A decade ago, if someone said that they used micro-influencers in their brand communication, they would not even be understood, and once they managed to explain the concept, no one would take it seriously. Today, influencers have a greater influence on purchasing decisions than advertising in newspapers or television. Can brand communication do without their help?
Why micro-influencers?
Behind the micro-influencers there is still the shadow of "stewards" and the first campaigns with bloggers. At that time, it seemed that young Internet creators did not have a serious approach, but theirs did marketing activities have little effect. Today, when Kylie Jenner has about 250 million fans on Instagram, and PawDiePie - 108 million subscribers on YouTube, their opinion counts more than influential journalists or actors. They are aware of this, which is why advertising on their channels costs the same as in the high-circulation press.
So companies are also turning to less popular creators and even micro-influencers. By some definitions microinfluencer can have several hundred fans; other sources say that he should have tens of thousands. It depends on the industry in which the company operates, as well as on it communication strategy brand.
Brand communication in specific industries
Honesty is the most valuable currency in online advertising today. It's definitely better to have a long-term relationship with an influencer who truly appreciates the brand, even if they don't have millions of fans. The costs of such cooperation can be symbolic, and the profit for the brand is very large, if it selects the influencers appropriately to cooperate.
It's easy to find on social media opinion leaders in specific industries. They won't necessarily be the most famous influencers. They can reach several thousand people. If there is a community involved around them, you can guess that they are devoted fans who take the words of the influencer into account.
Simple advertising tactics in social media are being abandoned, but if you manage to achieve synergy between brand communication and the voice of a respected person on the Internet, both the brand and the influencer can benefit.
Examples of nichesin which it is easy to find a quality micro-influencer ready in a reasonable budget for a partnership with the brand:
- pet products,
- niche sports, hobbies, dance,
- tourism and survival,
- specialized machines and services,
- green energies, energy-saving construction,
- local services and products.
When does brand communication with influencers pay off?
Paradoxically, less popular influencers are not only "known for being known." It could be a gynecologist, dog trainer or dietitian whose opinions really matter. If you manage to enter into such cooperation, the company's reputation will significantly improve.
The profit from such brand communication can be especially large in the case of products that are simply expensive. Customers do not spend several dozen or several hundred thousand zlotys on impulse. A methodical, long-term influencer campaign may make them finally agree to a given solution. Then the database of several thousand well-targeted people from the influencer's audience may turn out to be a very valuable resource. Theoretically, no one looks for such expensive products on Instagram, but in practice, Internet users trust the opinions of influncers about cars, houses or solar panels.
Currently, even PR campaigns are created together with influencers. This is a ready idea for a campaign reference marketing and recommendation marketing. If you don't already have a brand communication concept, then you are also facing a great deal. Treat small campaigns with micro-influencers as a cheap test of various solutions. You will quickly find out what it is marketing strategy it is the most effective, it engages the recipients the most and translates into the number of inquiries. Then it is enough to invest in more similar campaigns or establish cooperation with an even more popular influencer. The influencers themselves, as creators of photos or videos, are also a mine of ideas for brand communication on the Internet.
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Social marketing, blog and influencers
The influencer runs his own business and has his own policy. Therefore, it is not worth limiting yourself only to cooperation with influencers when it comes to advertising. The best results are achieved by combining three communication channels: social marketing, blogs and influencers.
- Social marketing - opinions, groups and forums. Users trust the opinions. Presence in groups promotes brand loyalty. This allows you to communicate directly with the company.
- Blogs - although videos and photos are becoming more and more popular, still most of the results on Google are websites, including blogs. A brand has a better reputation if it is visible there.
- Influencers - content mainly reaches people from the influencer's circle, but the effects of brand communication through this channel are immediately visible.
How is brand communication carried out by influncers?
Examples of brand communication on influencer social channels are:
- promotions, discounts, special offers,
- clubs, newsletters, closed forums,
- brand history, factory tours, backstage of the production process,
- competitions,
- Product PR, information campaigns,
- guides, questions and answers, interviews.
As you can see, many of these elements are very natural. Some of the audience may not even be aware that they are dealing with an advertisement. A beer blogger showing the brewery or an instagramer showing the make-up step by step - it does not sound like an advertisement, and fans visit social media for such content. Do you want to prepare an effective campaign that will capture the heart of social-media users? Let us know about it.