How Influencers Are Changing the Brand Awareness Game

Remember the girl that used to take pictures of herself going to the gym and drinking iced coffee? The guy that would blow your newsfeed up with promotions for the hottest club or party in town? Well, both of them now make as much as a person working an eight-hour shift with one Instagram post.

Around 2015, people grew tired and skeptic of the graying advertising world. By that time, consumers had picked up on the blatant product placement from brands and the saturated crowds of people given their unverified opinion on products and services. It’s obvious that a recommendation from a credible source holds more weight than an advertisement.

That’s why in early 2017, 59% of marketers increased their influencer marketing budget.

What is influencer marketing?

In short, it is a marketing technique that places focus on key individuals who have popularity or expertise in specific industries.

Before, large brands such as department stores only trusted well-known celebrity faces to promote and represent their products. Now those same companies are utilizing fashion bloggers and influencers with a heavy following in design to shine the spotlight on their products. Bloomingdale’s and Adidas are prominent examples of this.

Even though influencer marketing has been building momentum for a decade, 2017 was the year it exploded onto the scene and truthfully changed the way brands acquired customers and made sales. Gone are the days where a company can rely solely on its PR department when a simple post about their platform or service can shift their tides. Now, they have no choice but to fall back and let influencers create their own narrative. This will ensure they remain authentic and true to the voice.

Whether you’ve already tapped into the massive power and reaped the rewards of influencer marketing, or if you’re just thinking about getting your feet wet, we believe in staying ahead of the curve.

Here’s what to expect in the glossy world of influencer marketing as it continues to evolve and create personalities as large as the actors and actresses of Hollywood.

#Redefining Reach vs. Business Results

Influencer marketing had always been about reach and creating awareness. Sculpting relationships with influencers and building a unique audience was the top priority, and by no means will that stop. Lately, though, brands have turned their attention from growth to securing deep engagement and more conversions.

What this means is...
there will be a surge of live stream Q&A’s, company hosted webinars and a heavy focus on audience appeal.

#Embrace Diversity and Become The industry Peacock

With the influx of companies maximizing their influencer marketing, brands are beginning to storm up innovative ways to rev up their campaigns. By aspiring to be bold and different, brands are utilizing a mix of influencer types and personalities.

What this means is...
companies are using a combination of industry experts, micro-influencers, and even customers to promote and boost their campaigns.

#Create a Strong Connection Between Influencer and Brand

One way this is happening is that influencers are being turned into Brand Ambassadors. The one-and-done promotion is being outweighed by more long-term partnerships. This essentially shifts the influencer into a powerful extension of a marketing team.

What this means is...
developing a relationship with influencers. This entails being transparent, employing empathy, personalization upon an approach, and ensuring a fantastic experience for every influencer that you reach out to.

#Influencers Sculpting Their Brand Strategy

An influencer in 2018 with multiple brands reaching out to them now has the opportunity to pick and choose which brands they want to align themselves with and what projects they want to take on. They’ve become much more thoughtful in how a partnership or promotion could help grow their own audience and brand.

What this means is...
programs and messages that are sent to influencers should be custom-built and targeted towards the specific individual. Brands should think of sculpting pre-written messages to send to influencers, being aware of the individuals own busy schedules. There has also become a centralized practice of sharing the success of content to their partners, which builds trust within the relationship.

#Master the Three Pillars of Influencer Engagement

It’s easy to break into influencer marketing, as everyone has become an essential beacon of influence.

What this means is...

• Using Micro-content, such as insights and inspiring quotes from influencers to add depth to brand-created content which assists in staying relevant

• Campaigns - contributions from the influencer, in the form of an interview posted to multiple social platforms to an ebook deal that can be recycled into photos on an Instagram account, or blog posts that can build awareness and show that creating a great experience is the ultimate end goal

• Community - simply put, are the people that have relationships with a brand and co-create content to reach mutual goals, and provide the most value possible to their respective audience, all while capitalizing on each other’s strengths to provide a clear vision to build upon

There’s not much stopping you from getting your influencer marketing started. Utilize the strategies and concepts discussed above to create content with meaning and campaigns that strive to think and create differently.

Now get out there and show the world why they should be giving you their attention!

Always looking forward,

Ken Wayne, Content Strategist

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