Influencers, the Holy Grail for brands

02 May Influencers, the Holy Grail for brands

 Did you know that influencer marketing is considered the ‘Holy Grail’ for the Public Relations industry?

Traditional public relation tools and the release of stories to the press are successful no matter what.  However, an influencer’s voice – a topic expert – in a social media environment we currently live in, either coming from a blog, a post share, or any other form of content, gives an extra sparkle and takes the brand to the next level.

The pull that a brand gains by using an influencer with a killer fan base is massive. An estimation of a research mentions that 59% of the marketers, will increase the ‘influencer marketing budget’ the following year (Wiley & Talamantez, 2017).  Also, a research report conducted by the Marketing Association finds that 72% of customers say that ‘seeing Instagram photos of a product or service has increased their chances of buying’. 

No need to read between the lines here! Influencer marketing is probably the fastest customer acquisition channel in the advertising environment. Brands are seeing the true potential in using the right storytellers aka influencers, considering them as an asset to their brand plan’s toolbox.

However, in order to achieve good results, choosing the ‘right’ influencer is of major importance. Here comes the role of your specialized PR practitioner. There are a lot of ‘tricky parts’ conducting an influencer endorsement, especially when it comes to your brand association. It is important to be extra careful how you choose to leverage an influencer in your marketing campaign.

Make a ‘be careful list first’. Starting from whether this influencer suits my brand, influencer’s quality in followers (don’t be fooled by large followings), briefing and directing the influencer, keeping an eye on the influencer and his activities and many more.

The direct influencer trust relationships along with the brand strategy drawn, the objectives set and the ‘whisper’ you want to release to the public, should be in the hands of your PR agency.

When relevant influencers and profound brands have the chemistry to create an appealing content, it’s a powerful combination. Viral posts can generate a five number figure of brand views with an incredible consumer engagement.  But… There’s a hook. Personifying the influencer towards the brand, is a hands full. So how you accomplish that? Choose the right PR practitioner and let him do some magic.