What is Influencer Marketing and How It Helps to Grow Your Business

Every business, big or small, has invaded the online world, thus creating an insurmountable amount of noise. This over-crowded market has made buyers skeptical about businesses that indulge in self-promotion. 

The quest for an alternate marketing approach has compelled brands to appreciate the power of influencers. Although influencer marketing is relatively new, the concept has existed for decades. People have long been swayed to buy things when famous people talk about or use them. Here, we’ll shed some light on influencer marketing and how it helps to expand your business. 

What is Influencer Marketing?

The term is self-explanatory. Influencer marketing is when a brand collaborates with real-time influencers to promote its product or service across social networks like Instagram, YouTube, etc. 

This billion-dollar industry was limited to celebrities and a few famous bloggers a decade ago. However, the focus has now been repositioned to passionate and authentic creators. 

And while their followers may vary in size, these influencers pack a punch. This marketing approach has become a refined and new-gen solution for brands to expand their reach. Influencers’ tight-knit communities help brands foster authentic connections with their target audience, leading to higher trust and engagement. 

You can also refer to Influencer Marketing as an expanded version of word-of-mouth marketing. This approach works owing to the high amount of trust that social influencers have built up with their followers. And recommendations from then often serve as social proof to your brand’s potential customers. 

Types of Influencers

Influencers are further classified into four types:

  • Mega Influencers (1M+ followers)
  • Macro Influencers (100K to 1M followers)
  • Micro-Influencers (10K to 100K followers)
  • Nano-Influencers (10K followers)

Some social media influencers have large, broad audiences spanning multiple demographics, while others boast small but more targeted communities. Evaluating what each type of influencer can offer you regarding reach, cost, and engagement is the key to choosing the right ones for your brand. 

It’s no secret that mega-influencers are much more visible, but they don’t necessarily offer you the desired result. While partnering with an influencer with millions of followers might sound tempting, it might not be the best fit for your brand. 

Although it’s hard to believe that influencers with decent followers, say 3 – 100K, generate more engagement on their posts. They target a particular group of audience, making them ideal for small and emerging brands. If you are new to this marketing concept and have no idea where to begin, reach out to the professional social media agency in Gurgaon and let them find the right option for you. 

Now that you are well-acquainted with influencer marketing and its types, let’s find out how this approach aligns with your business goals and help you cultivate customers. 

How Does Influencer Marketing Grow Your Business?

Influencer marketing is no longer dominated by celebrities and socialities who’ve been paid to hold up a product. The focus has shifted toward authentic content creators with small but loyal followers. 

Here’s how this approach actually works to expand your reach and grow your business beyond limitations. 

  • Increasing your brand awareness

Influencer Marketing primarily works by putting your brand in front of the right people. Let’s admit the fact that your brand cannot grow until and unless it doesn’t get attention from your target audience. 

You must reach out to people in new communities and make them aware of your products or services. Using influencer marketing can help you achieve this goal and increase brand awareness.  

Influencers uniquely share your brand story, appealing to their followers’ emotions and triggers. Startups take years to build a solid following, and influencers can help shorten the process by creating your brand awareness faster. 

  • Sharing user-generated content

Gone are the days when a celebrity face was enough to lure customers. Nowadays, people value the opinions of influencers over that of the brand and socialities. Influencers share user-generated content that looks authentic and trustworthy to their followers. 

Every word from the influencer’s mouth will be taken as a testimonial or social proof of your product or service. Hence, it’s best to save influencer posts for upcoming promotions. 

  • Building trust

Sharing your story and promoting your business through influencer marketing lets your target audience feel they can trust your brand. They get to know you through an influencer they count on and follow. 

Positive feedback from an influential person ensures them you are a credible and reliable brand they can spend on. Hence, influencer marketing not just makes people aware of your brand but also helps you win over their trust, so they can turn from a mere audience to paying customers. 

However, you can achieve this goal only if you have teamed up with the right influencer. One wrong choice can cost your business valuable time and money. Hence, it’s often suggested to connect with experts and seek social media services in Gurgaon to avoid such mishaps. 

  • Generating sales

Since influencers do whatever it takes to boost your brand awareness and build trust, their efforts automatically pay off in the form of sales and conversions. They promote your product and motivate their followers to give your brand a try, thus helping you cultivate more customers and revenue. 

Since the influencer’s audience is loyal and interested in what that person recommends, they are more likely to take action and drive your earnings. 

Summing Up

While influencer marketing is a well-known strategy, this approach still takes deliberate targeting and planning. Remember that you won’t grow your business just by sending free things out to everyone. Pair up with the right influencer and set your expectations upfront to yield results.