Influencer marketing is the most promising, but at the same time the most underrated, part of digital marketing. Today, many companies use influencer marketing in a wrong way, with brief and short-term partnerships, that are often based on campaigns. But what is the best way to work with influencer marketing in order to reach its’ full potential?
In order to reach its’ highest possible potential, an upgrade of the definition must first be done. With influencer marketing, your goal is to create an effect or change a behavior, but many times companies don’t achieve that today. You must understand that it’s all about genuine partnerships with a quest to promote both the company and the influencer at the same time, rather than buying social media posts from the influencers with the highest number of followers.
It’s time for companies and agencies to start thinking bigger than just campaigns when it comes to influencer marketing. Instead, it’s time to think that the companies themselves should be an important part of the customer’s journey. This is indeed possible by using influencer marketing. You should start focusing on long-term partnerships, since it’s often the time between the campaigns and the events that are the most valuable, when there is often time to get a deeper understanding of what is important for the company’s influencers. To truly understand and to build trust with your influencers are very important aspects on every company’s journey to success.
Influencer marketing has just as much potential as challenges. Brands and agencies have used this form of marketing incorrectly by seeing it as small parts of larger campaigns. This doesn’t make the companies feel genuine and real in the customers’ eyes. The influencer’s role in a company has started to change and as an influencer you can do more than just promoting a message. Working with influencers can often be mistaken and falsely be seen upon as traditional marketing.
Marketers still have much to learn about influencer marketing, especially that influence isn’t something that can be turned on and off – it’s always there. The companies’ customers are always influenced by different sources and that’s why you have to continuously work with those influencers who have an every day customer impact. There are no shortcuts to get there. You really have to get to know and understand your customers, and at the same time always remember that they are the ones in charge. See where they get their influences from and why. If you look at this from an international viewpoint, many big brands today already see their employers as influencers. This makes the companies look more genuine to the customers.
In the future, influencer marketing might instead be called influencer relations, because basically, relations are what it’s all about. Influencers should be seen as tools to use in order to get closer to your customers, so that you can start building more genuine and loyal customers relations.
/ Alicia, PR Consultant at Northern Link PR