The Top Three Reasons you Should be Using Influencer Marketing

4 min read

by Talia Basch

Posted on Wednesday, April 26, 2023

If you’re looking to bring your brand into the marketing age of 2023 then you need to strongly consider using social influencers to spread your messaging. In today's digital age it’s an effective way for brands to reach and engage with their target audience. Here are three reasons why your brand should consider using influencer marketing:

To Generate Authentic Content

Media users are becoming increasingly savvy when it comes to filtering out and skipping ads. In fact, many users have developed a "banner blindness" to traditional online ads, which can make it difficult for brands to effectively reach their target audience through traditional advertising methods. According to a survey by GlobalWebIndex, 47% of internet users use ad-blockers because they find ads annoying or intrusive. There are similar trends for video ads, according to a study by IPG, nearly 65% of internet users skip pre-roll ads.

This data shows us the importance of finding new and innovative ways to reach consumers without disrupting their online experience. Influencer marketing campaigns can be more effective than traditional advertising because they are often integrated into the content that the influencer is creating, rather than being a separate and disruptive ad. This can make the content feel more authentic and engaging, and therefore more likely to be noticed by the influencer's followers.

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A post shared by Connecticut Bucket List LLC | Kathleen (@connecticut_bucketlist)

For our client Goodwill, they wanted to try something new when it came to promoting their Career Centers. The offer (which sounds almost too good to be true!) is a center with career counseling for anyone in CT. They have certificate courses, 1 on 1 coaching, and computers and other tech available, all for free! To better engage CT residents we sent in local influencer @connecticut_bucketlist to experience it for herself. The results? An outstanding video that showcases the facilities and highlights some of the great offerings. This video received over 80,000 organic views in the first few weeks of posting as well as dozens of likes, comments, saves and shares. Now the career centers are reporting that people are telling them they are visiting because of the videos they saw on Instagram!

To Build Trust and Credibility

The trust and credibility built through influencer marketing can have a significant impact on a brand's success. By leveraging influencers' credibility and building trust with their target audience, brands can see an increase in sales. According to the 2021 Nielsen Trust in Advertising study, 71% of consumers trust advertising, opinions and product placements from influencers. By working with influencers who have a strong reputation and authority in their niche, brands can leverage their expertise to build credibility with their target audience.

By partnering with influencers, we can tap into the creator’s authenticity and relatability to build a more human and approachable image for their brand. Many influencers are also experts in their niche or industry, which means that their recommendations and opinions are often valued by their followers. To support Tenjaku Whisky’s Father’s Day sales, we partnered up with 5 whiskey and cocktail experts to create content and promote Tenjaku on their platforms during the month of June. The results were very apparent! We tracked over 36,000 organic views and over 3,000 engagements of likes, comments, shares and saves. This campaign also had Tenjaku see a 117% spike in accounts reached and a 20% boost in followers month over month.

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A post shared by Coffee Black Whiskey Neat (@coffeeblackwhiskeyneat)

To Tell a Story

Using their credibility and authenticity, Influencers are able to become storytellers in a way that traditional social media ads can’t always capture. When an influencer tells a brand's story, they can create a more emotional connection between the brand and its target audience. This emotional connection can help to build brand loyalty and advocacy over time. When an influencer shares their personal experience with a product or service, it can help to humanize the brand and make it more relatable to their followers.

According to the 2020 Edelman Brand Trust report, 75% of people believe that brands should tell stories as part of their advertising. This shows us that our audiences want more. To spread the message of The Basketball Hall of Fame’s museum being reopened post-Covid, we partnered with 8 Influencers to reach users all the way from Central CT to Boston. These influencers each visited and shared their own unique story and connection to basketball and its history. They shared their skills on the court and around the museum, all while describing exactly why their audience would love the museum. This campaign had an organic reach of over 1 million views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube and received thousands of positive interactions. The Basketball Hall of Fame has reported that ticket sales last year were up over 30% from 2019!

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A post shared by Connecticut 📍 Food and Fun | David.M (@thedamgram)

In conclusion, influencer marketing can be a valuable tool for brands looking to reach and engage with their target audience. By working with influencers, we can build trust and credibility, reach a targeted audience, increase brand awareness, and generate authentic, quality, content. If you're looking to grow your brand and attract new customers, influencer marketing is something you must consider!