Did you know that 71% of consumers make a purchasing decision based on a social media post?
Influencer marketing is being used by global brands and small business owners to broaden their online reach and connect with new prospects.
You can find influencers to help you generate online buzz that drives more quality referrals to your website. If you’re considering partnering with an influencer to grow your business, this article will introduce you to the concept of influencers, as well as some of the best influencer marketing platforms.
The Role of Influencers
Have you ever taken a friend’s recommendation for a film? Is there someone in your circles you turn to for advice about technology, politics, or shopping deals? That person is an influencer.
An influencer is anyone whose opinions exert an influence on their peers. Peers tend to value an influencer’s opinions because of their expertise, knowledge, or experience. If a trusted source in your community tells others that you’re a trustworthy, reliable real estate agent, dog-walker, or dentist, you’ll attract better quality leads who won’t need a lot of persuasions.
Professional influencers are also brand gurus who know how to leverage social media to build brand awareness. They establish themselves through a popular blog, podcast, or YouTube channel that garners thousands of views each day from individuals who value their opinions.
Influencers are typically incentivized to drive referrals, which can be a win-win for both parties. An influencer doesn’t have to be specific to your industry either.
What Is Influencer Marketing?
Network marketing, affiliate marketing, and relationship marketing are all synonymous concepts that leverage the power of influencers and social media for business. When we want information about a product or service, we turn to our network of peers first for recommendations and insights that will help us make informed decisions.
Word-of-mouth is still recognized as the #1 influence on consumer purchasing decisions. A 2016 survey of 2000 US consumers by the National Harris Poll revealed that:
- 82% rely on peer referrals when making a purchase.
- 67% indicated that they were more likely to consider a product or service that was shared through social media by a family member or friend.
- 86% with an annual household income in excess of $100K rely on referrals from their personal network prior to making a purchase
When an influencer endorses your service or product, members of their network are more likely to consider you over your competitors. Businesses can then reward referral leads with discounts or deals because they generate word-of-mouth that drives more traffic back to you!
Key Benefits of Influencer Marketing
Anyone who maintains a growing social network that they are consistently building can be a potential influencer who recommends your service to others in their network. Some key benefits of influencer marketing include:
- Generates quality referral leads from trusted peer sources
- Generates word-of-mouth and online buzz
- Targeted brand exposure and promotion by industry or location
- Backlinks that build your authority with search engines
- Generate reviews of your product or service
5 Influencer Marketing Platforms To Leverage
The best way to find and connect with successful influencers is to partner with an influencer marketing agency or platform. Their exclusive focus on influencers will make it much easier for you to find an influencer with the right audience profile and reach. You’ll find influencers who specialize in a particular social media platform (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) or media format (blog, podcast, video)
The marketing platforms listed below represent 5 of the most popular and successful influencer brands around. Check out the respective website for more details:
1. Viral Nation
Global influencer talent and marketing agency with an audience of 500 million and growing. Top social media channels are Instagram, YouTube, Vine, Snapchat and Twitter
2. Content BLVD
Focused on driving fun, entertaining marketing content to YouTube viewers. Ideal for promoting physical products and boosting your online subscribers. Over 3000 companies served to date!
3. Ninja Outreach
Blogger outreach software CRM that makes finding influencers in any niche simple. Thousands of influencers across the globe with automated outreach tools to help you be more efficient. Strong focus on Instagram and Twitter.
4. Niche.co
Brands can partner with leading influencers to produce, share and promote engaging content. They also provide software tools to support your influencer campaign and help you measure ROI.
5. BrandBacker
Connects businesses with a network of over 10,000 influencers. Focused on bloggers and vloggers. Use the platform to create savvy marketing content, showcase your content, and build relationships with influencers in your target market.
Conclusion
Finding influencers who are familiar with your target audience can significantly boost your lead generation efforts and support your marketing strategy. By using an influencer marketing platform, you can find reputable influencers as well as software tools to measure your results and ROI.
Let us know what influencer marketing platform you prefer and why. We’d love to hear your feedback!