How to Use Influencer Marketing to Boost Brand Awareness

In today's digital age, marketing landscapes have evolved and opened doors for innovative strategies that can help businesses gain a competitive edge on the internet. Guest blogging, running ads on social media, and making an account on different social media platforms and video-sharing websites are just some of the typical methods companies use to build a strong online presence and reach a wider online audience. 

One such strategy that has seen significant growth and success over the years, however, is influencer marketing. And for many digital marketers, partnering with an influencer is a powerful tool that can impact a company’s brand awareness, help shape the public perception of a brand, and increase brand visibility in a saturated market. 

What makes influencer marketing an effective marketing strategy is its ability to leverage endorsements and product mentions from influencers, who are essentially individuals who possess a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche. These online personalities can range from micro-influencers with a few thousand followers to mega-influencers boasting a following in the millions. Influencers have also built their audience through their authenticity and reliability. As such, they have the power to sway their followers' purchasing decisions by merely sharing their experiences with a brand's products or services.

For influencer marketing to be effective, however, digital marketers need to know how to use the strategy correctly. Here are a few tips on how to do so.

Choose the Right Influencer

Working with the right influencer is crucial in running a successful campaign because the number of followers won’t mean much if the influencer's niche and brand don’t match your company’s. For a campaign to be effective and come across as genuine, you should partner with influencers who are in the same or similar industry as you. For example, an fashion influencer agency such as GetHyped, ensures it has proven expertise in your industry.

For example, if you want to endorse your new line of branded lanyards, you need to partner with an influencer who’s into fashion. A fashion vlogger or blogger is knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the fashion industry and will use their talents to properly advertise your branded lanyard to their audience. Other factors you should consider when choosing an influencer include:

• Brand Alignment: The influencer's content, style, and values should be in line with your brand to establish a genuine connection. Followers can easily spot forced partnerships, which could harm both the influencer's and your brand's reputation.
• Reach and Engagement: A broad follower base is desirable, but engagement is equally essential. When an influencer and their followers are active, it’ll be easier for your brand to gain a wider reach online. To know if an influencer and their community are active, check the number of comments, likes, and shares on an influencer’s post. These can tell you how receptive their audience is to their content.
• Audience Demographics: An influencer's audience should match your target demographic to ensure that your product or service is reaching the right people.

Establish a Close and Successful Partnership

Building a fruitful relationship with influencers goes beyond a one-time deal. Regular communication, respect for the influencer's creative freedom, and transparency are vital in creating a strong and long-lasting partnership. You must also ensure that you’re abiding by ethical and legal guidelines, such as disclosing paid partnerships, to maintain the influencer’s trust. When you have a good, close relationship with a popular social media personality, the influencer will likely give your product or service a good and honest review, as well as highly recommend your brand to their followers. 

Use the Influencer’s Creativity to Your Advantage

Influencers are content creators so they have a knack for creating engaging content that works with their followers. That being said, a partnership with influencers can result in generating creative, captivating, and relatable branded content that resonates with your company’s target audience and boosts brand awareness.

The Benefits of Employing the Right Influencer Marketing Strategies

Influencer marketing's versatility allows it to be beneficial across various industries. This strategy, however, requires a nuanced approach tailored to each industry to ensure its effectiveness. When used correctly, your company will gain the following benefits:

Increased Trust and Credibility

Influencers have already built a base of followers who trust their opinion and value their content. As such, if you’re able to build a good relationship with the right social media personalities, being associated with them boosts your company’s credibility. You’ll also get to tap into the influencers’ power to influence their audience, increasing brand trust and loyalty as a result.

Reaching the Right Audience

A significant advantage of influencer marketing is the ability to reach a highly targeted audience. Influencers typically have a defined demographic of followers who trust their opinions and recommendations. Therefore, collaborating with an influencer who aligns with your brand and vision can ensure that your products or services reach the right audience.

Improved SEO

Links to your website from the influencer's blog or social media channels can also boost your SEO. More organic traffic driven by relevant influencers can improve your search engine rankings, further boosting brand visibility.

Influencer marketing offers immense potential for boosting brand awareness across various industries. 

By letting you tap into the trust that influencers have established with their audience, you can create authentic and relatable brand endorsements that increase your company’s brand visibility and growth.