As specialists in marketing through influencers, we see brands benefitting from this technique every day. Moreover, as time goes on, the popularity of this technique just keeps growing, and for good reason.
The team here at VerriBerri are all passionate about one thing – ensuring good marketing is accessible for every business, no matter their size. Having operated in this field since 2009, we have been able to nurture and hone our skills to an award-winning level. What’s more, with over a decade of experience under our belt, it’s safe to say that we know just how to excel your brand. Afterall, it’s what we do best!
Keen to know more about influencer campaigns and how this could benefit you? Keep reading!
What is an influencer?
For those of you who don’t know, an influencer is almost like a new age celebrity. In short, these are individuals who have built a large following (and good engagement rate) on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram.
Like with most things, influencers can be broken down into types based on their following…
- Nano-Influencers – 1k-10k Followers
- Micro-Influencers – 10k-100k Followers
- Macro-Influencers – 100k-1M+ Followers
To give you a brief history, influencer marketing all started with YouTube. When this platform was first created, users couldn’t earn any money from posting. However, this quickly changed and with the invention of AdSense, these individuals were given an incentive to continue creating. Over time, influencers who were consistent began to generate huge followings.
With this, communities were built, and the loyalty of fans continued to grow. Soon, brands cottoned onto their potential when it came to promotion and as such, influencer marketing was born. These days, the most popular influencer platforms are YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
What are my options?
Marketing through influencers is an incredibly versatile technique and offers options for almost every business, regardless of funds. For example, gifting and affiliate marketing are two of the more budget-friendly methods. Comparatively, paid collaborations and brand ambassadorship may cost more, however will usually have a far larger reach.
To give you a better understanding of your options, let’s explore these further…
Gifting
As we recently touched on, gifting is a great option for those of you who have a lower budget for influencer marketing. This process involves your brand sending a press package to a creator in return for a mention on their feed. Influencers aren’t always contractually obliged to promote your products to their followers, but they can be.
When using the gifting method, this technique is usually more lucrative when aimed at smaller influencers. Whilst you may think that larger creators would be more plentiful, this isn’t always the case when it comes to gifting. Influencers with 20k+ followers receive lots of press packages each month, making it difficult to make an impact.
Providing you are choosing influencers with a good engagement rate; this technique can be incredibly successful, regardless of audience size.
Paid collaborations
When it comes to paid collaborations, you’re usually targeting influencers with a much larger following. This method works similarly to gifting; however, you are required to pay a fee for the promotion of your products. In this case, creators are contractually obliged to share your products with their audience. The cost of these collaborations is heavily determined by a creators reach and engagement rate.
Brand ambassadorship
Finally, we come to brand ambassadorship. The main difference between this technique in comparison to paid collaborations is the contract length. When you bring an influencer on-board as a brand ambassador, they become a spokesperson for your business. This is a long-term agreement in which they may be obligated to run competitions and regularly promote your product, among other things.
Additionally, where budget allows, you may even wish for these ambassadors to bring out their own collection of products. Influencer ranges can be incredibly lucrative.
Who is influencer marketing good for and how does it add value?
Although it may not seem the most obvious marketing method, there are very few brands that won’t benefit from an influencer strategy. For those of you operating within a B2C market, a strong campaign can prove incredibly successful. Brands who might find the most value in influencer marketing include the clothing, beauty, lifestyle, and eco-friendly industries. When well executed, marketing through influencers can help you to…
- Improve your brand recognition and visibility
- Appear more modern and forward-thinking
- Boost your reputation and credibility
- Convert sales
- Build trust among the general pubic
Influencer marketing vs celebrity endorsement – which is better?
As we touched on earlier, influencer marketing has a very similar likeness to celebrity endorsement. Nevertheless, the two techniques are still considered to be different. We might be biased but, in our opinion, we believe marketing through influencers to be the way to go!
When it comes to celebrity endorsement, brands will pay millions to be able to put a celebrity’s name to their campaign. Admittedly, this form of advertisement can certainly be lucrative. But what if there were a more affordable option?
Reportedly, designer brand Christian Dior paid a whopping £37 million to secure Johnny Depp for the promotion of their Savage fragrance range. Comparatively, the average influencer marketing budget sits at around £740-£7400 per year. The bottom line is, providing you choose carefully, influencer PR is far more cost-effective that utilising celebrities. What’s more, it also offers exposure to multiple audiences. Not to mention, it’s much more accessible too!
Contact us today!
As you can see, there is far more to marketing through influencers than at first meets the eye. From creating press packages that make an impact to choosing the right creators to have behind your brand, the entire process can be overwhelming. If you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, our team are here to help!
Want to know more about us? To discuss your current strategy and how we can help you grow your brand, get in touch! You can reach us by calling on 01376 386 850 or by clicking here!