How and Why Influencer Marketing Works

We live in a world of links. Social media ads, cookies, search results…and not including those you get sent by friends, family, colleagues. We see hundreds of links a day. However, which ones do you actually click on?

Most likely those sent to you by the people you trust, right?

This may seem logical, but a Nielsen study confirms that 84% of consumers say that recommendations from friends and family, often referred to as earned advertising, are the most influential and trustworthy source.

Influencer marketing is, in itself, an offshoot of word-of-mouth marketing. Why does it work? Because people engage with and react better to people they know, trust and admire due to their expertise or passion for a product, service or topic. A brand is no longer simply what it presents itself as, it’s what consumers tell each other it is.

This is why influencer marketing has such an impact on consumer engagement with brand.

Influencer Marketing empowers influencers to spread a brand message and ensures that brands get the most for their marketing dollar.

Here are some of our best practices to ensure that influencer marketing impacts engagement:

1. Influencer-Brand Match

When the match between influencer and brand is perfect, the message communicated will go to the right audience and will be received as genuine and authentic. These are the ideal conditions for engagement to flourish - whether it be in the form of comments, shares, likes or user-generated content. A perfect fit allows a brand to build on the influencer’s authority and reach, and ultimately boost its ROI.

Influencer Marketing ensures an optimal match through the careful consideration of a combination of factors such as influencer credibility, strength of their relationship with their followers, audience reach and brand affinity. The size of a following across platforms is perhaps the easiest way to measure an influencer’s popularity. However, this measurement is often not legitimate and will not guarantee consumer engagement. We need to look closely at the back-and-forth interaction between an influencer and their community. The deeper the relationship with the following, the more powerful the influencer.

2. Creativity

Creativity is the secret ingredient to great content. Influencer marketing allows creativity to be put in the hands of the influencers, ensuring that the content is the right balance between original, creative and on-brand. This offers consumers something to engage with as opposed to merely absorbing, generating interest, conversation and engagement. That’s why influencer marketing is not ‘advertising’.

3. Earned Media Generator

Good influencer marketing starts conversations, reaching others, who also start conversations. The use of a hashtag, for example, is a great way to motivate and measure consumer engagement. This earned media ‘snowball effect’ ensures that brands get more for their marketing dollar when they invest. Great content encourages conversation, or the creation of more content, and so the chain continues.

Modern marketing is so much more than simply sending out messages and attracting audiences. It’s about building and nurturing relationships. For this reason, influencer marketing is and will continue to be a vital ingredient in the modern marketing mix.