Influencer marketing has gained much attention as many brands use it to promote their products and increase sales. To understand the importance of this marketing strategy, we should first understand who influencers are and why they are better at marketing than traditional strategies.
Influencers are people on social media with a large fan following in a specific niche. These people are experts in their domain, and their followers trust them for their reviews and recommendations. For example, a fashion influencer can flaunt their clothes, accessories, and makeup that matches their style.
Is influencer marketing worth investing in?
If you have a product and are concerned about the value of influencers for your brand, here are a few advantages of this new digital marketing strategy.
The Pros of Influencer marketing:
Expands your brand reach
The popularity of influencers is mainly dependent on their number of followers. It takes a lot of time and effort to become famous on social media, and many brands rely on influencers to broaden their reach. Your followers and the influencers’ followers make your brand well-known in your targeted niche.
Builds trust in your customers
When an influencer reviews or uses your products, it makes you credible in their followers’ eyes. People can see how the product will look and what its perks are when they see someone try it. Since these influencers have a good reputation, their word and recommendations can increase your customer pool.
Targets desired customers efficiently
Other digital marketing tools like paid ads, optimized website and social media posts often target the general audience. However, Influencers promote a particular niche, and their followers are usually those interested in those products. For example, a person who likes makeup is likely to follow a makeup artist.
The Cons of Influencer marketing:
While influencers help boost business, certain disadvantages must be considered before opting for this marketing strategy
Choosing the wrong influencer
The success of influencer marketing depends mainly on who you choose to collaborate with. Influencers often have a large fan following but lack authenticity or creativity. In such a case, the influencer can adversely affect your brand image. Moreover, your efforts will go to waste if the influencer does not have content relevant to your product. For example, opting for a makeup expert to promote cars is terrible.
High risk of loss
With influencers, sometimes it is a hit or miss. If your chosen influencer doesn’t have creative content and the work is average, people will not buy your product. Moreover, you must invest in the marketing strategies these influencers use and send PR packages in some situations. If the said person fails, you are the one to bear the consequences.
Boring and repetitive work
There has been a spike in paid partnerships and sponsored content in the last few years. This makes followers skeptical about the product, primarily if the influencer uses similar content for each brand. This also puts off people regarding your brand if they see too many paid partnerships.
Overall, influencer marketing is new, and brands are using it to stay relevant and connected to their audience. This strategy can increase business and lead to brand expansion if done right.