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I'm Domitille! I help service based businesses DIY their Pinterest marketing so they can create a sustainable visibility strategy for their business.
Influencers are what’s driving the next generation of marketing. As a matter of fact, with the rise of the micro-influencer, the influencer marketing world is projected to be a billion-dollar industry in the next 10 years.
Guest Blog By Kenda Laney, Kenda Laney Designs
Influencer marketing is unique. Indeed, no other marketing strategy gives brands the opportunity to organically access such a loyal and targeted audience as the one’s influencers have so carefully curated. Influencers have the unique opportunity to use their personal brand to cultivate trust and expertise with their audience. This trust then carries over other products, i.e. beauty, lifestyle, and fashion.
Each and every content creator builds a unique brand around themselves, their likes and dislikes, and ultimately, their opinions. This opinion is highly valuable in swaying public opinion and marketing for brands. One single endorsement from a prominent influencer has the power to launch a struggling start-up into a flourishing company.
Other than their customers, brands hold most dear their branding and the message they put out into the world. It can be difficult to create paid advertisements that organically and authentically portray the brand’s message to their ideal audience. However, through the use of influencers, brands are able to choose a carefully curated message to align their company with.
Content creators thrive on building brands that swell with authenticity and genuine connection. This connection is what drives the lucrative nature of marketing with influencers. One kind word on social media from a well-known creator could make or break the success of your brand.
Audiences are more and more moving away from the traditional print media or other forms of digital marketing. Your brand’s audience is on Instagram, they’re on Pinterest, and believe it or not, they’re on Tik Tok.
Working with influencers and creators is such a unique opportunity for brands. Indeed, they can align with their audiences like never before but also soulfully answer the needs of their customers.
Organic marketing and user-generated content are much more powerful than a few reviews thrown up on a website. As a result, the conversion rate is closer to 15-20%. Meanwhile, even the most well-crafted Facebook Ads have only a 5-10% conversion rate. Instagram, Google, and Facebook ads are expensive and are hard to maximize conversion. With influencers, however, you have the probability of a much higher conversion, access to a more dedicated fanbase, and organic content, at a fraction of the price.
However, with the opportunity for growth that comes with influencer marketing, there is also a dark side. Influencers and content creators are often underpaid and overworked. They are constantly bombarded with negative messages on their social media considering everything from their appearance to their words. For every hater, there are three loyal fans, but the pressure that these influencers are under every single day to show up, perform, and make everyone feel good is immense and can be extremely draining to their mental health.
Being an influencer is a full-time job. And is one that should be held in just as high esteem as any other job in the marketing industry. Influencers have the power with one click of a button to make your brand millions.
For aspiring influencers, keep in mind that your authenticity and your brand are very valuable to brands. If you desire to work with brands and align yourself with their marketing, my best advice is simply to ask. Send them a pitch and your media kit, and educate them as to why working with you is a smart business decision for them. The worst they can say is no.
Every day as an influencer myself, I receive between 10-25 DM’s and emails from brands asking to post about their brand in exchange for free product and exposure. Exposure and free product will not pay the bills though. If your company is considering using influencers as a part of your marketing strategy, please make sure to pay their rates and pay them what they’re worth.
Best of luck on your marketing journey, and remember, authenticity sells.
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