Marketing Trend: 9 Reasons Your Small Business Should Work with Influencers

Influencer Marketing is a popular marketing strategy in the age of social media and all that is digital. It focuses on using leaders or highly influential individuals to spread the word about a brand’s message.

Several people on the internet gain thousands, if not millions, of loyal followers who buy whatever product or service the influencer posts or writes about. As a small business owner, you can now leverage on this new form of marketing technique.

Role of Social Media and Content Marketing

Influencer marketing campaigns often goes hand-in-hand with two other forms of marketing: Social Media Marketing and Content Marketing.

In campaigns that include social media, influencers use their personal accounts to talk about a brand. Some of today’s most popular social media channels for influencer marketing include:

• Instagram. This social media powerhouse boasts a 3.21% engagement rate compared to the average of 1.5% across channels.
• Youtube. According to 18% of consumers, this leading video sharing site impacts purchasing decisions.
• Pinterest. This often underestimated platform is not only full of consumers, but 87% of its users admit to having purchased something because of Pinterest.

Content marketing is also a crucial component of an influencer campaign. Several influencers gain rampant popularity for their natural ability to sell or promote products. Thus, you can either give an influencer complete creative freedom, or ensure that they hit the high points of your brand by providing a script.

Why Your Small Business Should Invest in Influencer Marketing

Whether or not you like it, influencer marketing is today’s hottest social media marketing trend. In fact, 23% of marketers across industries and countries plan to increase their influencer spending by 30-50%. If you are not among them, here are nine reasons to include social media influencers in your next marketing campaign:

1. Maximize the power of word of mouth

Even you can attest that people trust the opinions of friends and family over the direct messaging of brands. 90% of consumers claim they value recommendations from people they know. Although consumers may not know an influencer personally, their biggest advantage is that they are trusted by their followers and can impact buying decisions. This is the very reason brands hire big-ticket ambassadors and endorsers — because people love and trust them. However, instead of appearing on televised commercials, which costs quite a pretty penny, hiring someone influential to post about your brand on widely available and free platforms is less expensive and yet still effective.

2. Establish trust and loyalty

Did you know only 4% of consumers trust marketing tactics? Fortunately, if there is one thing influencers have successfully established, it is the trust and loyalty they have with their audience — an essential marketing tool.

3. Advertise authentically

Aside from your own marketing and advertising efforts, you can admit that other online ads get on your nerves, too. In fact, internet users around the world are growing increasingly frustrated with online ads, which manifests in the rising popularity of ad blockers. Social media influencers have perfected the art of selling authentically with their personalized approach, which rarely appears too sales-like. Many social influencers are famous for being unapologetically themselves, which can help you overcome the trend of robotic, rehearsed marketing.

4. Get high organic reach

At the beginning of 2018, Facebook announced a major algorithm change that decreases brands’ organic reach in favor of more “meaningful” person-to-person interactions. If you work with influencers, you barely have to worry about this algorithm tweak. Since influencer content generates high engagement, it can help your brand surface in news feeds organically.

5. Deliver your message to a niche audience

Several launched websites and businesses remain unaware of their identity and target audiences — especially the niche ones. Social influencers specialize in magnetizing niche communities in one place and can significantly help your brand appeal to smaller, more specific user groups. Partnering with an influencer with a diverse audience can spark new life into your brand, as their endorsement will reach different types of individuals. Once they start promoting your brand, their followers will become more and more interested in learning about your brand. Over time, you are sure to see increased growth in a new, valued audience or market.

6. Generate quality leads

50% of marketers claim that influencer marketing paved the way to attracting quality leads to their business. Since social media influencers allow you to tap into precise audiences with tailored content, there is a great possibility that your message will resonate and drive conversions.

7. Boost your revenue

Better quality leads can only mean more conversions for your business, and more conversions result in higher returns on investment. In fact, a study concludes that incorporating influencers in your marketing strategy can boost your revenue by 11 times, which is tangible proof of the effectiveness of influencer marketing.

8. Improve your SEO ranking

There is so much more to social media influencers than posting photos or videos about a brand. You also have the option to collaborate on their blog sites. Having an influencer mention your brand on their blog can generate high-quality backlinks to your website, which will improve your Google search engine page ranking.

9. Level the playing field with your competitors (or get the upper hand)

92% of marketers found working with influencers incredibly useful in 2017, and 39% of marketers plan on increasing their influencer marketing budget in 2018. These numbers prove that several businesses are already reaping the benefits of working with influencers. If you are not one of them yet, it is time to practice more modern marketing strategies to ensure that your business survives the digital age.

The Takeaway

No matter what industry, state, or country you operate in, leveraging on the undeniable prowess of social media influencers will help you achieve your marketing goals engagingly and creatively. Whether you need help finding the perfect influencer for your brand, or seek aid in building your marketing strategy from the ground up, PrimeView is the leading provider of e-solutions in Phoenix, Arizona. Get a free quote today by calling us at 480-970-4688.