Social media makes it easier now more than ever for brands to connect with their audience and identify who and what their target market is engaging with. Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that uses influencers that have a unique relationship with a specific audience to promote a brand and its products or services. Influencers are often seen as an expert in a certain field such as fashion, fitness, food, travel and so on. Instead of marketing directly to a large group of consumers, you use an influencer to do it for you. This involves finding the right influencer to work with and create powerful campaigns around your brand. 

Influencer marketing goes hand-in-hand with two other strategic marketing activities – content creation and distribution. A brand can either create content for the influencer, create content in collaboration with the influencer or the influencer creates the content in order to create the most authentic conversation and engagement around your product and message. Having access to an influencer that has an audience in your niche means you don’t have to spend as much money on testing and finding your audience, as well as paying for print on ads you hope to see a return on. The more people who become familiar with your brand, your story, who you are and what you offer, the greater the chances they will purchase your products or services.

When it comes to influencer marketing, brands need to be extremely careful on the type of influencer they choose – celebrities are not the only people who are considered influencers in the world of blogs and Instagram. Millennials are more connected to influencers and brands on a regular basis, due to their heavy use of mobile devices.  However, it is important to pay attention to their previous experience, what content they have posted, as well as their reputation. 

Smaller companies and those who may not have a big marketing budget may consider using a micro influencer. A micro influencer is a person with a smaller following than macro-influencer celebrities (think 50,000 followers as opposed to hundreds of thousands). They are often more relatable than big-time influencers, and their content can feel more authentic and personal since they are “normal” people rather than a pop or reality tv star. Another benefit of using a micro rather than a macro influencer are their conversion rates. Recent studies show that influencers with less than 1,000 followers have a “like” and engagement rate of about 8%, whereas people with 1,000 to 10,000 followers have a rate of about 4%. This drops to 2.4% for those with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, and to 1.7% when their audience grows to 1 million-plus followers.

Whether you’re trying to drive sales, improve your brand’s reputation and reach, or make more connections, influencer marketing can definitely help you reach your goals. With planning and trust, brands can connect with their target audience and drive action, one influencer at a time.