Have you ever looked at an influential figure on social media and thought, “Wow, that product placement was executed like a photoshoot?” Chances are these social posts are meticulously taken to showcase certain brands that are sponsoring the post. Influencer marketing has changed the way brands reach audiences, it has grown over the past few years as a valuable marketing strategy. Companies can’t ignore the reach of social media, and that includes social media influencers.
How companies find influencers.
Initially, influencer marketing was used by new and relatively small brands on Instagram to promote their products. But, it has quickly shifted to bigger companies wanting to have the same reach. They begin by picking out an influencer with similar demographics, to best connect with the companies audience. Influencers are chosen based on four key factors:
Followers- Number of followers and average post views
Engagements- Likes, shares, comments
Demographic- who is the audience (wealthy, socialites, etc)
Reach- the reach in numbers to a particular audience
We see marketing influencers with major companies like Gucci, Adidas, Zara, MVMT watches, and BECCA cosmetics. These companies take the time to research and analyze multiple media outlets to perfectly develop the ideal partnership with an influencer to gain the widest reach.
A great example of influencer marketing would have to be BECCA Cosmetics. Focusing on their audience, BECCA Cosmetics decided to partner with Chrissy Teigen to advertise their new highlighter palette. Teigen is one the most popular influencers in makeup, and it comes as no surprise that the video she posted garnered close to 5 million views. She also updated her fans about the launch of the palette and encouraged them to check out the brand’s official website for more details. This post has received more than 140,000 likes and thousands of comments.
The success of the BECCA Cosmetics social campaign had to do with Chrissy Teigen’s audience which is comprised of people who would be interested in cosmetics. Plus, she has a massive 12.9 million Instagram followers which allow for a bigger reach than other marketing platforms like paid search.
What can we learn from the world of social media and its influencers?
Social Media is here to stay, so it’s important to utilize the platforms that we have access to. Companies need to take the time to include online platforms and truly push the boundaries of what social media can do. It’s important for any brand to prioritize their social media accounts and manage them correctly. Whether it’s taking the time to invest in social media influencers or just focusing on growing their platform to garner more followers, each and every brand needs to approach social media as a vital part of an overall marketing strategy.
by Mounir Mulhem
Graphic Designer