Harnessing the Impact of Influencers

Blog // 08.27.2018 // Harnessing the Impact of Influencers

screenshot of definition of influencer

Ronald Reagan repped Chesterfield cigarettes. Brooke Shields stayed close to her Calvin Klein jeans. Michael Jordan sold shoes. And today Shaquille O’Neill pushes pain relief. But for all their celebrity, those endorsements don’t hold a candle to today’s influencers. In fact, 92% of consumers trust influencers more than celebrities or ads.

What’s an influencer? Those titans of social media, measured by their followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their own blogs. With an influencer, it’s as much about a persona as it is about a brand. The key is finding the right relationship between the two. Airbnb provided glamorous accommodations for socialite Kim Kardashian’s getaway to New York City, and in return was rewarded with a slew of posts. Incredible brand awareness – one Instagram post alone snagged more than 1.5 million likes.

Bloggers also provide potential for impact; it’s why fashion designers have been giving fashion bloggers front row seats at their spring runway shows, and even making them models.

blonde influencer posting

We have seen this work for our clients, where they were able to partner with an influencer who provided them with brand awareness and consumer trust. Pictured above is Lipstick, Heals & A Baby, blogger & influencer, Jessica Fay. She reached out to our client Chris at FlexCourt to partner with and feature their court in her blog post about her backyard renovation. It was a great opportunity for FlexCourt to tap into her large following. When you read the blog post, you’ll notice that it’s not a hard sell at all. Instead, she tells the reader what value FlexCourt brought to her and her family. Read the whole blog article here: https://www.lipstickheelsandababy.com/backyard-renovation/

flex court influencer marketing campaign done by mcdaniels marketing

Estimates put spending on influencer content at $255 million, but the key is making it not look like advertising. It’s more native content in its essence, because the idea is for your brand to seamlessly flow into the influencer’s regular stream of content without a hitch.

But don’t feel like you have to find an influencer with 1 million followers – it’s more about finding the right one for your brand. Someone with a few thousand likes may have far more engagement and therefore more influence. Choosing an up-and-coming thought leader or innovator in your segment can have significant impact.

Possibilities could be a contest, giveaway or sharing campaign, as long as it’s created by the influencer so that it’s in the vein of their normal communications. You or your team could create a campaign for them to share, but it will likely stand out as not something the influencer created.

You can, of course, choose to go the direct route and pay for content, or you could get more creative and see where the road takes you. An easy way to start: Getting the product into the influencer’s hands. Do you sell beef jerky? Maybe there’s a guy on YouTube who has 500,000 followers from videos about his love of the meat treat. Get him to review, or get him to do a taste test to find his favorite flavor from your selection. Or, hold a beef jerky eating contest and get him to attend. No idea is too wild or silly.

The fact is, influencer marketing impacts – studies show 16 times the engagement from site visitors driven by an influencer. And, when a brand repurposes (ie likes, shares, e-blasts) the influencer’s content on their own channels, that content performs 35 times better than the own brand’s content.

influencer marketing campaign done by mcdaniels marketing

McD Marketing
blogger, influencer, social

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