Influencers know how to mobilize their audience and that can make them a valuable extension of your business’s sales team.
Typically brands have leveraged influencer marketing as part of their strategy to build brand awareness, and as part of their social media efforts. Savvy businesses however see this in a more traditional sense and see that there is an opportunity to tap into that influence for conversions and sales. According to a survey conducted by The Nielsen Analytics Company around 92% of consumers depend upon the recommendations of influencers before deciding which products or services they want to purchase.
While influencers and creators build their following by posting about their daily lives, videos that endorse, recommend and/or review products they love and use can have tremendous influence on their audience’s purchase decisions. This is not just an opportunity for big brands to partner with celebrities to promote their product, entrepreneurs and e-commerce stores can also tap into that power of influence and expand their customer base and sales through influencer marketing and creator partnerships across social media.
The right influencer can drive sales Celebrity and famous influencers may be popular among the masses, but if you can’t afford the high price tag that goes along with celebrity campaigns, there is good news. Influencers with lower follower numbers are typically more niche and therefore have a more engaged audience. This means that by spreading your influencer marketing budget across Nano influencers (1,000 - 5,000 followers), Micro influencers (5,000-20,000 followers) and Power or mid-tier influencers (between 20,000 and 100,000) followers, rather than celebrity influencers, you can expand your reach and increase your conversion potential. According to Hatago Consulting, nano- and micro-influencers have an 8.7% higher engagement rate than their peers with larger followings. A creator’s authentic video content can help brands build credibility because of the trust the influencer has already established with their followers.
Influencers can help expand your brand into new regions To expand sales into new territories, businesses would typically have to hire an additional sales force, maybe open an office or find distributors and retail partners. Today brands are leveraging influencers popular in different regions and activating them as a sales stream to bring their product to new markets. Partnering with the right influencers not only expands your brand into new regions, but can expand your customer base altogether and introduce your brand and products to new audiences. Remember influencers are protective of their audience and their personal brand, and rightly so, therefore have a clear and honest about what your brand represents and what the benefit of your products is.
Influencer marketing can help your brand rank higher on search engines Influencer marketing may be part of your strategy to grow your brand awareness and sales, but did you know working with creators can also help with your SEO (search engine optimization). Successful influencers are not just tech savvy, they are audience savvy, knowing what works with their fans and what they are looking for. The right promotion or product review on a creator video can lead to customers searching for keywords related to your products or company which can in turn increase your business’s rank across search engines. And remember, not just Google, but TikTok and Pinterest are gaining traction and becoming popular search engines among Gen Z.
Influencers can play an important role in a customer’s decision making process. By identifying and collaborating with the influencers that your target customers follow, you’ll raise brand awareness, generate website traffic, and see positive impacts on your bottom line.