What is influencer marketing? And is it right for your SME?

What is an influencer?

Influencers are people who influence the emotions, opinions, or behavior of others on social media. Ideally, as many others as possible. That is why the number of followers is an important criterion.

What is influencer marketing?

When such an influential person promotes a product or shares experiences about a certain brand, that product or brand appears on the radar of all those followers. And a purchase is one step closer…

Let’s clarify with a fictional example. The shoe brand Crocs wants to boost its sales. In addition to advertisements and a radio spot, they hire Jani Kazaltzis as an influencer. For a fee, of course. If Jani suddenly starts shouting from the rooftops that Crocs are back in style (as we said: fictional example!), a portion of his hundreds of thousands of followers will guaranteed head to the shoe store.

Why do it?

Answer to the question What is influencer marketing?: check! But why should you get started with it? Here are three reasons.

1. Consumers are wary of advertising messages. Finding a person they trust and identify with is the key! It’s all about authenticity and H2H, human to human. That’s why the Jani example is purely fictional. Because hiring the world’s biggest Croc-hater as an influencer: that just doesn’t work.
2. Influencer marketing cannot be fast-forwarded or ignored. Unlike commercial breaks on TV. Unlike the advertising pages in a newspaper.
3. When done well and subtly, it doesn’t feel like advertising. Compare it to product placement: that jar of Nutella that appears somewhat nonchalantly in a breakfast scene in your favorite series. Although that is something many influencers still struggle with – sometimes it’s laid on a bit too thick.

What’s in it for your company?

The benefits of influencer marketing for your business? You can increase your brand awareness, build or strengthen your image, increase your number of leads, reach a specific target group…

And what does it cost?

Influencers are generally rewarded in two ways.

1. Either you pay them to promote your brand.
2. Or you reward them with your products or other goodies.

If you choose the latter option, influencer marketing is a relatively inexpensive way to reach a specific target group.

The right influencer for your SME?

If you want to use an influencer for your company, it is important to think carefully about who exactly you are going to hire. This person must reach the target group you have in mind and also fit your company. After all, you are hiring an influencer as an ambassador. So don’t be misled by their large following of thousands, but choose someone who fits both your company and your product.

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So, hopefully you now have a better understanding of the questions What is influencer marketing? and How do you get started? Do you want to turn theory into practice? Or do you still have some questions? Our experts are always ready to help!