How Influencer Marketing Works
Why social media influencers are so effective.
Woman holding up a product in front of a camera
We’ve all seen influencers in our journeys on social media. But just how influential are they?
One group of researchers set out to understand the effects of influencer marketing on consumers and brands. It’s important to understand this relationship as users, communicators and marketers!
Read on for insights from the study.
What is Influencer Marketing?
This study defines influencer marketing as the skill of enlisting social media influencers to disseminate paid advertising that conveys a company’s message to their customers. Influencer marketing paired with e-commerce options has opened up a whole new world for companies looking to tap into online audiences.
The rise of social media influencers followed the rise of social media itself. As platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube exploded onto the scene, people with specific knowledge, skills, and fan bases started to build huge audiences.
Now, from fashion to fitness, influencers are everywhere online. People engage with their content, get invested, and trust is built.
Why Does Influencer Marketing Work?
The major challenge of e-marketing is truly connecting with your audience. According to Statista, on average 93.7% of businesses use social media. How can one possibly stand out?
As shared above, influencers build rapport and trust with their audience. Partnering with influencers means brands can connect with consumers in a more authentic, organic way. After all, influencers’ audiences trust their recommendations.
Brands can tap into an influencer’s audience, opening up a new world of potential customers. In addition, they stand a chance of going viral on social media, meaning an unprecedented number of eyes on their product/service.
Does Influencer Marketing Impact Customer Behaviour?
Influencers have a huge impact on how people consume products and services. When asked, 98% of participants in this study stated that when choosing between different products, they choose the ones recommended by influencers!
This means influencer marketing is incredibly effective at swaying consumers’ buying behaviours.
Ethical Influencer Marketing
It’s not all sunshine and ROIs, unfortunately. Like anything, influencer marketing has its challenges. Potential drawbacks include:
Influencer fraud, where people falsely inflate their influence by buying followers, engagement, likes, and more.
A clash between brand ideals and influencer behaviour.
Data privacy and consent concerns as data analytic capabilities grow.
Our best tips: Work with people you trust. Always adhere to privacy and data laws. Stay open about your marketing tactics—your audiences will thank you for your authenticity.
Your audience deserves to see content that inspires and educates. Ethical marketing is what we do! Let’s gain marketing momentum without the use of harmful marketing tactics! Explore our services!
The Future of Influencer Marketing
Social media is ever-evolving. According to the research, some trends to keep your eye out for include:
Augmented reality campaigns
Immersive experiences
Virtual influencers
These trends will be crucial for marketers and communications professionals to stay on top of, as they will allow an even more seamless journey for consumers online.
Study Objective & Methods
Advances in Data Analytics for Influencer Marketing: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Information Systems Engineering and Management
The goal of this study was to understand how much influencer marketing impacts consumer’s decisions. Data was gathered from 468 participants through a standardized questionnaire.
