We are all aware of influencers and how they’re taking over social media – everyone wants to be an influencer, micro or macro. Influencer marketing is described as, “a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placement from influencers, people and organizations who have a purported expert level of knowledge or social influence in their field.” We often see this with big stars like Kim Kardashian. But are we, as consumers, really being swayed by these paid advertisements sent as a kind of hidden message? According to data and analytics: yes, yes we are.
According to website ConvinceandConvert.com, influencer marketing is creating huge returns for businesses. “Businesses are making a strong return from influencer marketing, generating $6.50 in revenue for each $1 spent, according to the latest poll from influencer marketplace Tomoson.” It is also the fastest growing online marketing channel for digital marketing, out pacing other digital marketing techniques such as paid search, display & affiliate marketing. Influencers are helping to drive awareness and help boost sales. Word of mouth has always been one of the strongest forms of marketing and that is essentially what businesses are doing with influencers, just paying them to do it and consumers are eating it up. According to MediaKix, a total of 71% of marketers agree that the quality of customers and traffic is better from influencer marketing compared to other sources, showing that influencers can boost conversion. Additionally, according to the same MediaKix company, “89% say that influencer marketing offers ROI that is comparable or better than other marketing channels. Broken down, 41% of marketers said that influencer marketing ROI is comparable, while over a third (34%) said it is better. A total of 14% said that it is much better than other marketing channels.”
According to Forbes.com, influencer marketing offers a solution for a company’s audience being spread across numerous digital channels with the popularity of the internet and social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. audiences being spread across numerous digital channels. “Advertising through influencers allows brands to promote through someone that a niche community watches, engages with and trusts on a daily basis. So, instead of being skeptical of a commercial or social media ad, consumers are trusting that if their influencer of choice loves the product, they will too.” Even with recent regulations set in place by the FTC that now require sponsored posts to be called out as ads, consumers are still being swayed by their favorite celebrity or person to follow on social media because they can relate to that person on other levels.
Influencer marketing isn’t stopping anytime soon and is in fact a great ROI for businesses.
How do you feel about influencers? Do you find you are easily swayed by them or you shrug them off because you know better?
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