Influencers, Messaging, and the Future of Marketing
The Importance of Influencers in the World of Social Media Marketing
Influencer marketing has become one of the most popular and sought-after types of marketing in the past several years. The rise of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have greatly influenced users’ buying habits and shopping experiences. By pairing with social media influencers, or people with large, dedicated followings, brands are able to reach direct markets in which they want to advertise their company, products, or services. Influencer marketing works well to garner customer trust with a brand (McPeak, 2020). If a customer or audience base trusts an influencer and the influencer tells them that a product is good, they will be more likely to purchase said product. Social media influencers will also be able to showcase a product in a unique way that only an individual, not a whole brand, can do. Many influencers have close personal connections to their followers and know exactly what type of content their audience wants to see and how they will engage with it (Carbone, 2020). Influencers can be creative and personal in their marketing of a product and may bring a new awareness to the brand or a product specifically.
Selecting an influencer to partner with a brand should be carefully planned and strategized. The influencer selected must be able to positively share the features and benefits of the product to the right people in the right way. Ensuring that the most relevant influencer for the product has the necessary reach and can relate well with their audience is important to fostering a successful partnership and campaign. A partnership between a brand and an influencer should appear natural and the values from both parties should align. Choose an influencer with similar beliefs, interests, and voice as the brand because their beliefs are most likely also to be shared with their followers (McPeak, 2020). When all three parties have similar viewpoints and personalities, a partnership or influencer campaign is the most successful.
Brands and influencers have been creative in their partnerships lately. The right personality and product partnered together oftentimes feels very organic and natural, which means that the campaign is working effectively. A partnership I would love to see in the future is one between Brittany Broski (@brittany_broski on TikTok and Instagram) and Loungefly, an accessory company that specializes in branded collectibles and fandom merchandise. Their audience is primarily teenagers and young adults with interests in Disney, Nickelodeon, anime, and other branded fandoms. Brittany Broski is a social media influencer with a large following on TikTok. Her followers, similar to Loungefly’s market, are younger millennials and Generation Z. She has posted about Loungefly products before and has often shared Disney and Nickelodeon related content. Her followers relate to and understand her pop culture references and join in on her discussions of them. Similar audiences are found within both the company and influencer and have great potential for a successful collaboration.
Along with sharing similar audiences and markets, Brittany Broski has a unique look and often shares artistic and creative content, which falls in line with Loungefly’s whimsical branding. Additionally, because Brittany Broski does not post exclusively fandom-based content, Loungefly may find new customers that may not have heard of them before. Allowing an influencer like Brittany Broski to take creative leads, whether they are artistic, unique, or simply goofy in nature, allows for Loungefly to connect their products with interested audiences that trust Brittany and her typical content.
Influencer marketing has the potential to turn into larger brand deals and long-term partnerships. Therefore, it is important for a brand and influencer to fully support one another, their goals, and the campaign fully. Finding a common ground in messaging and content is necessary to help the campaign reach its full potential and bring success to both parties involved. Just as followers trust an influencer’s content to be truthful and accurate, so, too, should an influencer trust in the brand they represent.
References
McPeak, A. (2020, May 7). To influence or not to influence: how brands can leverage influencer marketing during the pandemic | Coronavirus series. Klaviyo. https://www.klaviyo.com/blog/dtc-influencer-marketing-coronavirus.
Carbone, L. (2020, December 5). Top 8 influencer marketing trends coming in 2021. Later. https://later.com/blog/influencer-marketing-trends/.
