Influencer Marketing Courses

Influencer marketing is a social media marketing wing that capitalises on the popularity and fan following of celebrities and social media influencers. It leverages influencers’ platforms for service endorsements and product promotions in the relevant niche. Customers can perceive it as word-of-mouth from a trusted person - influencer marketing is significantly based on the trust and credibility a social media influencer shares with its followers through consistent two-way interactions and using the same for marketing.

Although similar to celebrity endorsements, influencer marketing relies on the fame and fan following of ‘influencers’ who can sway people by offering honest reviews of a brand’s offerings. Their influence and foothold on certain social media platforms allow brands to expand their customer outreach, create brand awareness, and fuel conversion. Digital spaces comprising a variety of audiences make influencer marketing essential for any brand to gain engagement and eventual success.

Initially, platforms like Instagram were solely used to share pictures with people. However, over time, it has become a marketing hub, which has helped many people opt for influencer marketing as their full-time career. One of the main reasons behind influencer marketing popularity is the content-driven approach.

Simple product marketing techniques, including digital advertisement or traditional marketing tactics, are considered old-age techniques. In their busy schedules, consumers do not want to spend much time watching a compelling yet lengthy ad film to purchase a product. Rather, they crave relatable content, served in a precise, quick, and consumable form, which influencer marketing often enables in its marketing strategy. Influencer marketing uses a content-driven approach, which means using relevant and informative content to seek audience attention and using the same to endorse a service. The content should be bite-sized but placed aptly between movies.

Take a look at one of India’s most popular social media influencers Kusha Kapila. Kapila largely uses her platform of nearly 2.5 million followers on Instagram to create entertaining content. While the content receives over 10 million views, she often plugs brand collaborations like beauty products or clothing brands within these videos. Her approach has led her to win consistent brand collaboration and an even wider follower base, implying the potential of influencer marketing.

Unlike previous marketing channels like television and newspapers, digital media has an expansive reach, though it draws one of the biggest cons for marketers- a scattered target audience. Digital channels such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are extensively used by many people, who consistently consume ads from all sources, reducing their eventual effectiveness. While ads are delivered on all channels, they often fail to target their niche audience through a spread-out media consumption.

Influencer marketing tackles this concern with homogenous platforms offered by niche influencers. For example, the brand collaboration of a health supplement brand with a physician or health and food influencer can target the right audience while using their trusted name to receive better conversion rates.

Consumers are highly detailed when it comes to engaging and buying services. As social media ads and commercials continue losing engagement through a simple skip button, choosing influencer marketing enables brands to associate with a name reliable to thousands of people with consistent engagement and loyalty.

According to Forbes, influencer marketing is faster than digital ads and other marketing tactics, citing ‘people trust people’ as the biggest reason behind its success. Leveraging an influencer’s reach and dedicated loyalty among people to promote your brand directly works as word of mouth but on a massive platform. Not being a new trend, many brands feel skeptical about approving influencer marketing for their brands, though brands must consider reaching where their audience resides. You must find the right, reliable influencer to work with your product.

Here are various other benefits your brand achieves, working with influencer marketing.

Brand awareness

Entering a new niche might take your brand years to reach a relevant customer base with traditional marketing channels. Engaging in influencer marketing to endorse your brand fuels awareness among new audiences following the influencer. If a brand engages with an influencer who shares a similar niche with its products, it has a chance to reach an already engaged audience. As the influencer will use and promote your brand more, you are likely to boost brand awareness and a higher conversion rate.

Build trust and credibility

Influencer marketing’s whole point revolves around influencer loyalty and credibility. An influencer with a large following often has its recommendations greatly valued by followers. So, imagine the conversion rate your brand can achieve with a single recommendation from a highly valued influencer! Around 51% of marketers claim influencer marketing to reap value for their business, and the numbers continue to grow by choosing the right influencers strategy.

Reach target audience

Influencer marketing saves your additional brand funds to analyse and find an audience in your relevant niche. As influencers already put content before audiences interested in the niche, it improves overall brand performance through visibility. Besides, the marketing strategy providing the brand with its target audience also extends the opportunity to connect with new customers through brand awareness. A brand can simultaneously capture its target audience as well as encourage new people to find the brand.

Does not appear forceful

In contrast to traditional and digital ads intruding on their ways to reach customers and spam their workspace, influencer marketing is more effective in delivering the message without appearing too forceful. As the audience willingly chooses to interact and connect with influencers, brand promotions extended through influencer marketing don’t seem pushy; hence, directing better influence on customers to obtain their interest. While ad blockers keep a brand’s advertising endeavors outdoors, influencer marketing gradually makes room in a customer’s mind.

SEO boost

Did you know that influencer marketing can fuel your DA ranking? DA or Domain Authority refers to a score assigned to your website based on how relevant, informative, and influential your website content is. The backlinks added to your website can also influence your DA score. Collaborating with a well-known influencer will allow you to backlink the authority website and eventually increase your DA score, leading your website to rank higher in search results. Therefore, influencer marketing also proves to fuel your SEO strategy.