6 Reasons Why Influencer Marketing Really Working In today's day and age you need to ensure your marketing spend is going to the right places and most importantly, that you're getting the best bang for your buck.

Influencer marketing is a strategy that offers one of the highest returns on investment. Basically, influencer marketing is the process of identifying strategic individuals within your target market, and partnering with them to create advertising that is genuine and more palatable to the audience.

Google Trends show that the interest in influencer marketing is at an all-time high, and further studies demonstrate that personalised, word-of-mouth marketing is more than twice as effective as the alternatives.

The idea is pretty simple — instead of a brand telling you why their new product is so amazing, the good review comes from a popular and trusted individual. When an influencer or thought leader promotes your product or service to their audience, they're essentially telling their audience "You trust me, and I trust this company."

This form of advertising is becoming increasingly popular since audiences have already opted to receive this particular person's opinions. It also puts a human touch to your marketing effort. Partnering with influencers makes your service more trustworthy and allows you to effortlessly reach a wider audience.

Influencer marketing has been identified as the most effective method of customer acquisition in 2016 and 2017, ahead of the likes of display advertising, email marketing, paid social media and traditional media.

92% of consumers turn to people they know for referrals above any other source.

Here are six reasons why influencer marketing works:

1. It really does work

There are few things that drive a sale more effectively than word-of-mouth recommendations. Studies show that trusted word-of-mouth recommendations generate more than twice the sales of paid advertising, and those that were acquired through word-of-mouth had a 37% higher retention rate.

2. It's social media friendly

The world and marketing have shifted to social media. 70% of brands are increasing their social media marketing spend in 2017. Today, it's easier to connect with other consumers via social media and make better purchasing decisions by learning about their experiences with a product or service. Influencers are a force to be reckoned with; brands can strategically partner with the right personalities to spark organic conversations and seduce their followers.

3. Cut through the clutter

According to research, the average social media user is exposed to 5 000 advertisements a day. Whether or not that number is scientifically proven, it gets the point across: We are exposed to a lot of ads. Influencers are able to cut your brand through the clutter and get it straight to your target market's eyes.

4. It's native advertising

Traditional advertising interrupts the consumer experience (think TV commercials during your favourite series). Native advertising places brands and products within the organic content, creating a more pleasurable experience for consumers and a more powerful marketing solution for brands.

5. Your SEO will strengthen

On top of building your brand and improving your sales numbers, influencer marketing also helps your search engine ranking. User-generated social posts account for 25% of search results for the world's top 20 brands. The more people mention your brand on social media, the more popular and relevant you will be on Google.

6. It's measurable

Probably the most important thing of all is that marketers and brand owners can actually track the success of their influencer marketing campaigns, unlike expensive TV, print and radio campaigns.

The digital world is different. Every website visit, social like, and picture posted online can be stored and analysed, giving you tons of data that turns into valuable insights about your target market and your advertising performance.

Influencer marketing presents a massive opportunity for brands to leverage the power of word-of-mouth at scale through personalities that consumers already follow and admire. The possibilities are endless, you'll actually save marketing spend and guess what…? You can finally measure your results.