A decade ago, only popular film stars and sportspeople were given the status of “influencer”. They were featured on huge billboards and TV advertisements. Today, social media provides an opportunity for anyone with access to a mobile phone and the internet to showcase their talent to the world. These creators may have fewer followers than celebrities, but their influence is huge. Marketers recognise this potential opportunity, and that’s why brands are looking for influencers: to reinforce reputation, foster credibility, generate brand lift and gain more sales.
Brands looking for influencers get these competitive advantages
Consumers have become extremely attuned to filtering out ads. It’s made creators indispensable to a marketing strategy and the number one reason brands are looking for influencers. When it comes to a no-holds-barred battle, influencer marketing beats conventional advertising every time.
1. Content feels organic rather than ads
Instagram Reels, YouTube streams, and Spotify podcasts are now part of our daily routine. Every person, in some form or another, is using social media for one or more purposes. Yet, when it comes to social media marketing and ads, skipping them has become a muscle memory.
Consumers only pay attention to ads that they actively seek, instead of looking at those thrown in their way. But influencer-generated content is different.
It has an organic feel that subtly guides consumers to pay attention, giving brands the impetus to look for influencers for collaborations.
2. Consumers trust influencer opinions
Traditional advertisements are shot with a script and feature celebrities or actors playing a part. The message is carefully edited and not their opinion, which is why an average person finds it hard to trust.
Influencer marketing, on the other hand, involves a creator sharing their opinions about a product or service in a way that appeals to their audience. People enjoy their content, think highly of their reviews, and trust their judgement.
Scripted advertisements may be entertaining and more aesthetically pleasing to watch, but creator content adds originality to brand messages. And the only way to capitalise on this is to look for influencers.
3. Bring in conversions for brands
Conversion is another factor contributing to why brands are looking for influencers to disseminate their messaging. Creators provide content that not only raises brand awareness but also drives revenue. The better the influencer-generated content, the more conversions.
4. Boosts SEO ranking of brand
It’s an industry given that influencers are great for marketing, but for established businesses. This is not true. For startups and small businesses, creators can be the golden goose of discovery.
Consider this scenario: an influencer shares a post or video about your brand. Their followers get intrigued and give in to their natural urge to know more about your product or service. They either click on the link added by the influencer in the post or search for your brand on Google.
Either way, it results in an increase in traffic to your site. And as the traffic increases, the ranking on Google SERP also increases.
Are you a brand looking for influencers?
Influencers accomplish everything marketing messaging aspires to do: build trust, increase awareness, and convert leads to sales. If you are a brand not investing in influencer marketing yet, it’s high time you did.
And the first step to it is looking for the right influencers.
Don’t know how?
