Influencer marketing is on the rise today but there’s a lot of noise out there in the online marketing world, and in 2017 it will only continue to increase. More and increasingly varied advertisements from all the major social media channels will continue to bombard your potential customers. So what is the savvy marketer to do now?
Many brands have relied on influencer marketing to bypass all the noise and get their products and services in front of their audiences. Will influencer marketing keep on working in 2017 and beyond? Is the influencer marketing landscape already saturated?
The Evolution of Influencer Marketing
Back in the day, to be considered an influencer you had to be able to reach hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people through your chosen media channel. Nowadays, since more and more brands have been relying on influencer marketing, the threshold to be considered an influencer is significantly lower. For example, if you have 10000 followers on Youtube, you can be considered a micro-influencer.
This realization has actually been very beneficial for many brands, especially those who serve very focused niches. Now, this doesn’t mean that larger influencers aren’t effective as a marketing tool, but rather this means that you now have more options.
It Has to Be a Long Term Relationship
An influencer’s currency is trust. Trust is more valuable than any paycheck. Influencers have expectations to build a mutually beneficial relationship with a brand. Although some will agree to push your product after accepting a paycheck, most influencers value their audiences’ trust first and foremost. Communicating clearly with the influencer and giving them the freedom to be honest to their audience is the best policy to ensure a long term relationship.
Influencers’ Impact on Buying Decisions
Sprout Social mentions in a report from November 2016 that 74% of consumers are adopting recommendations of influencers to make their purchasing decisions. This is a reflection of the fact that consumers trust ads less. 47% of consumers used some form of ad blocking software in 2016. As the trend to use ad-blocking software increases, the recommendations of influencers will continue to gain importance.
It’s all about trust and credibility
Live broadcasting has become widespread across social media channels. Showing your brand in an honest and transparent way will become crucial to build credibility with your customers. When an influencer that customers look up to is hosting a live broadcast with a brand, it only adds appeal and trustworthiness.
Live content has an inherent sense of credibility in the view of consumers, and its acceptance is widespread. This is why consistently portraying your brand in this format will increase your customer’s trust.
To wrap it up, influencer marketing is here to stay and it will continue to have an impact on how consumers make their purchasing decisions. As with all things digital marketing, in order to be successful at it you need to have a high level of commitment. Just working with influencers here and there isn’t enough to get you the results you need. You need a comprehensive strategy and a clear view of the influencer marketing playing field if you plan on getting results in 2017.
