It is pretty clear that influencer marketing is set to dominate in 2017, but are you still not convinced? A report released by influencer marketing platform Julius might just change your mind. After surveying rising digital influencers, Julius uncovered interesting trends about the current state of influencer marketing and its expected growth in 2017. Based off of the study’s results, here are the top 6 reasons why you should incorporate influencer marketing into your 2017 strategy.
1. Authentic Content
Through their authentic content, influencers have earned the trust of their followers. Brands have a lot to gain from this relationship, since within an influencer’s fan base are existing and potential consumers. 92% of customers actually trust recommendations from strangers (i.e. influencers) over brands. This means that brands can more effectively drive their message through the content of key influencers within their target community, be it lifestyle, retail, fitness, etc.
2. Organic Conversation
Let’s clarify. With influencer marketing, you’re not just getting organic conversation. If your brand carries out extensive research to find the right influencer to partner with, you will ultimately be getting organic conversation with your target audience. This gives your brand the opportunity to reach, engage, and impact consumers like never before.
3. Engagement
In 2016, influencer marketing was predominately centered on generating awareness for brands, as conversions were difficult to keep track of. However, since the recent release of Instagram features such as tagging in Stories and shoppable tags, companies are now able to measure their conversation rates and ROI more accurately. This makes it much easier for brands to quantify the engagement and impact sparked by their influencer campaigns, and adjust their strategy accordingly.
4. Communication
Social media marketing is often just a fraction of a company’s overall marketing plan. As a result, it can be hard for brands to keep track of social in realtime, especially if they don’t have a team dedicated to it. This is where influencers can help. Over 85% of influencers spend 6 or more hours a week researching, creating, posting, tracking, and responding to followers. 25% have even made “influencing” their full-time profession. So while brands may be unable to make social media their main priority, influencers sure can. By collaborating with influencers, brands can establish a social presence with less “maintenance”, allowing consumers to connect with brands without necessarily communicating directly with them.
5. Everyone’s Doing It
Out of the many rising influencers surveyed by Julius, 90% stated that they have previously worked with a brand. 77% of all influencers work with brands as a part of ongoing and evergreen campaigns. Influencer campaigns are all around us, so if you’re not working with influencers, your competitors definitely are. Get into the influencer marketing game before it’s too late!
6. Collaboration
Content, content, content. What more could brands ask for? Collaboration and link building is vital for improving your online presence, and it will also help your website’s SEO. Influencers are social media geniuses, so they can definitely help you out in this department. Whether they started out early or worked effortlessly to create their online presence, they know all the tricks of the trade. They stay on top of the trends and can give you valuable insights, as their reputation and business are also on the line.
Like everything else in life, there are pros and cons of influencer marketing. However, it is clear that influencer marketing has a lot to offer and will grow in popularity in 2017. In fact, 85% of influencers expect the number of branded campaigns they complete to increase over the next year. Since this approach is guaranteed to continue in the future, brands and influencers alike should be prepared to join in if they haven’t already!
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