By Audrey Rowe
For as long as advertisements have been around, brands have adopted the concept of hiring popular personalities to promote a product or service. This phenomenon is not new, but in light of the age of social media, it has since adjusted. Brands are finding new ways to use brand ambassadors and these people are not necessarily famous celebrities.
Brands are starting to use social media personalities also known as, ‘influencers’ for their advertisements.
What qualifies a social media influencer? These influencers usually have a large following so that they can reach a large number of people. Influencers post material to cater their content to a specific audience. Some categories that are popular within influencers are fashion, beauty, cooking, gaming etc. Specific categories offer a large opportunity for both influencers and viewers. Viewers are able to build trust and knowledge on a product and influencers are able to gain creditability from their fans, having a mutually beneficial relationship.
The benefit of influencers goes beyond the relationship between them and their audience.
Influencer marketing can expand your reach online. By having an influencer reaching out to niche audiences and connecting with them in a way that corporate can’t, it helps build brand awareness and effectively reaches your target audience. After connecting and following media influencers, social users will begin to know more about your brand’s story, and who they are. Another huge benefit of this is the convenience. You do not need to spend money finding your audience, an influencer has already fostered its audience and places content on users that are already interested in your niche.
As the social media realm continues to grow, influencers continue to have a huge effect on brands and it has proven itself to be a career path for some. Starting these mutually beneficial relationships might be the push that your brand needs to reach a bigger audience. Consider influencer marketing and witness the growing benefits.
By: Audrey Rowe
