Founded by marketing expert Sergey Karshkov, 9 Pandas is a full spectrum advertising agency that leverages the latest technology and trends to develop engaging advertising strategies for its clients that really convert. This article will explore the power of social media influencers today, helping businesses to get their products seen by a wider audience and promoting brand affinity and engagement. The embedded infographic looks at some of the latest digital marketing trends in the UK in 2022.
Recognising the tremendous power influencers have over brand perception, forward-thinking organisations are increasingly investing in this new advertising medium, enlisting the help of third parties to expand their market reach and increase their profitability.
The way people shop has changed forever. Today, the marketing industry is witnessing a paradigm shift, with consumers placing less weight on corporate ad campaigns. Instead, they are increasingly relying on the word of their favourite influencers and basing their buying decisions on what a trusteed peer has to say. The attached PDF explores the influencer phenomenon, looking at the right way for businesses to use influencers to increase their market reach and get their products seen.
To maintain credibility, influencers need to be authentic, as well as maintaining a degree of impartiality. Although a large proportion of the audience will understand that, ultimately, the influencer is paid by companies to promote their products, they will still expect a basic level of integrity and honesty.
If an influencer’s review is lukewarm, this will do little to elicit a positive response from the public. If the influencer’s review is negative, this could have a significant detrimental impact on brand reputation.
Looking at the pluses of influencer marketing, influencers hold massive sway over markets for three key reasons. First, social media advertising is a rapidly expanding industry. According to an Adobe Digital Insights study, 50% of Generation Z and 42% of millennials agree that social media ads are the most relevant to them.
Second, advertising governing bodies like ASA and CAP have set stringent standards, driving down the scope for fraud and reducing bad practices like buying fake followers.
Third, influencers deliver an enhanced customer experience, with audiences engaging with them more closely than a faceless company.
In any industry there are influential people: it is simply a matter of finding them. Influencers may have millions of followers, but they generally present themselves as ordinary people. This makes them more relatable – and therefore an effective sales channel. You can discover more about different marketing sales channels by viewing the embedded video.