5 Reasons Why You Need to Take Advantage of Influencer Marketing There is mounting evidence that done correctly, influencers can drive sales far more effectively than traditional advertising.
By Jonathan Long •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/290745Influencer marketing is one of the hottest, and effective, ways to get your brand in front of a massive targeted audience. Why? Because it works, and works extremely well. My agency has been in the influencer marketing game since long before it was a buzzword, and it's become such a large business that we launched a second agency, blerrp, as a stand-alone influencer marketing brand.
It allows brands to connect with their audience in a more organic way, when compared to traditional forms of digital advertising. There are still some CMOs and executives that aren't on board yet, so I want to highlight five reasons why influencer marketing is something that, without a doubt, needs to be part of your marketing strategy.
1. Traditional ads are becoming ineffective.
Consumers are becoming immune to traditional ads online. Years ago, every publisher ran the same layout -- a banner ad in the header and then multiple ads units in the right-hand sidebar. Even when placed in other locations, they are still easily identified.
Advertisements stick out like a sore thumb these days and consumers are now using software to flat-out prevent ads from being displayed, with 26 percent of desktop users and 15 percent of mobile consumers using blockers to remove ads from publishers' websites. So, even if you come up with a great ad and experience decent conversion rates, if users have ad blockers enabled they will never encounter your offer.
Related: How to Create a Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign
2. Brands are spending more on influencer marketing.
An astonishing 59 percent of marketers will increase influencer marketing budgets in 2016, further proving how effective it is. While the early adapters have already experienced first-hand how effective it can be, new brands are getting involved every day.
While my agency works with larger brands on large-scale influencer campaigns, we have received numerous inquiries from smaller brands to even mom and pop stores wanting to learn more about this latest marketing phenomenon. Figure out how to make influencer marketing work before your competition does.
Related: Influencer Marketing Tips From a College Student With a 250 Million Follower Reach
3. It's native.
It's no secret that native advertising tends to perform better than traditional ads. But influencer marketing is a different beast, because it's a familiar face that's presenting the content. With 92 percent of consumers trusting recommendations from individuals -- even if they don't know them -- over brands, it's no wonder why influencer marketing is so effective.
When you combine an attractive offer with a perfectly-matched influencer, the engagement rates can be through the roof, as well as the end result, which brings us to the next topic -- ROI.
Related: How Influencer Marketing Moves Beyond Raising Awareness
4. The ROI generated can be amazing.
According to a case study by Nielsen Catalina Solutions and TapInfluence, influencer content generates ROI that is 11 times greater than traditional digital campaigns. There is plenty of data available that proves how effective it can be, including a study that showed influencer campaigns earn $6.85 for every $1.00 spent. These are solid statistics.
Will it work for every single business under the sun? No -- nothing has a 100 percent success rate. But, there is enough information out there that suggests influencer marketing is something every brand should at least explore.
Related: Why Influencer Marketing Is Great for Your SEO
5. Your offer is placed where your target audience is most-active.
Influencers are used to place your offer in front of your target audience in the most active environment -- social media. With 74 percent of consumers using social media to make purchase decisions, according to Sprout Social, finding the right combination of offer and influencer can be very rewarding, conversion-wise.
Anyone running paid social media ads on Facebook and Instagram can most likely already attest to the effectiveness of social media advertising. Now, take that success and magnify it, due to the "ads" being more natural and organic.
