Uggh. No! Busting Myths of Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy that leverages individuals with the power to affect the purchase decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. When you hear the word "influencer," you might picture a celebrity on Instagram flaunting a new product. However, an influencer is not just someone who shows off a product; they can also be someone who influences a particular lifestyle, making this a highly effective strategy whether or not a celebrity is involved.

A Forbes article written by Gerardo A. Dada sums up what an influencer is very well. It reads,

The act of influencing requires a specific result: a change in thinking or behavior. An influencer, therefore, has the power to influence the perception of others or gets them to do something different.

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It's pretty clear why savvy marketers use influencer marketing to achieve much greater reach and increase sales.

There are many misconceptions surrounding influencer marketing. Marketers from nearly all industries have used influencers for much longer than you may think, yet common myths about this marketing strategy persist.

Influencers Can Only be Celebrities

This is a common myth. While celebrities are powerful influencers, the effectiveness of influencer marketing is not limited to them. The reality is that influencers can be nearly anyone with a trusted voice.

• Audience Over Fame: An influencer can be anyone with an engaged audience that trusts their opinion, from industry experts to micro-influencers with smaller, dedicated followings.
• Diverse Examples: While a brand like Nike famously uses high-performing athletes like Tiger Woods, there are countless effective "under-the-radar" influencers you may have never heard of.
• Engagement is Key: The true measure of an influencer is their ability to cultivate an engaged audience that is genuinely interested in what they have to say.

An Influencer's Audience Has to be Large

The effectiveness of an influencer is not determined by follower count, but by the relevance and engagement of their audience. For successful influencer marketing, quality is more important than quantity.

• Audience Relevance: The power of an influencer comes from who their audience is, not just how many people there are.
• Targeted Selection: Brands should select influencers whose audience matches their target demographic, considering criteria such as location, age, and specific interests.
• Content Alignment: It is crucial to analyze an influencer's existing content on their social media platforms to ensure brand alignment and a natural fit for your products or services.

Influencers Can Only Benefit B2C Companies

While influencer marketing is prominent in the business-to-consumer (B2C) space, it is an equally powerful strategy for business-to-business (B2B) companies; the approach is simply different.

• B2B Opportunities: B2B businesses can benefit just as much by leveraging industry experts, thought leaders, and satisfied customers as influencers.
• Real-World Example: The software company Adobe Photoshop provides a great example of B2B influencer marketing by having professional photographers post photos on Instagram that were edited using its software.
• Focus on the Target: Success in B2B influencer marketing depends on identifying the right influencers for your specific target audience and showing how your product or service solves their unique problems.

Now that you understand influencer marketing better, you might wonder how it fits into inbound marketing. These two strategies work in unison and share common underlying characteristics.

Engaging Content

Similar to inbound marketing or content marketing, influencer marketing is about attracting potential customers by engaging them with compelling content. The goal is not only to attract individuals but also to create content designed to keep them coming back. Influencers build their audiences organically by creating content that resonates, not by simply posting about products. They start by sharing their lives and perspectives, which keeps their readers and viewers returning for more.

Building Credibility

Because influencers typically build their following organically, they establish great credibility. Just as with inbound marketing, effective influencers continually create content they believe in and know will appeal to their followers. They understand their audience and what appeals to them, whether through pictures or videos. Because of this established trust, an influencer should want to promote your business not because of financial motivation, but because they genuinely like what you have to offer and believe their followers will too.

In this way, influencer marketing can garner a bigger audience for your business. It's not as easy as selecting an influencer with a large following; it's about ensuring the influencer is well aligned with what you have to offer and their audience. A key takeaway is that influencer marketing can work in tandem with your inbound efforts to attract, engage, and delight your consumers. Engagement and credibility can be cornerstones of your marketing strategy that make for lasting relationships with your consumers.