Gone are the days when marketing consisted of solely print ads, radio segments, billboards or online ads. Today’s marketing trends are about targeting consumers where they spend the most time, on social media.
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All About Influence
To put it simply, an influencer is a celebrity, blogger, vlogger or social media star who has a large audience clamoring to learn more about them. Business leaders like Eyal Gutentag know that connecting with consumers is about establishing a trustworthy relationship, so pairing an influencer with your product or service is a great way to make connections among the influencer’s audience.
Product Placement
The lowest stakes type of influencer marketing is product placement because it is fairly simple and natural for the influencer to incorporate into their accounts. All they need to do is post a picture, video or message that name-drops a brand’s product or service, or even tease about a new favorite product to pique viewers’ interest before disclosing the product (usually after many pleas by their audience to share their secret). People prefer to use items if they’ve seen others use them first, so by scattering your product throughout their social media feeds, you will automatically gain valuable name recognition.
Get Personal
An innovative way to get customers interested in your product is by having an influencer post an in-depth review of the product. This typically includes illustrated segments discussing packaging, initial impression and use of the product, culminating in an overall review and recommendation. The influencer will often ask their viewers to comment on the post with questions or their own experience, which he or she will respond to and which often give the brand valuable feedback about their product and consumer expectations.
Brand Ambassadors
If a company desires a more long-term relationship with an influencer and his or her audience, asking them to become a brand ambassador is a great option. This is typically more involved, as it can involve in-person events, hosted giveaways and a series of posts, although it can yield much higher returns because there are additional customer interaction opportunities. Consumers enjoy this type of advertising partnership because the brand exposure is varied and detailed.
Influencer marketing is a natural way to get your consumers talking about your product. People view the people in their social media feed as friends, even if they have never met. By hiring these virtual friends to discuss and endorse your product, you get unique content and audience buy-in that would otherwise not exist in the traditional advertising world.
