The Pros and Cons to Influencer Marketing
Brands and retailers want to reach out to their target audience using the ways that will resonate with them the most. A popular way of marketing to consumers, particularly younger consumers, is using social media influencers. By 2022, the influencer marketing industry is expected to be worth around £12 billion, but is it really effective?
Pros to Influencer Marketing
One of the biggest pros to influencer marketing is that it helps you reach your target audience. If you choose the influencer you want to work with correctly, their followers will be the people who consume, or who you want to consume, your product. For example, if you are selling hairbands for girls aged 12 – 16, paying Callum Best to promote your product will be ineffective, but if you are selling products for the gym, he is the man for you. It needs to be believable that the influencer would wear or use the product even if they weren’t being paid to do so.
Another pro to influencer marketing is that it helps to build trust and credibility. A lot of younger consumers strongly believe that their favourite influencers would not promote products that they didn’t like. If their idol is vouching for your product, chances are they will trust it completely.
Depending on the number of followers the influencer you want to work with has, influencer marketing can reach thousands, even millions of consumers. Consumers are much more likely to buy a product that they have seen more than one influencer use, so the best way to use influencer marketing is to use a mix of influencers who have a big following and influencers that have a smaller following. Chances are you won’t even have to pay the smaller influencers, you will just have to send them a free product.
Cons to Influencer Marketing
While there are a lot of pros to influencer marketing, there are also some cons. If you choose the wrong influencer it can do more harm than good. You need to put time and effort into deciding the best influencer for your brand and do some background research into their likes/dislikes and beliefs.
Another con of influencer marketing is that it is difficult to measure results. The most common ways to do this is by giving the influencer a discount code to see how often it is used or by giving them a UTM link to share that you can track. However, you can’t track brand awareness and trust as easily, so you may be reaping benefits you’re unaware of.
When you are choosing what influencers to work with, you need to look at their previous sponsored posts to see how interesting the content is. Do they make sure the product is front and centre? Is the picture exciting and getting good engagement? Is it something you’d be happy to respost on your own social channels? If they can’t create exciting content it won’t jump out at your target audience.
Overall, influencer marketing is a beneficial investment. Once you take the time to choose the influencers that best match your brand you shouldn’t see any backlash. Looking for more retail insights? Visit Spring Fair, our February show, and take part in our free workshops and seminars.
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