Influencer marketing has exploded in recent years and it’s not fading away any time soon. Marketing trends come and go, but recent consumer preferences related to advertising all point to the fact that people don’t like being advertised to. Instead, consumers want to discover products and services in a more natural way, through recommendations made by the people they know and the people they follow online. The definition of a social media influencer is someone who has a substantial online following on one or more social media platforms. Finding an ideal influencer to work with and utilizing their audience to get a message across is the present and the future of many high-performing marketing campaigns; here’s why that is.
Traditional digital ads do not translate as well to a younger generation
Millennials and generation Z are more interested in what other people have to say than what brands have to say. Product endorsements made by influencers typically come across as more genuine than traditional ads. This occurrence is partially because younger generations dislike unrealistic depictions of life that are displayed in ads and prefer more personal content, like posts by their favorite influencers. Around 87% of millennials don’t mind product placements made by influencers they follow and 53% don’t mind watching ads to support their favorite creators.
Influencer marketing is more targeted
The days of overly-general TV and radio ads are nearly gone. Ad conversion optimization has come a long way since the introduction of retargeting. Using this technology, your ads will be shown to people who are likely to be interested in your product or service rather than being shown to a random group of people. Influencer marketing is another effective way of ensuring your ad is reaching a specific audience. With micro-influencers, you can get even more specific. In fact, engagement levels on micro-influencer accounts are generally better than on the accounts of hugely popular influencers. In addition, they are less-expensive to work with.
New developments in influencer marketing by Amazon are emerging
Amazon, the most valuable retailer in the U.S., is pioneering a new influencer marketing program that will allow online influencers to monetize their audiences with Amazon affiliate links in a new way. Influencers will be able to “open a shop” using Amazon products and send their followers to a curated collection of products recommended by the influencer. The simple fact that Amazon is continuing to carve out new strategies in the influencer marketing arena is solid evidence that influencer marketing should be a priority for your business.
