Why is Influencer Marketing Essential for Your Brand?

To understand the term influencer marketing, it would be ideal to recognize who is an influencer first. Simply put, an influencer is a person who has successfully managed to build a loyal following of audiences through the consistent presence and relevant content creation on social media platforms using blogs or other communities that caters to the interests of their specific following base. These people are experts in their niche. Thus, influencer marketing is the process wherein brands seek the help of external content creators, also known as influencers, to advocate and ensure the engagement of audiences with their identity. 

According to research conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub, the current state of the influencer marketing landscape indicates that it is expected to grow to a worth of $13.8 billion in 2021 (https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/). Further, Insider Intelligence reported that 70% of internet users in the US who regularly watched live streams led by influencers said they were likely to buy products recommended by them. This falls under eCommerce influencer marketing which is another popularly growing phenomenon.

Why is Influencer Marketing Essential for Your Brand? 

1. Raises Brand Awareness – Influencer marketing establishes effective brand recognition among target audiences organically. The influencer remains a reliable source of information for a majority of their following. Hence, when they post and talk about your brand on their social media channels, they ensure higher visibility, traction, and engagement to a larger demographic of target customers.  
2. Helps Improve Brand Credibility and Trust – It takes years for popular influencers to build a level of trust among their loyal followers. This is why their word about a brand is considered seriously by the audience. Influencers act as reliable and unbiased third-party informants for your target audience, and when they speak well for the brand, their followers start trusting the brand too.
3. Improves Reach Among Relevant Audiences – As a brand manager, you clearly understand the importance of reaching out to the right customers to raise sales. Influencer marketing is here to help you achieve that goal. When people follow an influencer online, they tend to look for common interests and values, so the influencer who caters to your need will, as a by-product, make an impact on people who are looking for something similar. 
4. Grows Sales – Truth be told, we are now living in an age where your customers trust third-party sources like popular influencers more than brands and marketers. Because they talk about the brand with their own experiences in engaging and eye-catching ways, it is bound to drive interested audiences to your website, ultimately improving the chances to make a sale.  
5. Boosts Google Search Visibility – The quality of your link profile plays a crucial role in establishing your ranking on search engines. So, according to SEO rules, you need to earn high-profile backlinks to your website from trusted sources like influencers to fulfill the search engine ranking factors. That increased traffic will eventually boost your search visibility. 
6. Increases Brand Engagement – Engagement is the buzzword when it comes to social media and search engines these days. So, yet another benefit of influencer marketing is that they manage to guide your audience to engage with your brand on every possible platform in a better way.  
7. Drives Sales By Creating Word-of-mouth and Peer Pressure – Lastly, due to their wide reach and a strong trust-based relationship with their followers, the influencers you work with for your brand will generate more leads for your products which, in turn, will convert into sales. With their rapport to drive your sales, you won’t have to persuade customers to try your products or services.   

All set to reach out to the ideal influencers for your brand? Collaborate with the right influencers for your brand to create brand awareness and drive sales quickly. For that, conduct thorough research on the Top Influencer Marketing Trends to understand where to begin. 

Author Bio:

Rachel Smith is a communication executive who works with the content marketing team at Affable, an influencer marketing company that provides AI-driven solutions that allows you to plan and execute your influencer campaigns strategically. She develops content around social media and marketing topics that can help her readers understand how to pick the right influencers, measure their impact, and run effective influencer campaigns. In her free time, she loves meeting new people and attending workshops on communication and psychology.

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