Influencer marketing has become one of the most effective means of digitally marketing products in this social media era. Personalities who have large followings and subject matter authority on social media get enlisted by brands to become advocates of their products. When done properly, Influencer marketing can effectively sky-rocket revenue.
Influencer marketing works when the influencers have a natural connection with their audience. The thing is how does the audience, who are consumers of brand campaigns feel about influencer marketing?.
Matter of fact, consumers are also looking out for authority figures who have active communities and following. In a recent study, 70% of users said that they wanted to hear about what online influencers did in their communities. Consumers want to know that you’re engaged in your space and are making an impact outside of the internet.
If you’re a travel influencer, like Tayo Aina for example, consumers want to know that you’re going out into the world and creating change by exploring new places, learning a new language, or experiencing another culture outside of the digital media bubble your content exists in.
For fashion influencers, try connecting with other designers who share your values and create something together. Partner with local artists at art shows or get involved in events around your area. These are all great ways to show that you care about what you do and that your work isn’t just confined to social media.
Consumers will only connect with influencers who are authentic and original. For influencer marketing to work, creators have to be authentic and produce content that consumers can connect with.
For example, in the Nigerian influencer scene, a lot of micro-influencers don’t produce authentic content. They build audiences through conflict and bad pr, rather than producing authentic content for their niches.
Rather Influencers like Fisayo and Tayo provide valuable content and are passionate about their niche. They’ve also been able to show how passionate they are with their work and audiences tend to get drawn to such authenticity. Consumers get appealed to influencers who have a voice that is clear and consistent. Influencers who can consistently produce creative content with their unique voice.
Consumers look for people that can influence their purchasing decisions in different niches.
Most consumers might not admit it but subconsciously they let their purchasing decisions be influenced by authority figures on the internet. while Twitter found that nearly 40% of users have purchased as a direct result of a tweet from an influencer. A lot of research has been conducted to show how influencers can affect a consumer’s purchasing process.
They can also lead you to make purchases in different niches. For example, an influencer who is a travel blogger might lead you to buy a plane ticket, while an influencer who is a cooking enthusiast might cause you to purchase a new set of baking pans.
Consumers’ trust in traditional ads keeps decreasing
Consumers’ trust in traditional ads keeps decreasing, whereas around 90% of them claim to trust recommendations from people they know (Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report, 2014). That’s why influencers are so valuable for marketers.
In addition, influencer marketing usually requires a lower budget than more traditional forms of advertising. Achieving brand awareness through influencers taps into the trust that consumers have in the people they follow on social media while still allowing brands to promote their products. Nearly half of consumers think that traditional ads are “annoying or irrelevant.”
Consumers might not care if influencers are paid by a brand
The important thing to remember here is that consumers don’t always need to know an influencer is paid by a brand. The best influencer marketing is when consumers don’t know if it’s sponsored or not.
As long as the influencer is authentic and has good content, their audience will respond. Transparency within the social media marketing industry is essential, how do you plan to differentiate your organization within the digital space? Brands need to find influencers who share common values with their company. How can you ensure that your brand works with the right people? we talked about that in our previous article, read it here
Consumers admire the Influencers they follow
Consumers look up to the influencers in their social networks and respect them as authority figures in their niche.
They are people with a higher status, who have achieved something that consumers want for themselves or want to be associated with. They also hold them in high regard because they have managed to build such a large following.
Consumers have a genuine interest in what their favorite influencers are doing. They take an interest in their lives and enjoy following them on social media platforms. And that’s why Influencers are able to establish a target audience.
Consumers believe that influencers are more trustworthy than celebrities. Celebrities may be seen as spokespeople for brands, but consumers do not take them seriously because they are paid to say nice things about the brand. Influencers, on the other hand, genuinely like or dislike a product or service, and consumers know this because Influencers have built a rapport with their followers over time.
Ultimately, it’s all about trust. Trust is the basis for any effective influencer marketing campaign.
Trust is essential for any form of marketing, but in Influencer Marketing it’s particularly important. After all, the influencer has to persuade the audience that they’ve chosen to use and recommend your product or service.
That’s why so many brands are now working with content creators – because they have built a strong base of trust with their audience, who value their opinion. This means that when they recommend something, their audience listens.
Overall, if you want to build trust with your audience through influencer marketing, you can enlist the help of an agency to manage your campaigns. Most Influencer marketing agencies in Nigeria don’t yet have a structured approach to campaign management.
If you want to work with a marketing agency that is your one-stop influencer marketing hub, check out TIMA here. TIMA partners with creators to help brands get the best out of influencer marketing, with TIMA every penny spent is worth it. Reach out now, and start getting your message across to the right audience.
