In today’s digital era, where social media dominates as the main communication channel, influencer marketing has become one of the most important tools that brands can use to reach their target audience.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is an increasingly popular marketing tool used by brands as part of their communication strategy to support the sale of products and services, but also to build long-term brand awareness.
As part of influencer marketing, they work with people (influencers) who have a great impact and influence on their audience on social networksWhen were the first social networks created and which network was Facebook inspired by? Which networks are among the biggest in 2023? More. Influencers create interesting and authentic content for their followers and thus can influence their purchasing decisions.
Brands are looking to leverage this trust and relationship that influencers have built with their audience to achieve their marketing goals.
Who can become an influencer?
Basically, anyone can become an influencer . It is no longer the case that an influencer must be a publicly known personality.
It can be, for example, a mother on maternity leave who gives her followers tips on how to organize her household. Or a young teenager playing computer games for his audience.
He is simply a person who creates valuable content for his followers and thereby influences their buying behavior.
The aforementioned mother can motivate the purchase of various organizers or shelves, and the teenager can motivate the purchase of computer games or nutritional supplements to increase mental performance.
Micro and macro influencer marketing
We also often come across the division of such persons into micro and macro influencers. They differ not only in the size of the audience that follows them, but also in their engagement and trust or the costs of cooperation that such a form of marketing requires.
Micro influencers focus on a smaller but more engaged audience, while macro influencers they usually have a larger reach and a wider target audience. The decision about which influencers a brand chooses to work with depends on many factors, such as campaign goals , budget , or the character of a specific brand.
Otherwise, when choosing an influencer, the decision will be made by a small family cafe and otherwise by a large chain of cafes that comes with its operations to the entire Slovak market.
Forms of influencer marketing
After taking into account the key factors and choosing the influencer himself, the brand decides which form of influencer marketing to choose. It can be:
- Sponsored social media posts , where a brand pays influencers to create content that promotes their product or service. Such contributions can be in the form of photos, short video reels, stories, or YouTube videos. It also depends on which social network the given influencer operates on.
- Contests and giveaways: brands can work with influencers to organize various contests where their followers have the chance to win tangible prizes.
- Participation in events: influencers can also be engaged by the brand to promote various events such as the launch of a new collection, festivals, corporate events, fashion shows. Influencers can promote the event through their social networks and help increase attendance at the event.
- Long-term partnerships and ambassadorship. If the circumstances allow it, it is ideal to build a long-term relationship between the brand and the influencer who promotes it. This long-term engagement guarantees consistent and reliable brand support from the influencer. Long-term cooperation also contributes to a higher degree of trust on the part of followers and thus has a favorable effect on the sale of products and services.
How to choose the right influencer
There are many influencer marketing analysis tools that help brands and agencies decide on the right influencer and play an important role in measuring the performance and effectiveness of their campaigns:
These and other tools offer a variety of features and analytics to help brands improve and optimize their influencer marketing campaigns. Choosing the right tool depends on the brand’s specific needs and goals.
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok influencer marketing
When choosing a suitable influencer, it is also important for the brand to pay attention to the social network on which the influencer is active. You have to approach influencer marketing differently when promoting clothes and differently, for example, when marketing a travel agency. The most popular social networks suitable for influencer marketing currently include Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTokTikTok is a social network that allows users to create and share short videos, often with music, filters and various effects. More.
Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for influencer marketing, especially for its visual content, whether in the form of photos or videos. On it, influencers know how to use various formats such as IG Stories, LIVE videos, Reels, etc., thanks to which they interact better with their followers. You can break through here especially in areas such as “fashion”, cosmetics, lifestyle, etc.
YouTube is a major platform for video content. Therefore, it is suitable for products and services for which you need to shoot videos, tutorials, vlogs, etc. For example, the GoPro brand partners with adventure influencers on YouTube and uses their videos to promote their action cameras and outdoor adventures.
Facebook is still a very popular platform in the field of influencer marketing. There are many influencers who have built a community of fans through their own pages and groups where they regularly interact with them.
TikTok is a platform focused on short videos that have become very popular among younger generations and young influencers. It is suitable for sharing fun and creative content that will go viral very easily here. Many brands (e.g. Gymshark, Red Bull) use cooperation with TikTokers mainly to reach the younger generation.
We covered the topic of influencer marketing in more detail in the article 12 most burning questions in influencer marketing.