Influencer marketing, a form of marketing that uses industry relevant movers and shakers to drive your brand’s message, has supposedly been around for years. That said, highly targeted influencer marketing agencies are only recently popping up all over the shop, and we thought this infographic from The Shelf summed up how marketing’s new kid on the block is quickly taking the top spot pretty nicely. It’s becoming an integral part of content marketing.
The infographic highlights why, and with good reason, influencer marketing is soaking up marketing budget, to be ploughed into this fresh marketing space. Fifty-two percent of companies are allocating stand-alone budget for sponsored social content, and 25 percent have budgets in excess of a whopping $500,000!
The blogger’s role in influencer marketing
Bloggers are seen to play a key role in a consumer’s decision-making process. According to the infographic, for consumers, blogs trail only behind retail and brand sites when making overall purchase decisions. Blogs even outdo popular social media channels including; Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.
Interestingly, the infographic reveals that consumers are more likely to be influenced by someone else’s experience of a brand, rather than the brand itself. Indeed, 92 percent of participants confirmed they trust recommendations from other people – even if it’s someone they don’t know – over branded content. That’s not to say consumers don’t trust brand content at all, but as digital marketers, we should be mindful of how powerful word-of-mouth can be. This is, of course, reinforcing the theory of social proof. There will always be a need, from a brand and a consumer perspective, to provide useful and relevant content.
Although the research is from across the pond, it successfully paints a picture of the impact influencers can have on your brand. It can; expand your reach, increase brand awareness, improve your SEO, the list goes on.
