Is Influencer Marketing a Waste of Time
Influencer marketing campaigns are all the rage in digital marketing right now. Even so, sometimes, brands don’t get the return they hope for. So what differentiates the brands who succeed with influencers compared to those who don’t – well, the answer’s what determines whether influencer marketing is a waste of time for your website or not.
Influencer marketing is in itself a clever invention. In the past two decades, something horrifying happened in the marketing and advertising industry. It was found, as consumers become desensitized to ads online and in-person, they would ignore them and/or wouldn’t trust these advertisements. As companies looking to advertise, what is there to do if most marketing isn’t going to work – well, enter in influencers. Although some people don’t trust online ads, what they do trust are recommendations from friends, family, and faces they know. All in the name of reaching an audience, the market opened up for social media influencers to sell posts to brands looking to connect to their audience. This proved to generate some absolutely massive returns for a lot of brands!
Although a lot of digital marketers still love using influencer marketing, the results aren’t always similar. Some influencer campaigns don’t lead to much. In fact, some social media influencers have been found in recent memory to buy likes, shares, and their audience. And, depending on the influencer you’ve chosen to partner with and your industry, not all of them are as good at promoting products as others. Now, influencer marketing is nothing new. Celebrity-esque sponsorships like these have been around since the 1930s. Using a recognizable name to promote a brand or product has always proven to be an effective investment. The problem in today’s world however is there are so many influencers. They’re running into trouble trying to distinguish themselves from others.
Complicating the relationship with influencer marketing is how some consumers are already completely desensitized to it. Consumers oftentimes will remember the influencer in an advertisement rather than the product or brand. Furthermore, when they see a post like this on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, on a podcast, on a billboard, or wherever, they’re likely to skip over it without giving it a second thought. Sure, an influencer will take your money. And, yes, they may do all the right things in promoting your brand. None of this ensures you’re going to find success through this strategy. For corporations, what happens if the influencer gets caught in some bad publicity – said corporation may be associated with that and it could reduce their investment worthless.
Your best bet, if you’ve decided on using influencer marketing, is to find someone you trust, someone who is relevant to your audience, and who is locally-based. Success depends on these choices. Influencer marketing is not worthless. The results speak for themselves. There are many brands who have succeeded in big-time using this exact strategy. As digital marketers ourselves though, we know nothing’s a guarantee.
If you’re looking for an expert who can help navigate the world of influencer marketing, contact Unlimited Exposure today. Our marketing team can help build an effective 360-degree digital marketing strategy complete with an influencer marketing element alongside the potential for social media, video marketing, content marketing, and more. We have already assisted dozens of brands generate big results! We’d love to help you do the same. Join us today!
