I have always been a fan of Influencer Marketing (earned media). I believe that if it’s done right, Influencer Marketing is an effective way for companies (young and progressive) to keep their products known among their target customers and drive brand affinity over time.
Public Relations is one of the channels that I know where most influencing happens, because it’s 3rd party and has the least un-biased opinion toward your brands. But as I dig deeper and read more into what other successful companies are doing in Influencer Marketing, I’ve found that the landscape has changed. Social media channels (Instagram, snapchat) and blogs, with focused campaign efforts and measurable mechanism in place, could be a great influencer marketing tool to help your brands generate positive ROI.
This article from SocialTimes shared some very interesting nuggets that I would recommend a read if your target market or niche makes their purchase decisions based on authentic recommendations from people whom they know or follow.
If you are setting up your marketing strategy for 2017, and want to focus on something new in your marketing, in addition to what works for you, Influencer Marketing could be one of the areas that you could try out this year or get some help in. As long as you have a focused plan and favorable ROI, you can make some positive impact to your marketing efforts.
I will continue to follow trends and ROI in Influencer Marketing, and may look into developing relationships with a few influencers that I know, and see where that takes me. I’d be happy to report out on notable discoveries.
I’d also love to hear from you! Let me know if you had done some influencer marketing that this community should know. We would be thrilled to learn from you!
Source: K. Morrison, SocialTimes (Adweek), Dec 2016
