Why influencer marketing?

Here at Trend, we get asked a lot what’s the big deal with influencer marketing. Do images on Instagram really translate into increased awareness and, perhaps most importantly, sales? The short answer is yes. Granted, influencer marketing didn't even exist 5 years ago but, as any brand that’s racing to stay ahead of the curb can tell you, that is quickly changing.

Simply put, traditional forms of advertising are not as effective as they used to be. In this era of streaming and tivo, few people are exposed to television ads, and those that are are disproportionately older. And just about everyone has adblock installed on their computer these days. So what’s a brand to do then? The answer is to take their advertising to the place where people actually spend their time - social media, and the influencers that live there.

Influencers are wonderful representatives for a brand because they’re authentic. No one starts off with a large, dedicated following. Rather, they build it over time by creating photos and stories that truly resonate with people, engaging with their audience, and being authentic. Additionally, the fluid nature of social media means no one needs to follow an influencer unless they truly like what they’re producing. The result is a highly targeted and engaged audience - for instance, followers of a dog account are overwhelmingly likely to have dogs of their own and respond well to shoutouts for specific dog treats and products. Similarly, followers of fashion accounts likely consider themselves to also be fashionistas, and so on.

Even better, influencers excel as creating professional, high-quality content for your brand. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for professional photoshoots, influencers create great content on their own at a fraction of the cost, content that brands can then repurpose.

Of course, the proof is in the pudding, so consider these stats: According to industry leader Nielsen, 92% of people are more trusting of a recommendation made by an individual - even a stranger - than a brand. Influencer marketing allows a brand to break in while still feeling organic and unintrusive. Influencer marketing also has a 37% higher retention rate than other marketing channels. It is also important to note the long term value of social media - even if a sponsored post does not immediately translate into a sale, Linkedin has found that 84% of B2B purchases start with a referral and that social media marketing has a 16% higher lifetime value. It’s also instrumental in driving traffic to websites and building brand awareness. And on a more subjective level, which product would you trust more: the one with 5 generic stock images or the one with a rich stream of photos generated by real people using the product in a real world setting?

In conclusion, through authentic content and high engagement, influencers are a great way to introduce your brand to a target audience and generate great earned media. Intrigued? You should be!