation.
This is where influencers can save the day. They make online content for their audiences daily. So, they have an abundance of ideas and regularly produce creative and engaging content that resonates with their audience.
Partnering with them can help you take your content strategy to the next level. At the same time, you can boost your reach and promote your products to a broader audience.
3. You Can Build Trust
The pandemic has led to changes in how businesses run their marketing and messaging. But it has not stopped them from seeking to capture audience attention and build customer trust. However, that is not a task that can be accomplished in a day.
Most successful influencers already have a community of engaged and devoted followers that your brand can tap into. They can then help you build trust with your target audience and validate your brand as one that solves their pain points. Plus, influencer-generated content can also work as social proof to win over new customers.
4. You Can Create Content On Trending Topics
For most brands, it takes time to get approvals and get content ready before it is published. Creating an effective marketing strategy requires a lot of planning beforehand.
If you want to create engaging content on trending topics, you need to be able to come up with ideas quickly. Influencers can gauge what their audiences want and create content that suits their needs. They can help you come up with ideas that are in-sync with the trends or emerging themes.
For instance, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, many people couldn’t visit the salon. Eva Longoria created a video showing how she colored her hair at home with L’Oréal products. Such authentic content can resonate with the audience since they are likely to be in a similar position.
5. You Can Boost Your Engagement Rate
Imagine if a niche influencer with five thousand followers tells their audience to use your product. Not only do you get more visibility, but you also get more reach. Ardent followers of the influencer are likely to interact with the post.
Because of this, you may get more likes, comments, and shares on influencer-generated content. This, in turn, can boost your overall engagement rate.
6. You Can Promote Products Without Seeming Annoying
Did you know that 74% of consumers use advertising avoidance strategies? They use ad blockers to avoid online ads. In addition to this, they even change their media habits. In a nutshell, users find promotional ads annoying.
On the other hand, users actively search for influencers’ recommendations to find the right products to purchase. Through influencer marketing, you can advertise your products without seeming too salesy. Good influencers know how to package content that is engaging for their audiences.
All of this, without any invasive pop-ups or the need to skip an ad. Instead, users can check influencer content on their social media feeds.
Stand Out With Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing can help you provide your target audience with social proof, increase your reach, and boost conversions.
In a time where brand messaging can appear ignorant of the situation or too promotional, influencers can create authentic content that speaks to your audience’s needs. There are many benefits to it. Leverage this strategy to get an edge over your competitors.
Do you need help planning or executing your influencer campaigns during these trying times? Share your concerns and we will try our best to offer tactics that can help you succeed.
Author Bio –
Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant who specializes in influencer marketing, content marketing, and SEO. He is the Co-Founder of Attrock, a digital marketing agency. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.