3 Reasons to Add Influencer Marketing into Your 2021 Social Media Strategy
Influencer marketing has become a way to increase both sales and marketing efforts for companies around the world. First seen through the use of Youtube, influencers have made their way to Instagram and now make a living off partnering with companies to share products, services and more.
While influencer marketing has been viewed with skepticism since its inception, BNL knows the truth! We’ve met beautiful influencers inside and out who do incredible work! We’ve partnered with many and have seen the success these partnerships have brought our clients across many different industries.
Influencer marketing shouldn’t be missed when creating a social media strategy for 2021! In this blog, we’ll share three reasons why.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Before we completely dive in, let’s chat about what influencer marketing is and what it entails. This form of marketing is about establishing a relationship with a specific influencer who aligns with your brand and business. Once this relationship is taken to the next level, the influencer will use their platform to talk about your company and its products or services.
There are many influencers who charge per sponsorship, collaboration or post about a company. And there are others who will happily share about a product that was gifted to them as a PR product for free.
It’s important to note that there are government rules around influencer marketing. Canadian influencers must disclose any “material connection” they have to a brand, which means they have to reveal whether they:
Received payment in money or commission
Received free products or services
Received discounts
Received free trips or tickets to an event
3 Benefits of Influencer Marketing in 2021
1. Builds trust and shows authority in company
As soon as a celebrity, Instagram influencer or social media personality shares content about a brand, it creates this instant credibility to the company. When an influencer shares a product or service, it means that all of their followers will see the post or story. These followers look up to this influencer for advice, product recommendations and authority when deciding to buy anything. When they say “you should buy this” or “I love this product!”, the follower thinks that they should buy it.
It immediately creates this perception that the brand is trustworthy, based on the endorsement of the influencer.
2. Creates and increases brand awareness
Influencer marketing provides your company the ability to expand business reach and position within the digital world. When an influencer shares about your product or service and tags your business, the number of eyes that then visit your account will increase. Social users will begin to know more about your brand, your story and the solutions that you provide to your customers.
Influencers can be the driving force behind new trends and different online movements. They bring new ideas, products, services and companies to their audiences. Aligning your brand with the correct influencers will bring you the brand awareness you’re after in 2021.
But, consider the influencers who you work with. If you’re an adventure hotel, it wouldn’t necessarily match well to partner with a beauty and fashion influencer. And, if you decided to anyways, their audience may not be your ideal audience and it may not achieve the results you were hoping for.
Before partnering with an influencer, figure out who your ideal customer is and then begin looking for an influencer in that area/niche. We have a whole army of influencers that our clients work with and who we’ve created fantastic relationships with. Feel free to reach out to us to discuss how to find the right influencer for your campaign and company.
3. Access to different consumers (Gen Z and millennials)
Opening up your product or service to different generational consumers is a fantastic way to get a boost in business! Gen Z and millennials go to the internet to get their answers. Whether it’s a question they want answered, a product they wish to see reviews on or to shop for something they need.
Everything can be and is found on the internet.
When you utilize influencer marketing, you’re opening your business up to a number of consumers who may not have known about your company beforehand. Influencers are trendsetters and millennials and Gen Z love a good trend! If their favourite influencer says they need to try this brand, they’ll visit the online store and purchase that same day.
We should note, influencers who have the ability to “swipe up” on their stories, creates an even bigger opportunity for sales! Because if they link to your website, their audience is more likely to swipe up to make a purchase right there compared to visiting the website on their own in the future.
Influencer Partnerships are The Way of the Future
Influencer marketing should be seen as a long term partnership. When an influencer speaks about your brand several times or even monthly, it reminds their audience about your company. Compared to an influencer only speaking about the product or service once and never again.
It takes time to build trust between brands and consumers. We all know this. The same thing goes for influencers and their influence over their audiences.
At BNL, we’ve seen huge successes through our client accounts when influencers are utilized in their social media strategy. It builds awareness, attracts new followers and boosts all around business. If you’re interested in becoming a client of BNL’s and learning more about how we champion influencer marketing, reach out to us today!