Word-of-mouth brand or business recommendations are recognized for not only their power but their effectiveness-social influencer marketing amplifies word-of-mouth recommendations.
The value this has for brands is not only priceless but also supported by research figures. According to Nielsen, 92% of people increasingly trust word-of-mouth recommendations versus traditional advertising. This statistic represents nearly a 20% increase from 2007 and is another reason why strategic use celebrity and influencer marketing techniques can provide a brand a competitive advantage.
1) The Value of Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers are individuals who possess the ability to morph the buying habits and behavior of others, whether by changing their opinion of providing them with valuable, insightful, and actionable information.
Within their communities, influencers are the authority. They possess the stature and gravitas required to put their creditability and influence behind a brand or business. Influencers can come in the form of athletes, industry leaders, mommy bloggers, and even scientists. As a consumer, we often see high-profile celebrities share their recommendations for clothing, makeup electronics and even food and beverages. Brands want to leverage an influencer’s social media and blog to promote their services and products to a highly engaged and targeted audience.
The biggest appeal to brands is the social media influencer’s reach and fan base. Adweek reports, that food bloggers provide the highest ROI, followed by fashion/apparel and then travel. Social influencers with stellar reputations, experience, and reach are not only influential but wield enormous power both with their audiences and at the negotiating table. Therefore, they are highly valuable from an integrated marketing and public relations perspective.
2) Penetrating Barriers and Opening New Markets
As an experienced influencer marketing agency with over 15 years of experience, we have witnessed not only the growing power of celebrity and influencer power but also the increasing power of consumers. Close to half of all online consumers utilize some form of ad blocking software according to a Reuters survey. However, influencer marketing stealthy circumvents this barrier by providing the target audience with meaningful and useful content from a trusted authority. Cynthia Srednicki, CEO & CMO of Dreamweaver Brand Communications states “Consumers don’t want to feel like they are being sold anything but rather receiving personal recommendations from a third party that they know and trust.” Also, celebrities and social media influencers can penetrate and open new markets for a brand that they never knew existed since social media is worldwide.
3) The Power of Your Audience
There are many aspects to consider when utilizing an influencer marketing campaign. First, you should align yourself with an influencer marketing agency to navigate the many aspects of social media influencer and celebrity marketing. When working with Dreamweaver Brand Communications as your influencer marketing partner we first make sure that the influencer or celebrity is a right fit for your brand. We fully vet your list of social media or celebrity influencers since their followers and the influencer need to align with your brand’s target demographic and audience and also your brand’s core values. For example, a brand wanting to promote and push their latest whey protein bar would not want to partner with an influencer who promotes unhealthy, fast-food chains.
In addition, we help you evaluate the influencer’s audience versus their engagement ratio of their posts such as their impressions and reach. Sometimes, a large following might not be as valuable than a smaller, high engaged community that is devoted to the influencer so utilizing the correct campaign model is important. Also, remember that both social media influencers and celebrity influencers with large followings are very expensive to work with when compared to influencers with fewer followers due to the reach and engagement brands receive with a more prominent following.
At Dreamweaver Brand Communications, we help you choose the right thought leaders so your social influencer marketing becomes a powerful tool elevating your brand to new heights. Overtime and through strategic influencer brand messaging and an integrated marketing and public relations campaign, you will increase your audience, reengage your current audience, and perhaps start a new movement of loyal followers committed to your brand. In addition, these new followers, organically share your brand story and the cycle of word-of-mouth advertising grows exponentially.
