Taking a more personal, magnified approach to your marketing efforts can yield impressive results
The notion of influencer marketing has gained significant traction in the global marketing community over the last few years and for good reason: in our social media-driven world, influencer or influence marketing is an increasingly important customer acquisition and retention strategy.
What is influencer marketing? It’s a practice that involves focusing your social media outreach efforts on one person or a specific group of people who may be able to influence others to buy your products or services. Ideally, the followers of these influencers may become your most ardent and loyal customers. As you and community influencers help to create advocates, these advocates add their voluntary efforts on social networks to promote your business to your broader marketing strategy. But to encourage people to become your third-party influence marketers, you need to pay close attention to them first.
According to data contained in We Are Social’s “Digital 2016” report, there are more than 2.3 billion daily active social media users. Of that massive worldwide audience, users prefer knowledgeable online influencers instead of traditional advertising tactics. Additionally, and according to data from MDG Advertising, 70% of internet users want to learn about products through content rather than through traditional advertisements.
“Solving the problem means helping the customer to understand why you’re the best person for the job.”
– CHRIS MURRAY
Personalized Messaging Turns Customers into Fans
It’s common knowledge that word-of-mouth referrals from friends and family are typically the major driver of consumers’ purchasing decisions. Data gathered by McKinsey & Company found word-of-mouth referrals from a trusted source is the primary influential factor behind 20% to 50% of all consumer purchasing decisions. And influencer marketing is the evolution of the word-of-mouth methodology through socially targeted messaging or personalization.
In both business-to-business (B2B) business-to-consumer (B2C) industry verticals, customers crave personalized messages from the brands to which they have an intellectual or emotional connection. It’s an excellent way to keep your existing customer base and your business partners engaged, and it should be a cornerstone of your social media marketing efforts.
Targeted personalized messaging boosts brand loyalty, and it can inspire delighted customers to become evangelists or influencers who will speak well of your business on social networks. That, in turn, will help grow your audience, and ultimately increase sales.
Why Influencer Marketing Matters
There are a few ways third-party influencer marketers can help your brand grow its sphere of influence and, over time, its revenues:
- They have access to a different and possibly a larger audience than your company does
- High-quality content you share online may not be taken at face value, but if an influencer shares it, it’s more likely you’ll get the click-thrus you desire
- It will help you build meaningful, long-lasting relationships with your customers
Do you want to learn how your organization can leverage the power of influencer marketing to grow your revenues? Drop us a line.