Digital marketing strategies evolve together with the progress of technology, the internet, and trends that contribute to the competitiveness and business in general. For example, strategies that were popular five years ago are considered ancient now. One of the most popular digital marketing methods that is, also, here to stay is influencer marketing which involves recruiting bloggers and other influencers to subtly promote or mention your business or service you provide. Although this marketing technique has a tremendous potential to succeed, to get the most out of it, it’s important to focus on customer needs, according to the latest report.
What does Report Say?
According to the report from Traackr and Altimeter Group, influencer marketing offers a great opportunity for brands that are willing to invest resources, more time, and focus more on customers’ needs. Based on the report named Influence 2.0: The Future of Influencer Marketing, to experience all benefits that come with this marketing strategy, it is essential to make it a priority. Despite the enormous potential, influencer marketing is largely underemployed by numerous companies that don’t even allocate enough finances to this strategy.
Researchers who worked on the report polled 102 brand strategists and marketers from enterprises like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, American Express, and many others. About 48% of poll respondents were associated with companies employing more than 10,000 staff.
The findings showed that 71% marketers consider influencer marketing as a strategic marketing category, but only 43% tried out this practice, while 28% involve influencers at the campaign level. At the same time, 83% said their major priority was to identify and build quality relationships with influencers. Despite the fact that 28% run an “always on” program, only 5% of polled enterprises implement this marketing strategy across all functions of the business.
Principal analyst at Altimeter explained that marketers should reimagine their role of a central driver of organizational change by paying more attention to customer needs. They should connect with customers in more genuine and practical manners.
It’s all about Relationship with Customers
The report explains that a successful internet marketing program should be constant or ongoing, not one-off. Besides that, companies should allocate more finances to this strategy, as mentioned above. Some brands have already recognized the true potential of influencer marketing, have bigger budgets for this purposes, and they’re already experiencing benefits.
Influencer marketing isn’t just about getting someone with a big follower count to mention your product or services on social media. In order for it to truly work, it is paramount to consider customer needs and meet their expectations. The more a company builds up a relationship over time, the greater the compact its campaigns will have. That way, endorsements from influencers, bloggers, and vloggers will seem trustworthy. Plus this adds to the whole idea of a subtle marketing campaign.
How can Influencer Marketing Get You More Customers?
According to a study by McKinsey, consumer-to-consumer word-of-mouth generates twice the sales of paid advertising. In fact, word-of-mouth strategy is associated with 37% retention rate. If you’re wondering what makes influencer marketing so successful at getting you more customers, here are some reasons:
- More reliable than paid advertising – This marketing strategy leverages the popularity and follower loyalty that a person commands on social media
- It is more targeted and authentic way to convey a message
- Influencer marketing can attract customers that aren’t originally your target demographic too
- Generates more traffic to your website – Each time a blogger or influencer mentions your product or service you provide, your website can get more traffic. It is needless to mention influencer marketing is an ultimate SEO strategy because influencers provide unique content and increase its reach and engagement
- Finding perfect blogger or influencer increases the customer – You can’t contact tech blogger and ask him to mention or promote some beauty product and vice versa. Reaching people that match perfectly with your business also allows you to have greater success in getting and retaining customers. The best thing is, there’s no need to go through social media networks to find influencers and bloggers when there are numerous services like ProvenSEO for example, that build your content and its ranking on search engine results but also help you find and connect with ideal bloggers
- Honest advertising – Consumers are sick and tired of false ads and “too good to be true” promises. Bloggers worked hard to build their reputation and it’s highly unlikely they’ll promote something they don’t believe in
Conclusion
Influencer marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies in 2017, and its efficacy and success continue to grow. In order to get the most out of influencer program, it is necessary to build a quality relationship with consumers rather than relying on influencer endorsements only. This adds to the trustworthiness of the company, makes endorsements more reliable, and customers are more likely to respond and purchase products/services when the brand focuses on their needs too.