Influencers, Brand Ambassadors, Endorsements, celebrities and not, and several other names and terminologies that we constantly hear and are accompanied by an aura of mystery! These make up Influencer Marketing. Whether Influencer Marketing will help our business or brand, is for many a difficult and often unsolvable puzzle. Especially when the term influencer is in many cases “candy” for those looking for an income through social networks. An income that, however, can make “wings” at any time and moment, if and as long as it exists naturally.
Let’s take for example, an athlete well known to all of us, Michael Jordan. Jordan is one of the most striking examples of Influencer Marketing. Both his lifestyle, his mentality, and his movements on the basketball court, made Nike approach him and sign a contract together to create a series, cut and sewn to his measurements: the famous Jordans.
So what do we conclude? How this situation was WIN / WIN, a win from all sides in many ways: The Nike brand was associated with success, with a fresh face, with the mentality of a champion, with bright colors and a personality that every person who played basketball would wanted to have.
And Jordan, in addition to the contract money, got something much more important. A trademark, a registered mark that is completely recognizable all over the world, a tremendous opportunity to develop his own character on the floor, both in performance and outside, with his influence on the design of the series, but also the possibility to brings everyone who loved and adored him off the court, even closer to him, since everyone who wore Jordan, felt that they could “fly” with their new shoes!
With influencers, however, the brand takes its communication a step further. Influencers have the quality and ability to have built an audience dedicated to a cause, a lifestyle, a way of thinking, which trusts them. And that’s because they consider them reliable and authentic. According to Forbes, 92% of consumers follow an influencer and trust it 94% more than a TV spot or other form of marketing. Now imagine what momentum a brand that collaborates with the right Influencer can draw. And this while promoting his products together, while helping the influencer gain an even larger audience, giving them greater value. Definitely a win / win situation.
But what is Influencer Marketing?
Deconstructing the term, it is divided into two equally important parts: Influencers and Marketing.What are Influencers?
Translating the term, Influencer is anyone who has the power or ability to influence. And it is key word. Because influence can be exerted in many ways. Visually, aurally, with the written word, with our actions, with our stylistic choices, even with what we eat! Thus, our mother can also be an influencer, when choosing to cook raisins stuffed with raisins, she “convinces” us that they are superior in taste to those stuffed with rice, and we continue and adopt it in our adult life as well. However, Cristiano Ronaldo is also an influencer, having gathered 215 million followers only on his account on Instagram, can with a single post sell out his new football boots, before they even hit the stores!How are they related to Marketing?
There is the completely obvious and the less obvious connection of a business or brand to influencers. The obvious and most immediate solution is to promote a product or a range of products of a Brand through an Influencer. This can include a series of posts, photos, videos, audio-visual material in general or even advertising spots. The less obvious and much more essential solution is to connect the brand with the influencer, through a strategic and more general collaboration, for the development of brand awareness. What does this mean; That through a common path and strategy, both the brand and the influencer simultaneously promote themselves and together a common goal, which is primarily the object of each brand campaign.Why is Influencer Marketing profitable for a brand?
First, we should point out a great truth. Influencer Marketing is neither a new phenomenon nor a new trend. Of course, the rapid spread of Social Media in recent years has also contributed to this, with celebrities and people next door entering the space dynamically, each offering their own contribution to brand awareness. For many years now, major brands have recognized the impact that a single person can have on both the consumer habits and the lives of many others.Let’s take for example, an athlete well known to all of us, Michael Jordan. Jordan is one of the most striking examples of Influencer Marketing. Both his lifestyle, his mentality, and his movements on the basketball court, made Nike approach him and sign a contract together to create a series, cut and sewn to his measurements: the famous Jordans.
But what did Jordan do?
Jordan, not only wore the shoes, not only recorded his best performance, but together with Nike, they followed a very smart and very successful strategy: their logo initially, is the very form of Jordan, in one of the most his characteristic moments, therefore it is inextricably linked with him. Jordan made sure at every possible opportunity to wear clothes and shoes from the new line bearing his name, but which also featured the Nike brand in prominent places.So what do we conclude? How this situation was WIN / WIN, a win from all sides in many ways: The Nike brand was associated with success, with a fresh face, with the mentality of a champion, with bright colors and a personality that every person who played basketball would wanted to have.
And Jordan, in addition to the contract money, got something much more important. A trademark, a registered mark that is completely recognizable all over the world, a tremendous opportunity to develop his own character on the floor, both in performance and outside, with his influence on the design of the series, but also the possibility to brings everyone who loved and adored him off the court, even closer to him, since everyone who wore Jordan, felt that they could “fly” with their new shoes!
How is Influencer Marketing effective for a brand?
First of all, let’s start by saying that Influencer Marketing is not a marketing strategy towards the general public, but mainly towards influencers. Many brands and businesses market based on the audience they are trying to build, but also to attract an audience from all interested groups of the population for their product or following. Thus, content is disseminated and shared through communication channels, trying to cover all the individual needs of its audience, with as targeted campaigns as possible.With influencers, however, the brand takes its communication a step further. Influencers have the quality and ability to have built an audience dedicated to a cause, a lifestyle, a way of thinking, which trusts them. And that’s because they consider them reliable and authentic. According to Forbes, 92% of consumers follow an influencer and trust it 94% more than a TV spot or other form of marketing. Now imagine what momentum a brand that collaborates with the right Influencer can draw. And this while promoting his products together, while helping the influencer gain an even larger audience, giving them greater value. Definitely a win / win situation.
How do you get started with Influencer Marketing?
We decided to divide the course of action into 9 individual steps. These will determine both how you act and evaluate your actions. These are:- 1. Identify your campaign goal
- 2. Send personalized invitations to influencers
- 3. Choose influencers who are experts in their field
- 4. Choose Influencers who share the same culture and philosophy as your brand
- 5. Work with those who “communicate” on the platform your target group is on
- 6. Focus on interaction, not the number of followers
- 7. Let influencers interact with your brand in their own way
- 8. Sponsored posts must be clearly promotional
- 9. Measure everything
Do your research, and get organized. It’s probably the most important tip and definitely the one that will save you time and money. Arrange your strategy, your action plan and all the team you will need. Only in this way will your campaign be successful. Think about how you will approach influencers, as in many cases they are ordinary, everyday people. Adopt an approachable attitude and approach and identify with your ideas. Influencer Marketing is not a campaign that pays off immediately. It takes time, patience and a lot of testing to find the formula that works best.
Find the ideal way to communicate with your influencers and create an information and brainstorming plan. It can be weekly, daily, even once a quarter. Synchronize all your Brand’s communication channels to a common goal, and leverage each Influencer separately and in their own, special piece and domain. Meet up close, discuss and get feedback. And finally, look at the data. They can reveal to you a truth that even you could not imagine! Good luck!
