Lets try a thought exercise:
- Imagine you own an ice cream shop.
- Imagine you have a customer (Let’s call her Stacy) inside of your ice cream shop and they order a Chocolate Ice Cream cone.
- Imagine that Stacy is taking an awesome picture of the ice cream cone to post on Instagram and tags your ice cream shop.
- Imagine that picture is viewed by tens of thousands of potential customers who think everything Stacy does is awesome.
- Imagine dozens of other “Stacy’s” coming into your business and doing the same thing.
1) They spread your brand FURTHER than you can with paid advertising
Today, an average user on social media has about 150 followers. Not bad! But when an influencer posts, they are amplifying your brand to thousands and thousands of people. One post from an influencer can dwarf the impact of dozens or even hundreds of people.
From a cost standpoint, the general rule of thumb is that this type of organic in-venue visual content and reach has a value of $50/CPM. So, if Janice in Accounting has 10,000 followers, that means in order to get this type of reach, you would traditionally have to pay upwards $500!
2) Influencers are trusted tastemakers
An influencer is just another fancy word for “popular-expert.” They can be experts in beauty, fashion, food, athletics, nail clippers, anything! A main reason reason so many people follow them is because they serve as a curation tool to discover what’s fresh, new or just awesome. The same way if you’re looking for a new brunch spot, you would text your self-proclaimed “Foodie” friend for recommendations, influencers are constantly giving out recommendations and referrals to business and experiences.
3)Influencers are authentic
While there are influencers out there you can pay an arm and a leg to hold your product and smile, it’s not necessary. Influencer marketing is at its most effective when it is authentic and organic. As social media consumerism has matured and followings are cemented, consumers can tell the difference between plastic paid ad and a real experience. Instead of shelling out your entire ad budget, creating an environment that encourages and rewards posting while allow you to broaden your reach without needing to reach into your wallet.
How do you encourage these influencers to post? Check out our Top 5 Tips to Transform your Customer into Promoters.
