5 Reasons Why You Should Invest in Influencer Marketing

Over the years, we have seen a surge in influencer marketing. Merchants have become increasingly dependent on ecommerce to make up for the lack of footfall through brick and mortar stores. As a result, they have turned to influencers to provide a connection between consumers and commerce that the disruption of this year has made difficult.

The rise of influencer marketing is hardly surprising! Not only does it boost a brand’s social media presence, but it’s also a cost-effective way to boost revenue.  

Here, we deep dive into what influencer marketing is and explore why it should be an integral part of your marketing strategy: 

What is influencer marketing?

First things first, let’s look at what an influencer is. Put simply, an influencer is someone within your niche who has authority over your target audience. An influencer has accumulated a large following on one or more social media channels – and they can have anything from 1000 followers to millions. 

Influencers have formidable power over buying behaviour and can easily help turn screen-scrollers into buyers, with just one or two social media posts. This is because influencers continuously engage with their followers and curate content that their followers can relate to. In turn, this offers brands like yours the perfect opportunity to tap into this existing interest and use it to promote your products. 

This is where influencer marketing comes in. It’s the modern-day version of celebrity endorsement. The new digital age has brought with it mass social media consumption, which has allowed influencers to take centre stage. A once expensive and hard-to-reach marketing tactic has been redefined and is now attainable more than ever before. Influencers are the new celebrities of social media. They allow brands to promote their products to the masses for a lot less money. 

What are the benefits of influencer marketing for your online business?

1. It builds trust with your target audience 

It’s no secret that when a customer trusts your brand, they’re more likely to buy from you. Unlike traditional marketing strategies where it can take years to build a relationship with your audience, with influencer marketing you can build trust quickly, right from the get-go.

The trust and loyalty influencers have established with their audiences is one of their most valuable assets. In fact, people instil the same level of trust in influencers as they do their friends. And in a landscape where only 4% of consumers trust advertising, the ability to speak to your audience through a source they trust is an essential marketing tool.

You might be wondering why influencers are trusted so much by their audiences. The answer is simple, authenticity. An Influencer is followed by their audience because they have the same likes, dislikes, and share the same values. This positions the influencer as someone similar to their followers – someone who has their best interests at heart. 

Influencers who have a dedicated following and the knowledge of how to speak to them in a relatable way enables them to create highly personalised content even when they’re advertising your product. 

When you choose the right influencer for your brand, it will allow you to tap into an already existing community of loyal followers who crave content. 

2. Helps you reach a niche audience 

As we mentioned before, an influencer’s community is built around a shared interest. Their audience follows them because they want to see the specific type of content they produce. This means their followers are interested in their niche, which can be a highly profitable opportunity for your business. 

Put simply, a niche is an influencer’s USP. It’s what sets their content apart from others and makes them the go-to influencer for certain types of inspiration. 

For example, a generic fashion influencer is all well and good, but if this influencer has carved themselves a niche around certain types of clothes or a specific style they emulate, their audience will be more focused and receptive. When an influencer has a clear, defined niche, they’re more likely to form deeper, long-lasting relationships with their followers. This will result in higher engagement, generating more ROI than traditional tactics.

However, it’s important to note that when you’re choosing an influencer ensure they reflect your company ethos and share your brand’s values. If they don’t, you’re at risk of an inauthentic partnership which can have catastrophic consequences for your ecommerce business. 

3. Influencers can generate quality leads 

Because influencers allow you to tap into precise audiences with specific kinds of content, there’s a high chance your brand message will resonate and lead to conversions. In fact, 50% of marketers report better quality leads through influencer marketing. This is great news for your business because better quality leads mean more conversions, and more conversions mean higher revenue.

4. Improve your SEO

Working with influencers can also improve your ranking on search engines like Google. This is because they improve your link profile by generating more inbound links to your website. 

What’s more, influencers often have their own high-authority sites with quality content and large online audiences, which in turn boosts your rankings and increases brand visibility.

5. Build brand awareness

Finally, one of the greatest benefits of influencer marketing is that it builds brand awareness. With so much content floating around on social media these days, it’s hard for businesses to stand out and reach their target audience. When you collaborate with influencers, you cut through the noise. 

As mentioned earlier, influencers have already done all the hard work for you – they’ve built a loyal community of followers. All you need to do is get the influencer to feature your product/service on their social media profile.

As you can see, influencer marketing can be hugely beneficial to your ecommerce business. Its true power lies in its ability to attract your target audience without bombarding them with overly salesy content. It can strengthen your relationship with consumers, improve your brand’s online presence, and drive conversions. 

Ecommerce influencer marketing experts

Do you want to hear more about how influencer marketing can grow your business? Get in touch with our team of ecommerce marketing experts today! We have years of experience when it comes to building meaningful relationships with influencers and connecting brands with millions of customers. Let’s get started!