As content marketing takes its place as the best form of cost effective marketing, Influencer marketing has proven to be a major part of content marketing. Businesses now sell to their target audience with content marketing via influencers.
In our article, we will look at the basics as well as the intricacies of influencer marketing while exploring those top influencer marketing agencies that have successfully mastered this fast rising area of digital marketing in Nigeria with tangible results..
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that leverages influencers- content creators with large followings, to promote brands or products to their audience via content on social media platforms. It uses the popularity of well-known people with a sizable following to spread the word about a brand or product to a particular target market. A lot of businesses benefited from this trend in 2022.
Unlike the traditional social media marketing with digital ads, influencer marketing has proven to be a strong communication medium that can help brands reconnect with former customers while attracting and satisfying new customers with word of mouth marketing.
How Influencer marketing has evolved in Nigeria
Influencer marketing in Nigeria began in 2010 on Twitter. Back in the days, it involved majorly the use of celebrities with large followings. Only RICH businesses could do influencer marketing. Today, we have different types of influencers that can deliver within your budget. Most businesses now use influencer marketing, even starters.
According to a survey carried out by the Nigeria Influencer Marketing Report (NIM Report), over 90% of people surveyed agreed that they have seen growth in the Nigerian Influencer Marketing Industry and 30% of advertisers now value influencers marketing as part of their marketing strategy.
Nigerian Tribune estimated that $27.5 billion was to be spent on Influencer marketing in 2022 and $51 billion will be spent in 2027.
The youth of the population in Nigeria and their growing use of social media platforms are opening up more and more opportunities for influencer marketing in Nigeria.
Pillars of influencer marketing
There are 3 pillars that holds a successful influencer marketing campaign.
A brand with a specific marketing desire
Before starting a marketing campaign, the business must have a goal in mind, such as to increase revenue, brand recognition, community engagement, online visibility, or the introduction of a new concept. Similar to this, influencer marketing requires that the brand have a target and a desired outcome for the campaign.
An Influencer with the desired target audience
A content creator with the required audience must be accessible for an influencer marketing campaign to be successful. The outcome of the campaign will be compromised if the wrong influencer is chosen. Use an influencer who has the necessary audience and whose values align with those of the brand. You cannot use a religious influencer to promote your tobacco company. You must use an influencer who is perfectly matched.
A social media platform
Influencer marketing is often done on social media platforms, but it can also take the form of product placements. The platform is an important aspect in determining the outcome of an influencer campaign. If the organization is a B2B, influencers should be evaluated on professional sites such as LinkedIn, however if the target audience are consumers of courses, the influencer should be considered on YouTube. Choosing the best platform for the campaign brings it one step closer to success.
When all of these pillars are in place, an influencer marketing campaign may take off.
Social media ads vs Influencer marketing
As 42.7% of internet users use ad blockers globally, traditional social media adverts have evolved into an obnoxious type of advertising for users. Nowadays, the effectiveness of social media ads has drastically reduced.
Conversely, if done correctly, influencer marketing has shown to be cost-effective, since 37% of individuals place more trust in influencer recommendations of products than they do in advertisements from companies. Like a conventional Facebook ad, influencer marketing reaches audiences who want to hear from you but without being intrusive. Campaigns appear on screens like regular digital content and spread the word in a personable and less pushy manner.
According to 89% of marketers, influencer marketing generates a return on investment (ROI) of $5.20 for every campaign dollar invested and 11 times that of banner ads. Since the creation of ad blockers, the usage of influencers has become a lifesaving strategy for companies.
What is a successful influencer marketing campaign?
Authenticity is essential for an influencer marketing strategy to succeed. A successful influencer marketing campaign is a campaign that exceeds its ROI goals and does not resemble a typical pop-up advertisement. For an influencer campaign to be successful, it must be similar to regular content from a reputable creator recommending a product or business to their loved ones. At this point, the target audience can react to the campaign anyway they see fit. A user-friendly, indirect strategy that presents a brand as the audience’s hero is what constitutes a successful influencer marketing campaign. This type of campaign requires the right influencer marketing agency.
What is an influencer marketing agency?
A content marketing business that connects brands with influencers is known as an influencer marketing agency. The overarching goal of these agencies is to bridge the gap between influencers and brands that require their services.
A competent influencer marketing firm should do more than just bridge the gap; they should also link clients to the proper influencers and oversee campaigns to ensure that they achieve the desired results.
Influencer marketing agencies work for both brands and influencers. They sell influencers to brands while also assisting brands in meeting their marketing objectives.
The expertise of an influencer marketing agency should not be disregarded because they are able to forecast how well a marketing campaign will perform with a specific influencer. This goes beyond the quantity of followers an influencer has. Employing the best influencer marketing agency will ensure a successful campaign.
5 Best influencer marketing agency in Nigeria
TIMA
TIMA is a Lagos-based influencer marketing agency that connects brands with millions of Africans all around the world.
Through innovative solutions in data-driven influencer marketing, TIMA has been able to kick-start and accelerate the growth of various companies and businesses from all over the world in Nigeria in a relatively short amount of time. Tima accomplished this using a variety of methods, including
- Influencer sourcing, performance reporting, and everything in between.
- Innovative ideas and data-driven insights inspire creative disruption.
- Bringing the brand’s purpose to life through effective work across all communication touchpoints
Tima provides the following services as the best Influencer marketing agency
- Campaign Management
- Legal Copyright & Content Use Terms
- Influencer Payments
- Data Tracking & Analysis
- Timeline Management & Scheduling
They have paid over $80000 to creators and have worked with prestigious brands like Travel Beta, Microsoft, Bolt and Influencers like Tayo Aina, Aproko doctor, Kitchen Muse, Bimbo Ademoye, Bisola Aiyola amongst others.
Buzzbite
Buzzbite is ranked second. It is an influencer and digital marketing solution that understands and knows how to target the African market. Buzzbite brings together hundreds of nano and micro influencers in order to leverage the power of their high engagement rates and specific audiences.
Imhafrica
Imhafrica is a data-driven influencer marketing agency that focuses on helping brands reach the right audience, enhance awareness, and drive sales by utilizing the most concrete influencer data.
Pulse-advertising
Pulse-advertising enables brands to win and retain customers on social media. It is the relationship between you and your target audience that matters to us. They work with influencers and testimonials to produce native content that works.
Purpfluence
Purpfluence is a full-service influencer marketing and talent management company. They has a well-equipped and creative team and even if we have thousands of influencers to work with or a global campaign, we trust our team to see it from start to finish and achieve results.
