Influencers and the work they do has heavily influenced the way so many consumers follow,  shop and view brands. In fact, it has completely transformed the way business is conducted today. When you log on to social media accounts, think about how many people you follow have an influence on you. Do they have the ability to market a product to you? 

We’ll discuss what makes someone an influencer and why influencer marketing can not only be a huge part of your business tactics, but also how it can be the main portion of your return on investments. 

What Makes Someone an Influencer? 

Although we may have a set idea in our heads about what makes an influencer, the truth is that this person can actually be anyone that has the power to affect your purchasing decisions of a service or good. 

This means that as long as this person has the authority, knowledge, position or relationship with an audience he/she is trying to convey the message, then they are an influencer. It also doesn’t matter what type of following size they possess. 

Is Influencer Marketing a Good Option For You? 

While influencer marketing is a good option for many, it’s important to establish if this is a great option for you and the business you represent. Make sure to ask yourself these qualifying questions before getting started. 

Does your product or service have a large appeal to customers? 

Is there a social media presence to occupy? 

Are there influencers that will fit your target audience for marketing purposes? 

When answering any of these questions, it’s important to do a detailed analysis. If there’s a “no” response to any of these questions, also make sure to ask if there’s a possibility for that to change later. Different marketing tactics will work at various times, which is why it’s always good to strategize at the beginning and form a plan. 

Increased Brand Awareness 

One of the main reasons why so many companies gravitate towards influencer marketing is the massive reach some of these internet and celebrity personalities have among their followers. There are influencers with thousands or millions of followers, so one branded post can certainly go a long way when needed. 

When there is a collaboration with an influencer, it helps a brand gain legitimate and more reactive reach than the standard billboard on the highway or a sponsored post on Instagram. It shows the brand is real, and a lot of times it shows the brand or service in action. This alone can create a perfect setup for why someone may need the brand in his/her own household. 

There’s More Niche Marketing 

Believe it or not niche marketing has the potential to bring in more competition than mass marketing. Why? It’s due to the simple facts that there are fewer competitors and more of a strict demographic to the target audience. 

An influencer with access to this niche market also cuts out the need for added research and hard work to finding this market. Instead, it can all be found in one space. 

For instance, if you have a fishing company that wants to sell innovative fishing nets to a target audience, then it would be a great call to find an influencer that has a love for fishing and sharing the sport with his audience. By partnering with this person, the brand instantly has access to all of his followers, which happens to be a part of their niche market.  

The Brand Has Built Trust and Credibility 

Influencers have invested a large amount of time building trust for their audience, and that’s extremely valuable for a company that’s also trying to achieve that same level of trust. 

When you see an influencer share their honest feedback about a brand or product, their followers instantly perceive the product to have value. This positive review then has the potential to increase sales and profitability. 

However, if an influencer is not a fan of your product, then the opposite could happen where the brand can have a more negative perception. This reason alone is why it’s super important to target your influencers carefully and ensure that your product is in line with their needs and views. If not, it could have a potentially powerful backfire.  

There’s Genuine Audience Engagement

Audience engagement has gotten easier to come by as more people have gotten accustomed to the fact that more influencers are more open to starting conversations. It’s doing more than only scratching the surface that is a bit tougher to achieve. 

When there is a genuine audience engagement and a conversation going, it’s a positive reinforcement to your brand awareness and sales overall. Again, this is another reason why influencers are a good package deal to brands trying to achieve this and more. It’s this example alone that influencers spend a ton of time investing, so it’s a true win when your brand can share with some of the engaging audience. 

Higher Conversions 

More sales mean that there is a larger return on investment. In marketing, there is a large sales funnel that marketers attempt to get customers to go in all of the way. The end game is not only a sale, but it’s also a loyal client to come back and continue purchasing. 

Thankfully when it comes to influencers, they’re winners when it comes to getting several of their followers to go down that same funnel. 

Influencers also cut out the need for consumers to do their own research. As a result, a large part of their job is doing the research for them. For example, fashion and lifestyle influencer Campbell Hunt Puckett uses her platform to inform her followers of the best shopping spots and deals. She even purchases these products herself and provides her followers with links to make the experience easier than ever.   

More Website Driven Traffic 

Just like conversions, driven website traffic is one of the largest parts of the marketing funnel that makes the sales happen. Even if an influencer hasn’t fully convinced a few of his/her followers to make the purchase, that brand has now been exposed and will be thought of when it comes to making similar future purchases. 

As a result, your brand will also have an increased search engine ranking. So even after the initial promotion from an influencer is long gone, the results from their efforts still remain and will be beneficial to you for much longer. 

When Should I Invest in Influencer Marketing? 

Now that you know all of the key points for why influencer marketing is a huge factor for large and small companies, it’s the perfect time to try it out or yourself. Whether you’re trying to achieve one marketing objective or multiple, influencer marketing has the resources and capabilities to provide valuable returns that will last for a long time. 

Best of all, there are all sorts of influencers in various markets and digital platforms. Have no fear that the right one will truly have possession of your desired target audience. When it comes to any sort of marketing, know that by starting now your results will be surfacing sooner rather than later.