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Three ways to leverage influencers beyond just “reach”

Posted by Fiona Todd on 17th November 2021

Influencer marketing has grown exponentially over the last few years and, not surprisingly, has now become one of the most popular forms of online marketing globally.

In fact, the total size of the influencer market in 2022 is projected to be $15 billion — an increase of as much as eight billion since 2019.

With nine out of 10 marketers now incorporating influencer marketing into their overall marketing strategy, it’s clear brands are increasingly seeing the value of influencers.

But while many brands are investing in influencer marketing, are they actually realising its full potential to transform and expand their marketing efforts?

There are several ways in which marketers can leverage influencers to not only increase brand visibility and make better connections with customers, but also to grow their businesses.

Before we look at these ways in further detail, it’s worth noting that there are several types of influencers out there (check out my previous blog to learn more).

Influencer marketing is not always about spending an insane amount of budget on celebrities to generate a huge reach in one hit. It’s about tapping into the influencers who are not only experts in their particular field, but those that are extremely trusted by their loyal and highly engaged following.

These micro influencers can be some of the most powerful partners to engage with.

  1. Understanding your target market

One of the main challenges many brands often face is being able to really understand the needs and wants of their target market and the best way to resonate with them.

But what if there’s someone already out there who knows exactly what your customers need?

The right influencer will be able to provide you with a level of knowledge and insight that would otherwise be hard to tap into. For example, they already know your customers’ frustrations, their challenges and their wants and needs.

Instead of spending hours — and budget — on market research, first engage with the influencers who know your audience. They’ll be able to make sure you’re heading in the right direction.

  1. Content is king

If you really want to engage with your audience, then it’s not enough to just talk about your products or services all the time (yawn).

You need to start creating valuable content if you want to grow and succeed. But instead of putting your marketing teams under a large amount of pressure to be constantly churning out words on an hourly basis, look at getting the influencer to do the hard work for you.

Influencers are already creating valuable and engaging content that they know resonates with their audience. Rather than trying to compete with the huge amount content out there, collaborate with those who are already doing it. After all, influencers are full-time content creators.

  1. Boosting SEO

Marketing teams will already know that search engine optimisation (SEO) can be a huge and lengthy process.

But if you’re looking to improve your SEO, then it’s worth understanding that influencers can play a key role in helping you to achieve this goal.

For example, many influencers, especially those with their own blog or who write for a high-authority website, will often include a backlink to your site.

Not only does this get eyeballs on your landing pages, but it also significantly helps to create a positive impact on your site ranking.

These three examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ways in which influencers can help to scale your marketing efforts.

But don’t incorporate influencer marketing into your overall marketing strategy just to help you increase brand awareness. Leverage these influencers to transform, advance and extend your marketing efforts — and make a positive impact on the overall business.

Fiona Todd

Fiona’s early PR career began in a Hollywood film studio, but she left the glamour of entertainment in favour of the variety and greater opportunity offered by tech PR. Fi’s calm demeanour and pragmatic approach has helped her win the hearts and minds of her clients ever since. The secret to Fiona’s zen-like approach to account management is her love of yoga, helping her maintain mental and physical wellbeing after dealing with the daily demands of busy agency life.