According to a recent survey conducted by Forbes, 84% of marketers plan on executing at least one or more influencer marketing campaigns within the next 12 months. What is influencer marketing, exactly? And why is it such a powerful element in the marketing industry?
What are Influencer Marketing Campaigns?
The Huffington Post defines influence as the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone or something. It also defines marketing as the action or business of promoting and selling products or services. So together, influencer marketing is the unique form of marketing where companies partner with influential celebrities, athletes and leaders. These individuals have influence over potential consumers. Companies orient their marketing activities around these influencers in the form of influencer marketing campaigns. A primary goal of marketers today is to use these influential leaders in the community to convince their audiences that their product or service is worthy of buying.
The Role Social Media Plays in Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Although influencer marketing has been a hot topic recently, it is not a new concept. It used to be perceived in the form of television and print advertisements, with popular celebrities endorsing products or services. In today’s culture, influencer marketing can be viewed as a crossroads of social media and word-of-mouth marketing. It combines old marketing tools with new.
Have you ever seen an Instagram user with a large following post a picture with the infamous Fit Tea? Of course you have. It is one of the most popular examples of influencer marketing. What do influencer marketing campaigns look like on social media? They are usually in the form of an individual who is paid by a company to post pictures and reviews of products on their personal channels. It is extremely affective and extremely powerful. For companies, it is an investment that pays off big time.
According to Romy Sassine, a prominent digital strategy blogger, 92% of consumers trust an influencer more than traditional advertisements. The bottom line is, influencer marketing is extremely relevant to everyone. Both the consumers of products and companies who promote these products are directly affected by influencer marketing campaigns. When an influencer has an audience and people see them as a thought leader in their specific niche or market, they have something no one else does: they have people’s attention.
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