8 Ways Influencer Marketing Can Help Your Business Grow

• Updated on: 2017-04-16
• Read original article here

Trust is the real currency of marketing. Without, consumers do not develop brand loyalty. Businesses that aren’t trusted can make high-quality products and still never grow. For your business to boom, you need to reach consumers in a way that inspires trust and establishes a long-term relationship.

One of the fasting growing forms of marketing offers a new way to gain the trust of consumers: through other consumers. Individuals are more likely to purchase products or try out a new business if other people (not just marketing agencies) say they have had a good experience with the product or company. This new form of marketing, called influencer marketing, incentivizes consumers to share information on your business’ behalf. Since influencers are fellow consumers, your target market is more likely to find the information shared trustworthy.

As a result of increased trust, influencer marketing can help your business grow in 8 key ways:

Effective marketing reaches consumers where they already are. The fact is that 81 percent consumers in the United States are on social media regularly. Establishing a presence on social media is essential for successful, modern marketing.

Many businesses create pages and occasionally post on social media to market to audiences there. Some pay for sponsored ads on social media sites as well. Influencer marketing fits in naturally. Through influencer marketing, paid or incentivized social media users reach out to their social networks with information about what a business like yours is offering and with links to the business’ social media profiles. This makes it easier for influencers’ already-large social networks to learn about your business and connect easily.

There are several strategies used to perform influencer marketing. Some companies have paid influencers in a variety of markets. Other offers incentives like discounts, freebies, or entrance into contests for individuals when they share provided marketing info on their social media, via email, or even in person. In some instances, influencers earn commissions for purchases made because of their marketing.

Due to the role of incentivizing influencers, many companies find a two-fold boom in customer loyalty. Happy influencers who have won prizes, earned commissions, or otherwise been positively affected because of their marketing help are likely to be loyal to the brands they market. Likewise, new consumers who are converted to a business’ brand through influencer marketing trust the influencer and thus the brand, increasing the likelihood that if they are satisfied with the brand, they will remain loyal too.

A person tends to qualify as an influencer if they are active socially and have many connections. Typically, influencer marketing is carried out online, so influencers are expected to have large social media networks. An influencer may have a thousand Facebook friends, for instance, and a few thousand Twitter followers. The influencer’s market niche will depend on the demographics their social networks include.

Since influencers have developed their online social networks through personal relationships or by sharing common interests, they tend to have an easier time reaching fellow users than a business does. For instance, many businesses only have a few friends and likes on their social media pages since users are primarily there to socialize, not make purchases. As a result, influencers will have a wider reach, which businesses get to tap into through influencer services.

This point is worth emphasizing: influencers have connections because of personal relationships or shared interests with connections. Moms on social media, for example, tend to have a network of mom friends online. As a result, influencers have built in niche markets. When your business uses influencer marketing, you can reach influencers’ specific niche, generating more relevant leads than a wide net marketing approach would result in.

Part of the magic of influencer marketing is how it combines several other forms of effective marketing strategies. Digital, social media, native, and search engine optimization (SEO) driven marketing are all wrapped up through influencer strategies. That makes influencer marketing powerful, even to the point of being able to beat current marketing pitfall trends.

As digital marketing overtakes sections of most corners of the internet, consumers are finding new ways to block out ads. This changes the types of advertising that are most effective. An increase in the popularity and effectiveness of native advertising is an example of a result of tools like ad block, which 47% of online users have installed. Since tools like ad block limit or eliminate standard ads, marketers are relying on advertising that is subtle or blends right in with other media. Influencer advertising definitely qualifies and won’t be stopped by ad block or similar tools.

Besides the obvious benefits evidencing that influence marketing is highly effective for generating leads, building customer loyalty, and reaching consumers, there are also practical benefits. For instance, influencer marketing can yield a tremendous return on investment (ROI.)

Often, influencer marketing programs can be financed at low rates through marketing companies. Some businesses also run their own influencer marketing campaigns, offering programs to encourage their existing customers to share reviews or inviting bloggers to feature their products for a small commission. Generally, the costs of influencer marketing are low, but because this form of advertising is so effective, the return on investment can be huge.

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps make your business more visible online, including when consumers search for keywords related to your businesses’ offerings. To succeed in SEO, businesses often need their name, website, or other info regularly listed online in conjunction with relevant keywords. For example, a cake decorator in Houston wants “cake decorating Houston” and the name of their company shared together online often to rank well for SEO purposes.

An influencer marketing service provider like ProvenSEO can help create SEO-friendly media for influencers to share. As a result, a business like yours can see improved search engine rankings, reach wider audiences, and boost brand authority. Typically, that sort of success in building a brand that customers trust and are loyal to results in business growth.