Influencer marketing is a highly effective way of getting your organization’s name out. Influencers tend to have devoted fan bases with very specific interests. This means you can easily focus on reaching a small group of people who will then regularly communicate with a far wider target audience. It creates an excellent opportunity to generate trust, as an outside voice is telling people what your company can accomplish or offer, and in a language that makes sense to that group.

Let’s be honest, the internet has changed the way brands go about their marketing campaigns. Traditional advertisements just don’t generate the sales they used to. Influencer marketing, on the other hand, does.

Social influencers have created a following for themselves in their niche, by doing things their own way. They’ve become a voice of reason and trust and they’re able to cut through the noise of commercials and connect with consumers. Their way of doing things is unique to themselves yet universal in its appeal. Let’s take a look at the impact working with influencers marketing can have on your brand:

1. Gain Credibility And Perspective

Introducing new audiences to your business through influencers provides context and immediate credibility. Businesses can unlock a new market or demographic quickly with an influencer guide who can help navigate authentic branding opportunities. Aligning complimentary skill sets brings additional value to the influencer, the business and your customer.

2. People Trust Their Peers

Consumers trust peers first and consistently doubt companies. In short, when a company says it, it’s marketing. But when a peer says it, it’s believable. Whenever businesses can leverage social proof through testimonials and client successes, they can gain leverage that no advertising dollar can reproduce. It’s important to make it easier for customers to share their successes.

3. Help People Get To Know, Like And Trust You

People buy from people they know, like and trust. Influencer marketing helps businesses develop all three of these.  Businesses — and the people who work in them — are building relationships with people long before they become customers. Except for a few consumables, most people don’t need your product now, but they will in the future. Be who they think of when then the time comes.

4. Use Influencer Marketing As A Tool To Learn About Your Customers

Every organization tells a story, so does every influencer. When an organization leverages an influencer, they get to hear their story in a new way, through the influencer’s eyes. If they listen carefully, it will teach them a tremendous amount about their customers. This influencer perspective, combined with the reaction of customers, can become a powerful feedback mechanism for the organization.

5. Create Brand Ambassadors

Influencer marketing allows you to tap into the networks of some of the most connected people in social media. By empowering them to tell your stories their way, you allow the influencers to become your own brand ambassadors. The trick is to give them the unique photos, videos and stories that tell your brand story in a subtle way that also builds the influencer’s stature in the social community.

The power of Influencer Marketing

Personal endorsements and testimonials have been around for many years, but influencer marketing takes it to the next level by communicating directly with target customers on channels in which they feel the most comfortable and are active in. Consumers used to – and still do – trust reviews from other consumers before purchasing a product. Reviews made my influencers are considered to be reviews from professional and passionate consumers who made it their job to try products and test a wider number of features.

For regular readers of a site or blog, sponsored content can stand out and be quite obvious, but sponsored content in the form of an influencer’s review can fit seamlessly into the rest of their content, to the point of not feeling like an advertisement at all. Imagine having an audience willingly, and enthusiastically, consume your content without having to chase them. This is the power that influencers have in various industries and why they continue to be such an important resource for marketers.