Influencers have been widely used for some time and many are familiar with the role they play in your marketing and advertising, but a lot has changed since we first started to see this take off. I hesitate to say “this trend take off” since this is no trend….influencers are here to stay and they are more important than ever.
Some key points regarding choosing the right influencer, as referenced by the experts….
Myriah Anderson discusses Niche Influencers and Micro Influencers in this article. Niche Influencers are very specific to one market segment and have spent time building their reputation within that demographic. Micro Influencers have a reach of typically 5-15k per platform and their engagement and conversion rates are much higher than that of an account with 1m followers. This boils down to micro influencers having the perception of being more accessible to their audience than a celebrity, which impacts buying habits.
I asked one of my industry favorites, Nick Borelli (a digital strategy guru) about his thoughts pertaining to the role of influencers currently, given the state we are currently in, both nationally and globally. Here’s what he had to say…
The need for true influencers has never been more important for organizations while the risk on using the wrong kinds has never been this perilous. The glut of pre-pandemic macro-influencers defined the space and poisoned many on the idea of where influence fits into the buying decisions of individuals. Heightened awareness (at best) through manipulating trends and emerging technologies placed new-found power in the hands of many who hadn’t earned the right to win over the hearts of minds of circles of people. As a result, we ended up with trickery and short-term attention gains for experiences like the Fyre Festival. Influencers were heading towards a very unsustainable future even when everything looked bright.
Post-pandemic, new habits have been formed and relationships between organizations and individuals have been strained or cut off. With every action under a greater scrutiny due to shifts in buying habits, adjusted budgets and increased buying friction, companies face an unprecedented disruption of buyer faith. This is where actual influencers have the opportunity to shift public sentiment through credibility and long-term earned trust. Trust is the stock and trade of the legitimate influencer less concerned with online vanity metrics and more focused on the authenticity and authority of their voice. These influencers of influencers are the best chance organizations have of increasing the speed of economic recovery by creating inroads to conversion through mission-centric collaboration.
Creating a level of comfort and safety for our industry is paramount to our recovery and success, so reach out if you’d like to collaborate on an upcoming campaign.